Hi everyone, I’m Amy Perrin. I am your discussion leader
for the final week! I have really enjoyed reading everyone’s thoughts and ideas
throughout the semester, and I can’t wait to get your input this week as well.
I chose one brief article and one video (both related to Zull chapters 11 &
12) that I’d like to discuss with everyone.
In chapter 11, Zull discusses the need for students to
test their ideas in a concrete way in order to complete the learning process. Testing
ideas could take many forms: discussion, writing, research using technology,
experiment.
In chapter 12, Zull recognizes the need for students to take control of their own learning. Zull discusses how motivation stems from learning, which is an intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic. Students learn and become motivated when they encounter things that connect with their own lives and experiences.
The article that I chose is just a brief list of 40 ideas for alternative assessment strategies:
1.
Before now, have you considered the fact that we
need to allow students to test their ideas rather than just hand them our
ideas?
2.
Do you think that any of these alternative
assessments could help students complete the learning process more than a
“traditional” test?
3.
Would you consider using any of these alternative
assessments in your classroom?
4.
Do you think there is an over emphasis on
standardized/traditional testing (are we too focused on answers rather than the
knowledge)?
5.
Please feel free to discuss any connections you
made between the alternative assessment suggestions and Zull chapters 11 &
12.
The video is a TED talk given by Salman Khan, creator of
Khan Academy. The video is about 20 minutes long (I apologize), but it is very
interesting!
1.
What are your general thoughts on the video?
2.
What are your thoughts on the flipped classroom
model (videos/internet research as homework and working problems during class)?
3.
Do you think that the flipped classroom model
would allow for a more personalized curriculum for individual students
(students could have input as to how they actively test their ideas)?
4.
Khan Academy will generate similar questions
until you get a certain number in a row correct, then you move on to more
advanced problems. Do you think using a program such as this could help
students succeed in learning and consequently become more intrinsically
motivated?
5.
Again, please feel free to discuss any
connections you made between the video and Zull chapters 11 & 12.
I am a strong believer in student discovery. I love the idea of allowing students an opportunity to think for themselves. If we just give students the information, and tell them which paths to take to get an answer, we are only teaching them how to follow directions and recall information. We are not allowing students an opportunity to connect their brain pathways. If students figure out something on their own, they are more likely to retain the information. “The only pathway that seems unproductive for learning is the pathway that excludes testing of ideas.” (Zull, 2002, p.219) When you allow students to be independent thinkers, alternative assessment is a must. No two students are the same. When teachers want to measure what a student has learned, it is not always best to have the students complete a paper and pencil test. Alternative assessments can give the teacher a better understanding of what a student knows. Alternative assessments can measure many aspects that a paper and pencil test cannot. By allowing students the chance to create paper dolls, a newscast, or a comic strip, the teacher is able to see what (and how much) the student knows about the subject. There is not one correct answer with alternative assessments. By allowing students an opportunity to create their own interpretations, they are able to support their findings using different levels of their knowledge. This cannot be done with multiple choice standardized testing. Students are just seen as a number, during these test. It is showing that as long as a students can memorize and recall information, they are considered to have mastered the information. This is a problem to me because, they may know the answer, but can they incorporate critical thinking and actually discuss and analyze the information? Standardized testing is not a true measure of what an individual student knows.
ReplyDelete“Humanizing the classroom” was my favorite statement from the video. By taking boring math skills and presenting them in a technological way that is relatable to students is wonderful. I love the idea of allowing students an opportunity to be responsible for their own learning. By using the Flipped Classroom Model students will become more engaged in the lessons. The students are able to work at their own pace. By watching the lectures at home, they are able to pause, rewind, fast forward, the lectures as they see fit. This way the students learn at their own pace. By doing the problems in class, the teacher is able to observe where the students are having difficulty. From here they can intervene or guide, as necessary. I also love that teachers have access their each student’s process as they work. This is a way the teacher can individualized interventions for each student. Everything they learn on Kahn Academy software is personalized. This is a great way to motivate students. They are always working on their independent level. I see this a huge motivation for students. I think it keeps students better engaged in the lessons. As Zull stated, “learning is dynamic”. The students move on, or review, as needed. They are able to see if they do not understand something, it is okay to go back and review it. Learning is not linear, so teaching shouldn't be either.
Ashley, thank you for such a detailed and well thought out response! I completely agree with you that multiple choice standardized testing is simply gathering information as to whether our students can memorize and recall. Critical thinking has to do with justifying and explaining rather than going through the motions of a problem and choosing a letter. I am just wondering which alternative assessments you would consider using with your own students?
ReplyDeleteIn the past I have done a lot of performance-based assessments. For example, when I taught first grade I was teaching my students about range. Instead of giving the entire group a bunch of problems where the information was already set up for them, I gave them flashcards with numbers on them. I then tested the students, individually, using a rubric. They had to put the cards in order. Then they had to decide which numbers to subtract in order to find their answer. Also when I taught money, each student came up individually and identified the coins and their worth. Then the students had to count out a specific amount using fake coins. Once again, I used a rubric to grade this assessment. I know it is not realistic to test each student individually all the time, but when I could I always tried. It gave me a better understanding of my students knowledge.
