Chapter Thirteen Reflection
Chapter 13 Reflection
Description
Instructional and behavioral objectives are important when planning lessons and units. Formal and informal assessment of these objectives throughout the lessons are key to ensuring that the objectives are met.
Analysis
"Setting out objectives at the beginning of a course is an essential step in providing a framework into which individual lessons will fit" (Slavin, 2015, p.340). These objectives give the teacher a guideline and goal as to what the students should learn in a unit or lesson. Without these objectives, it is easy for the teacher to spend too much time on one thing and not enough in another. This leads to ineffectiveness. "An instructional objective , sometimes called a behavioral objective, is a statement of skills or concepts that students are expected to know at the end of some period of instruction" (Slavin, 2015, p. 340). These objectives serve as a map for lessons. When planning objectives, there are three factors to consider: condition, performance, and criterion. The objectives must be specific to the subject matter. When planning the specific lessons, it is important to break down the tasks and objectives. This is called task analysis. This involves a three step process that should be used. The teacher must identify prerequisite skills, identify component skills, and plan how component skills will be assembled into the final skill. Backward planning can aid a teacher when try to complete a task analysis.
"Because instructional objectives are stated in terms of how they will be measured, it is clear that objectives are closely aligned with assessment , which is a measure of the degree to which students have learned the objectives set out for them" (Slavin, 2015, p.345). It is important to make certain that the objectives and assessments correlate. When writing the objectives or assessments, the different levels of learning should always be taken into consideration. Benjamin Bloom and other researchers developed "Bloom's Taxonomy" that categorizes objectives from simple to complex. The following are key elements of Bloom's Taxonomy: 1. Knowledge, 2. Comprehension, 3. Analysis, 4. Synthesis, and 4. Evaluation. The different categories are used for different objectives and types of learning.
"Evaluation , or assessment, refers to all the means used in schools to formally measure student performance" (Slavin, 2015, p.348). Assessment can inform teachers of the effectiveness of their teaching as well as the students' understanding of the concepts being taught. It allows feedback for students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. It also provides an incentive for students to do their best throughout the lesson. "A formative evaluation is designed to tell teachers whether additional instruction is needed and to tell students whether additional learning is needed. Formative, or diagnostic, tests are given to discover strengths and weaknesses in learning and to make midcourse corrections in pace or content of instruction"(Slavin, 2015, p.350). This type of evaluation allows for reflection and preparation for reteaching or remediation if needed. "summative evaluation refers to tests of student knowledge at the end of in-structional units (such as final exams). Summative evaluations may or may not be frequent, but they must be reliable and (in general) should allow for comparisons among students" (Slavin, 2015, p. 350). It is important to also include tests that demonstrate knowledge in real life scenarios. These are called performance assessments. This type of assessment takes more planning time and grading time but can be very effective. Grading systems usually differ among elementary and secondary grades. The grading standards can be absolute or relative. Performance grading allows for students to show what they know and what they can do. There is also mastery grading and contract grading. Report card grades are typically averages of tests, homework, effort,etc.
Reflection
After reading this chapter, I have come to the realization that I need to do a better job with formative assessments. Our district requires summative tests at the end of teaching units. These are created by the teachers in the district and scores are compared throughout the district. These do a good job of testing the skills once teaching has been completed but I need to do a better job of assessing my students throughout the units so that I may be prepared to remediate and adjust teaching as needed to aid in student success. This will also be an indicator for me to know my strengths and weakness and how I can do a better job of relaying the information.
I would also like to put into place portfolios and performance assessments. If I'm being honest, the subjective grading and time that is required for planning these assessments has hindered me from using these in my classroom. I want to do a better job at the beginning of my units by looking at the big picture and figure out ways that I can fit these performance assessments throughout my lessons. Using a rubric as a guide will certainly be the best place to start. I now have a better understanding of the multiple ways of assessing as well as grading and want to do a better job of implementing these multiple ways throughout my instruction.
Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.). Boston, MA:
Instructional and behavioral objectives are important when planning lessons and units. Formal and informal assessment of these objectives throughout the lessons are key to ensuring that the objectives are met.
Analysis
"Setting out objectives at the beginning of a course is an essential step in providing a framework into which individual lessons will fit" (Slavin, 2015, p.340). These objectives give the teacher a guideline and goal as to what the students should learn in a unit or lesson. Without these objectives, it is easy for the teacher to spend too much time on one thing and not enough in another. This leads to ineffectiveness. "An instructional objective , sometimes called a behavioral objective, is a statement of skills or concepts that students are expected to know at the end of some period of instruction" (Slavin, 2015, p. 340). These objectives serve as a map for lessons. When planning objectives, there are three factors to consider: condition, performance, and criterion. The objectives must be specific to the subject matter. When planning the specific lessons, it is important to break down the tasks and objectives. This is called task analysis. This involves a three step process that should be used. The teacher must identify prerequisite skills, identify component skills, and plan how component skills will be assembled into the final skill. Backward planning can aid a teacher when try to complete a task analysis.
"Because instructional objectives are stated in terms of how they will be measured, it is clear that objectives are closely aligned with assessment , which is a measure of the degree to which students have learned the objectives set out for them" (Slavin, 2015, p.345). It is important to make certain that the objectives and assessments correlate. When writing the objectives or assessments, the different levels of learning should always be taken into consideration. Benjamin Bloom and other researchers developed "Bloom's Taxonomy" that categorizes objectives from simple to complex. The following are key elements of Bloom's Taxonomy: 1. Knowledge, 2. Comprehension, 3. Analysis, 4. Synthesis, and 4. Evaluation. The different categories are used for different objectives and types of learning.
"Evaluation , or assessment, refers to all the means used in schools to formally measure student performance" (Slavin, 2015, p.348). Assessment can inform teachers of the effectiveness of their teaching as well as the students' understanding of the concepts being taught. It allows feedback for students, teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. It also provides an incentive for students to do their best throughout the lesson. "A formative evaluation is designed to tell teachers whether additional instruction is needed and to tell students whether additional learning is needed. Formative, or diagnostic, tests are given to discover strengths and weaknesses in learning and to make midcourse corrections in pace or content of instruction"(Slavin, 2015, p.350). This type of evaluation allows for reflection and preparation for reteaching or remediation if needed. "summative evaluation refers to tests of student knowledge at the end of in-structional units (such as final exams). Summative evaluations may or may not be frequent, but they must be reliable and (in general) should allow for comparisons among students" (Slavin, 2015, p. 350). It is important to also include tests that demonstrate knowledge in real life scenarios. These are called performance assessments. This type of assessment takes more planning time and grading time but can be very effective. Grading systems usually differ among elementary and secondary grades. The grading standards can be absolute or relative. Performance grading allows for students to show what they know and what they can do. There is also mastery grading and contract grading. Report card grades are typically averages of tests, homework, effort,etc.
Reflection
After reading this chapter, I have come to the realization that I need to do a better job with formative assessments. Our district requires summative tests at the end of teaching units. These are created by the teachers in the district and scores are compared throughout the district. These do a good job of testing the skills once teaching has been completed but I need to do a better job of assessing my students throughout the units so that I may be prepared to remediate and adjust teaching as needed to aid in student success. This will also be an indicator for me to know my strengths and weakness and how I can do a better job of relaying the information.
I would also like to put into place portfolios and performance assessments. If I'm being honest, the subjective grading and time that is required for planning these assessments has hindered me from using these in my classroom. I want to do a better job at the beginning of my units by looking at the big picture and figure out ways that I can fit these performance assessments throughout my lessons. Using a rubric as a guide will certainly be the best place to start. I now have a better understanding of the multiple ways of assessing as well as grading and want to do a better job of implementing these multiple ways throughout my instruction.
References
Slavin, R. E. (2015). Educational psychology: Theory and practice (11th ed.). Boston, MA:
Pearson Education.
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