Friday, 25 November 2016

8Y01 Blog Post #2

When I compare my knowledge from the first blog to now, I have expanded my learning dramatically in terms of assessment. I learned a lot about assessment for, as, and of learning and the differences between each. I’ve learned that conferencing and feedback from our students is incredibly important to ensure that there is clear communication about their learning and how they can reach their next learning goal.

I also think that the new areas on the report card that open up discussion with the parent are much more beneficial as it allows communication between the teacher and parent to flourish and it also creates a parent/teacher support unit. It also displays step by step information that parents can follow in order to assist their students at home. Additionally, the learning skills and work habits break down a student's learning and clearly demonstrates to them what they need to work on. In comparison to my report cards that I used to receive, the new report cards are much more detailed and explicit. The students are provided with a letter grade on responsibility, organizational, independent work, collaboration, initiative, and self- regulation. This is much more beneficial because students are graded on real learning skills rather than how well they can regurgitate facts. This will assist them in the future because these basic skills are mandatory to have in highschool and beyond in order to succeed. I see the importance of self-regulation specifically in  my ELKP placement as the students are just learning how to self-regulate their emotions and how to control their behaviour.

Success criteria and learning goals are important to have in all grades (especially elementary school) because they clearly map out what a student needs to accomplish in a specific lesson. This acts as a guide for them to refer back to in order to ensure that they are reaching their fullest potential. The learning goals must connect to the success criteria in order to have a flow in the lesson. I think that it would be beneficial to list the success criteria on the board throughout lessons so that the students can clearly identify what they need to accomplish in order to receive a level 4. However, the students should not focus on getting the highest grade as everyone learns at different levels and in different ways. Therefore, these are all ways that Growing Success has impacted my beliefs in assessment.