Plethora of assessment methods being used in classrooms today

Defined as the “gathering of data about student knowledge and/or skills, either informally or formally” (Small, 598), assessment in today’s mathematics classroom must focuses on understanding; taking into account thinking, processes, and strategies. There are a plethora of assessment methods being used in classrooms today. Below is a list that I have compiled to I urge you to consider using these strategies in your very own classrooms.

Titon, Jennifer. (July 11, 2012). Anecdotal Records.
Retrieved from: http://tinyurl.com/cubb296 

Anecdotal Notes: Write records to keep track of your students’ progress in the classroom, including mathematical conversations, strategies, strengths, and areas of improvement.

Brainstorm: Put a new concept up on the board. Starting in pairs (or small groups), have your students think of different things that remind them of the new concept. Bring the class back together and your students share their ideas.

Checklist: Monitor your students’ mathematical performances and behaviours to see whether or not they are demonstrating success criteria.

Discussion: Participate in a mathematical discussion with your students, allowing them to share their thinking and strategies. Ask thoughtful questions to assess your students understanding of mathematical concepts.

© Dulac, Sandra. (July 31, 2012) 

Exit Tickets: Provide your students with a question at the end of the lesson and have them independently demonstrate what they know. 

Games: Observe your students while they are playing mathematical games to assess their mathematical language and their ability to use mathematical strategies.

Gallery Walk: Post 3 to 5 questions about a particular problem on separate sheets of chart paper taped around the room. In small groups, have your students pause at each sheet of paper, discussing the question and writing comments on the page. Ring a bell after a couple of minutes to advise groups that they are to switch to the next chart. Once the groups have contributed to each chart paper, review what was written.

Graffiti Wall: Lay chart paper on several desks and write a single word or topic on each. Divide your students into groups and have each group use words, numbers, and pictures to connect with the topic on their sheet of chart paper. Ring a bell after a couple of minutes to advise groups that they are to switch to the next chart. Once the groups have contributed to each chart paper, review what was written. Please click here for a great example.

Group Work: Provide a problem for your students to solve in small groups. Observe your students as they work together to solve the problem. Note strategies being used and link the strategies to the grade level expectations.

Interview: Prepare a couple of questions and tasks for your students to complete, assessing their understanding and their thinking.

                       Appel, Ray. (August 2, 2009). Tutorial: Math Journal Part 1 Retrieved from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNHb9SLF56E

Journals: Have your students use math journals for self-assessment. Your students can reflect on their understanding and learning of mathematical concepts, thinking about their individual performances. Please take a look at the video attached for some great math journal ideas.

KWL: Create a chart with your students on things they know, thing they want to know, and after the lesson, things they have learned.

KWL Snowball Fight: Provide each of your students a piece of white paper and have them write anything they know about a given topic on the paper. Have the students crumpled the paper into a 'snowball'. Give your students the magic words “Snow Ball Fight!” and have them throw their papers around the room. Say “Stop!” and have your students pick up the snowball nearest to them. Choose volunteers to read what is written on their page. Compile a chart of all the ideas shared. Repeat the same process with “what do you want to learn?”. At the end of the unit, have your students repeat the process with what they have learned. 

Bromhead, Ginette. (2011)

Learning Goals and Success Criteria: As a class, develop “I can” statements that describe what successful learning looks like, based on the learning goals from the unit that you are working on. Be sure to provide descriptive feedback for your students, recognising their strengths, areas of improvement, and next steps.

Performance Task: Provide your students with a challenging task, giving limited or little instruction, that allows multiple solutions, relates to prior know, and has personal meaning. Assess this task to determine what your students know and are able to do.

Rubrics: Provide your students with rubrics, clearly articulating how their work will be assessed and the standards required to achieve each level. Be sure to provide descriptive feedback for your students, recognising their strengths, areas of improvement, and next steps.

Stars and Wishes: Provide your students with descriptive feedback in the form of stars and wishes. Stars represent your students’ successes and wishes represent areas of improvement or next steps.

Think Sheet: Have your students share their prior knowledge and understanding of a math concept by using pictures, numbers, and words to explain everything they know.

First class video to be posted on Commons site

Well, it is official.  I just created my first classroom video on L'arbre aux Ballons and I am going to be posting it on our new classroom blog on the Commons website.  Who knew that I (not very tech-savvy Sandra) would be creating videos and blog.  Thanks Zoe for teaching me how to create videos and writing blogs!!

