I lik eusing the computer as a tool either working solo or in groups. It incorporates many laerning styles and I have had great succes with it!
How the students are answering discussion questions and observing students during lecture for that "lost" look which means they probably aren't getting the content.
Sometimes I use creative writing prompts to dig deeper into student's writing skills. When they are allowed a free write, their inhibitions diminish.
Maureen,
I like to also ask the students to present their projects to the class.
Cathy
David,
I like to discuss the content with them and then have them work on that section of the project. I find it helps if we break the project into smaller components and then have them write the final paper.
Cathy
I provide the students with situations and have them develop solutions to the situations based upon what they have learned in class. They have to support their answer with facts.
I think project-based assignments are excellent in assessing a student's learning as well as connecting content with practical experience. I do feel that an instructor must summarize and review with students the concepts of content as well as how they connect back to the project. When doing project based work, particularly with a 3rd party, evaluation from the 3rd party is critical.
I like to have the students teach each other, or perform a demonstration
I'm a big fan of project-based learning that contains elements of learning styles and Bloom's Taxonomy. A well-constructed project allows students to demonstrate their mastery of a subject/topic in a manner suiting their learning style(s).
Project-based learning allows for synthesis of what the students learned while at the same time providing a forum for application of their learning.
I also like to have a list of assessments that students can choose from (also reflecting Bloom's).
Subjective exams can be used to test the students ability to apply learned information. Other options can include discussion in the classroom and writing papers.
Hi Annie- Your classroom sounds very interactive - great work! Susan
Give a class project, doing group work (could be a brainstorming activity or reading and discussing an article) that is turned in for points, another could be a short writing assignment where students need to apply what they have learned, reading the text or an article and answering questions, etc.
I have used many different types of assessments in my classes. These assessments range from playing a few games of 'Password' to having the student build a model, to having students place pins in appropriate locations of their cadavers identifying a structure.
I teach textiles and at the end of the semester, I test their ability to apply what they have learned to a practical application. The must answer questions about several pieces of fabrics that they are given to assess their ability to know the properties, and proper choices for the end application and care of the textile.
It not only shows me what they learned but also the student see how much more the know than when they started.
Hi Vonda- As you mention, the ability to "teach-back" confirms that a student had retained the information. Best wishes- Susan
I have found that if I walk around the classroom and stop to talk to an individual and ask how they are doing and spend some time looking at how well they proceed through the exercises without help demonstrates how well the students are learning the information provided to them. Having students help other students and encouraging them to instruct other students also give me an assessment of the amount that the students are learning. I have found that if an individual instructs or helps another student find or learning something that they have retained and will retain the information that they have been taught.
Yes, the portfolio is great. This allows for the student to engage in and reinforce information in a variety of formats.
Real life case scenarios. Being able to apply real life to the book theories.
There is one technique that I like to call the "ironing" method, where you go back over the highlights of previous lessons again, like you would when "ironing" clothes. With each "ironing" pass, I try to incorporate the answers to new questions and helpful suggestions realized in the span of time since the original lesson or lecture. This gives the students a summary/ review and also gives the Instructor the opportunity to garnish or "footnote" a previous lesson with new material.
Hi Rosalie- Thanks for your post to the forum! As you point out having students complete a business plan or a marketing plan is a great assessment. In addition, they learn a lot by completing the project and can use this in their future careers. Best wishes - Susan
