James,
I look forward to grade and performance discussions. The relationship is enhanced, and I get an opportunity to convey sentiments that suggest I care and want to help the students success.
Barry Westling
Assessment helps teachers develop more complex relationships with their students by providing concrete pieces of work for students and teachers to discuss, as well as opportunities for formal and informal conversations about the work. Similarly, students work closely with each other providing and receiving feedback on their projects; and often mentors, parents, and community members will be involved with the project development or have an interest in the finished product.
Victor,
Also, instructor feedback can be received in discussing grade information. This can assist determining how well the class material is being understood and retained by students.
Barry Westling
To make them realize where they stand in the course and to provide information as to what they need to do to succeed
Daniel,
True, all performance deficiencies cannot always be attributed to just the student. Nonetheless, if we want to measure learning, we have to develop (multiple) methods to assess students, not just for grades, but to determine to what degree have we helped them advance their learning.
Barry Westling
I think that we're all trained to think that assessments are ways to monitor the level of learning that a student has reached, which it is. I think that an equally important reason is that it's the only way that we can assess our success as instructors. It's very easy to correlate poor classroom performance to slacked instruction. So essentially, while it's a required system that lays out the measurable success of a student, we have to use it on ourselves just the same.
Roberto,
If we want to measure learning, evaluation and assessment are key to that mission. Of course, there are dozens of ways to assess, and I believe more creative methods does more to accurately assess our students performance.
Barry Westling
to insure that student is learning and following the instruction of the class and learning about the class and succed in the field
Leonard ,
Terrific. I think repetition and review are largely underutilized resources, and yet they are very effective methods.
Barry Westling
I do a review of the lesson as I go along during the first week of class. I review during class and the next morning to make sure everyone understands what was covered. The next couple of weeks is all hands on so I will review often in the morning before lab.
Brittney,
Yes, there is a balance between what we as knowledgeable SME's believe we are teaching, and the reality of how students are achieving the benefits of our instruction. Good instructors should never be afraid to be evaluated because through assessment we become stronger and better at what we do.
Barry Westling
There are numerous reasons for evaluating students, however one that stands out to me is to check for understanding. It is important to evaluate how students are doing in the course to check to ensure they are understanding the material. For example, if a large amount of students did poorly on an exam, then additional time should be spent covering that material (assuming the exam questions covered the material in the first place). In addition, it is also important to evaluate students at the end of a class. Keeping track of how students do at the end of each class, can be beneficial as you can compare it with previous classes that were taught. Maybe there is a certain area of a course that students seem to struggle with class after class, which would validate a reason to look into that material, and spend more time on it or deliver it in another method.
Brian,
My basic approach for evaluation is "to what degree has the student learned or not learned the essential material". Also, like a coach in a sports setting, I want to have a constant pulse on my "players" so I can guide them along the way for success atthe end.
Barry Westling
Evaluation does not always have to be "graded". There are many reasons to evaluate students. One being to figure out what they know ahead of time and modify class to that. Another can be a "review" or end of class evaluation to check understanding. These plus many more can be reasons to evaluate.
Stephanie,
Exactly. Students need to have feedback from their instructor, even if some of that feedback reflects poor performance. With information, we can provide time for students to make needed corrections.
Barry Westling
There are multiple reasons. Evaluations allow the instructor to see the knowledge base of students entering the class, what they are learning, and if the skills presented are being absorbed and applied. Evaluation also allows for the instructor to evaluate his own teachings and procedures.
Terry,
This is true. Also, I want to measure learning, and evaluation of performance is among the methods available to do that.
Barry Westling
to see if you are communicating effectively and who may need a different approach to learn
Tracey,
I think students want and need direction, so taking time to share grade information, give advice and suggestions, and support and encouragement is nearly always appreciated, even when the news is less than wonderful. Giving personal attention also helps build trust and mutual respect.
Barry Westling
To be sure the students are on the same page with the information.