French Glogster Presentation part 2

Yesterday I used my Glog as an accompaniment to my French Unit presentation.  It was a great visual that helped illustrate what I was talking about and the embedded hyperlink easily allowed me to show other websites I used.

There are a few things that I will need to explore further and change.  First off, when using my interactive poster, I could only display one portion at a time.  I am sure there is a way to minimize the screen to see the whole thing.  I will have to play around a bit to find out how.  As well, with my video clip, next time I create a Glog that will be presented using the projector and a white screen, I will have to enlarge the image

Using Glogster as a Learning Object

I continue to be amazed at what I am learning in my Technology course and I cannot wait to try some of these tools out in the classroom.

Yesterday I created my first ever Glog (click here to see it).  "What is a Glog," you ask.  Let me tell you.  A Glog is created using a Web 2.0 program called Glogster.  It is an interactive poster that has pictures, text, animations, audio clips, hyperlinks, and videos.  I love how simple it is to create a Glog and make it look so professional.  With a couple clicks of the mouse, you can insert video and sound into your interactive poster.  It is extremely easy to make your poster authentic, as there are so many images and animations to use.  I had a great time choosing different frames and backgrounds for my Glog.

An interactive poster is a great way to introduce students to an author and his book(s).  With my Glog, I included a Wordle, a photograph, and excerpt from an interview to introduce students to the author.  If this lesson was being taught to older students, they could use the clues given in the Wordle to guess who the author is.  There is a hyperlink attached to the Qui suis-je and the photograph so the students can verify their answer and read up on Roch Carrier, the author of The Hockey Sweater.  To help younger students predict what the story is going to be about, I included a sound clip that could be played from the radio and a hockey animation.  I have also included a YouTube video of the story, so the students can watch a couple minutes of the video and predict what events may happen next.  Another way to use this video, is to turn the sound off and have the students explain what they are seeing in the video what they think is happening in the video.

I see many uses for Glogs in the classroom.  As mentioned above, they are a great way to introduce literature in the classroom.  Another manner, which I would like to try when on my teaching block, is using a Glog for Social Studies.  I know that I will be teaching a unit on "Members of my Community"  to my grade one French Immersion class.  For one of the students sub-tasks they will have to create "Help Wanted" poster, describing the tasks that a member in the community performs.  I think that as long as I model with the students how to use this program, they will be easily capable to create a Glog with text, images, animation, and possibly sound and video.

French Presentation Glog

I have to present my French unit plan on Tuesday and I thought that I would use a Glog to do so.  I used Glogster for the first time yesterday and I was so impressed by the ease of the this Web 2.0 tool, that I thought I would try it out for my presentation.  

Edublog Reflection

    I have learned a great deal through the creation of this Edublog.  Although I am not nearly as proficient as I would like to be, I now feel much more comfortable with the blogging experience.  I am able to change the background image and fonts of a blog.  I know how to link URLs and insert pictures and videos (that are properly cited) into a blog.    Throughout this blogging experience, I have also learned how to create short movies with pictures, texts, and sounds using Windows Live Movie Maker.

            I see great potential in using classroom blog.  A blog helps develop a sense of community.  It provides a platform of communication with the teacher, students and parents alike.  It encourages dialogue through reflection and connection.  I think that a classroom blog is a great way to send reminders to parents and students about upcoming events.  It can also serve as a hub for shared documents (i.e. providing a link for Google Doc study notes).  As well, posting to a blog provides authentic learning experiences for students, creating their own learning.

            Edublogs can be used for all grade levels.  As demonstrated on my Edublog, for primary grades, material can be posted to provide review, reminders and information for the parents.  Links to games, videos, websites, etc. will promote learning outside of the classroom.  For the junior grades, the Edublog would serve a similar purpose; it would also encourage more dialogue amongst the students.  In my grade4/5 placement, the students were being introduced to Google Docs and they were co-creating science and social studies notes.  I think that a classroom blog would be a great place post links for such things.  The students at my placement were also starting to post podcast and once again the classroom blog with be a perfect forum to do so.

Tricks for Tweets

I just finished reading Tricks for Tweets from the Professionally Speaking December 2011 article.  Click  here to read the article.

If you had asked me in September how to incorporate technology in the classroom, I would have shrugged my shoulders and said email and surfing the web.  I am now starting to see so many new uses for technology in the classroom.  As the article mentioned, and as I learned today in tech class, there are so many Web 2.0 tools that can be used in the classroom.  Most of the Web 2.0 tools are extremely interactive and collaborative.  I was researching Voicethread today (click here).  It is a great tool that allows students to comment  on other's peoples work using text, voice, and video.  It also provides a forum for a collaborative projects and sharing.  It can be used to showcase students' work and present problems and content.  Teachers may also use this tool to create virtual field trips.

OCT Professional Advisory

I just watched an OCT Professional Advisory on Technology in the Classroom and as seen above, I brain stormed the pros and cons presented in the video.  

From what I gathered from the video, and from a common sense standpoint, technology in the classroom can be a very effective tool as long as it is used properly.  As teachers, when using technology we have to be objective and use professional communication and conduct.  If we do not act in a professional manner there could be unintended misuse or even legal implications.

There are a plethora of reasons for technology in the classroom.  The students are already using these technologies at home, why not the students them how to use them responsibly, effectively, and safely?  Technology can be a source of collaboration, sharing, experimentation, and motivation.  It is a way reach students in something they are interested in.  As one of the teachers in the video said, "technology is the students' window to the world."  

The Power of Twitter

I was just on Twitter and saw this post.  I followed the link to a Google Doc and was amazed by the collaboration going on.  Within a matter of minutes, there had been 20+ people working on this French rhyming document.  I added a couple of words and now I have a bank of rhyming French words, that I may hopefully be able to use when I am at my French Immersion placement in a couple of weeks.  The power of Twitter has once again been proven to my once unbelieving eyes!

Ooggled by Google

I am very impressed by Google.  Before I started teacher's college, I had no idea of the networking capabilities it had.  Now, I use its various tools on a daily basis. I have always consider Google to be a very strong search engine, but now I know Google as so much more.  Google allows me to translate, to search, to blog, to communicate. and to share.  I love Google Docs!  It is such a great way to work on group projects, especially when we do not all live close to the school.  I can definitely see an application for Google Docs in the classroom, preparing group study notes and for group jigsaws.  I cannot wait to have a classroom of my own to try it out.

Storytelling Workshop

I just attended an awesome storytelling workshop put on by Cathy Miyata.  I did not know exactly what to expect going in, but knowing Cathy I expected something fun and interactive.  My expectations were met and were surpassed.  We spent the bulk of our morning learning various storytelling techniques by actively retelling a story.  At the start of the story, we focused on remembering key details and points that were necessary for the flow of the story, while also incorporating our own personal details.  We worked on eye contact and audience participation as a way to keep listeners engaged.  As the story progressed, hand actions, voice, and animation all became important to our storytelling.  As the morning progress and we became more confident with our abilities and more invested in the story, we work on our body positioning. Whether sitting down or standing up, it is important as a storytelling to appear confidant and engaged.   I never really realized how much ones posture could affect storytelling.  For the end of the story, we work in larger groups, taking turns retelling the story.  I found it very inspiring to listening to others speak.  It is amazing how much we all grew as storytellers within the span of a couple of hours. 

Problem Based Learning/ Inquiry

I just watched a video on problem based learning (http://tinyurl.com/3fvuzxy) and I could easily relate to the topic as I just did a presentation for my methods class on Indirect and Experiential Learning (http://tinyurl.com/73vmjuk).  My specific part was on Indirect Learning and I looked at setting up an inquiry in the classroom.  To model inquiry with my fellow teacher candidates, I brought in various pieces of fencing equipment (weapons, whites, wires, masks etc.), coaching equipment, manuals, newspaper articles, comics, medals etc.  I strategically placed the material at each table group, providing each table with KWS table as well.  In order to model both guided and unguided inquiry I designated two tables as specific curriculum areas, science and social studies, the other four tables were able to determine their own interest area.  I gave the table groups time to investigate the material on their desks, trying to determine what it was and how it may be used.   I circled around the class to listen to the discussion and ask questions to provoke thought.  After sufficient time, I had the table groups complete the W section of their chart with questions that they would like to research.  The two designated groups had to have either science or social studies based questions.  Once they had a couple of questions, they then had to complete the K section of the table, trying to hypothesize answers based on the material on their desk.   Had we continued with the exercise, the S section on the chart would have been used to write down sources in which the groups intended to look at to verify their hypotheses.  This activity worked really well, as it had the entire class involved in their own learning, investigating questions that they wanted to learn about.