DeleteI think it's definitely important to assess students in multiple ways, and that teachers do not get a full picture of mastery with a paper and pencil test. I liked many of the project based suggestions, for example to have students create a newscast, and I would like to use more of these. I do think it can be difficult though, especially for newer teachers, and it's important to create a vision of what you're looking for (like a rubric, with exemplars) before you get started.
DeleteThere also needs to be a consideration of efficiency. Since our time with students is so limited, and many of us work in schools where students are performing below level, we have to be very intentional about how we ask students to spend their time. While creating an acrostic poem about a math term may be a great homework assignment, I wouldn't necessarily want to use instructional time on this.
I thought the video was very interesting. I visited a high school last summer where they use a flipped learning model, and there are clear benefits for students (as discussed in the video). Relating to our course content, I think the flipped model gives students increased ownership and control over their learning, and provides clear connections to intrinsic motivation. I also like the emphasis on peer tutoring, as this is a great way to reinforce skills for both parties.
ReplyDeleteOne concept from Zull's chapter 11 that is relevant to this topic is the idea of feedback. Zull says that when a learner tests his or her ideas, the teacher is able to give relevant feedback, and significantly impact the growth of the learner (Zull, 2002). Like Ashley, the part from the video about humanizing education resonated with me. The video estimated that, in a traditional classroom, only 5% of our time with students is spent on meaningful interactions. In a flipped model this percent can drastically increase, providing more opportunities for teacher feedback.
Yes I love that you discussed the idea of humanizing education. I think that flipping the classroom would definitely allow for more meaningful teacher-student and even student-student interaction. All of the time that the teacher normally spends leading whole-class instruction could be spent circulating and having more specific conversations with students. Do you think that the flipped classroom is something you could possibly use some of the time but not necessarily every day? Or do you think it's an all or nothing kind of model?
DeleteMaya,
DeleteI agree, the teacher feedback leads to more meaningful/insightful learning. It seems to me that this model would increase test scores ten-fold, since more time could be devoted to answering questions and there would be more free instructional time to cover more in-depth concepts. I sincerely hope that more districts will offer this option to their students like Los Altos.
-Jamie Hipp
I think it’s really interesting how the video lessons talked about by Khan were helpful for the autistic student (according to a Youtube comment) I would have liked to hear more about why a video lesson was more effective than traditional teaching for someone with autism.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of the “flipped” classroom model. Beyond the fact that it offers students teacher and peer assistance while they work activities in class, it also alleviates the burden of traditional homework, which can be especially taxing students. I don’t think many of my former students would have much of a problem watching some videos at home, even if they were about ELA or math. By allowing students to watch a lecture or a video lesson at home, it emboldens them to speak about what they discovered in class the next day. Then a real discussion of the concepts or skills can begin and so can real work. This all sounds related to what Zull calls, “active testing” of knowledge (206). The students, having “learned” a lesson the night before watching a video on Kahn Academy can come to class the next day and defend their knowledge, talk about the lesson with the class and actively participate in exercises related to it.
I think his analogy of testing and quizzing assessments being like learning to ride a bike but then receiving a unicycle is a bit off. I feel like, especially in a subject as cumulative as mathematics that a good teacher would pay attention to problem areas—such as the 5% that an A student missed on a test—and work on those areas while progressing the class into the next are of focus.
Also, I could see the data collection part of Khan academy being helpful to teachers who want to keep a more specific track record of their students’ individual progress.
Like you mentioned in your post, I definitely think that a properly implemented flipped classroom would allow for a much deeper discussion of the material rather than the usual surface level conversations. Speaking about math specifically, I feel that so often we are in a time crunch and can't delve into any more detail because we spent all of the time teaching skills and procedures and have no time left for actually building a conceptual understanding. By flipping the classroom, the students aren't seeing the new material for the first time in class so they should be prepared to discuss and explore and ask specific questions.
DeleteI also agree that math is an extremely cumulative subject, but again I think even the good teachers fall into the time crunch and can't spend as much time as they would like focusing on the areas that students are struggling in. So often, teachers see a C average as proof that the students are prepared to move on.
I find myself agreeing with Ashley. In 1st grade some of the kinds of assessments they are capable of doing are limited, but I do try to test them individually whenever possible. I also take anecdotal notes about my conversations with them during guided reading and in centers. I often find that I learn more watching them try to solve the problem, than from their answer. Our writing curriculum has students work through writing projects. It is so wonderful to see them start a project and work through it over the course of a week or two. They feel so accomplished and I feel like I get a better sense of their knowledge, not just a snapshot of one day.
ReplyDeleteI have heard of flipped classrooms before. And like everyone else who has posted so far, I think they sound fabulous! Having students learn at their own pace would be so beneficial for them. The benefits of having so much teacher-student interaction would be wonderful and build excellent culture. I do worry about the logistics though. The school would have to provide computers for students who did not have them. Also, how would the teacher address student’s who simply do not complete homework. Student’s self-motivation would have to be very developed.
I'm glad you made a point about logistics, because this is something that I have also thought about a lot with regards to the flipped classroom. And I often wonder if the student's would take more control of their learning and become more self-motivated learners using the flipped classroom model. If students fail to complete the homework, I feel that they would quickly realize that the implications might be a bit more serious because they won't have as much of an opportunity to "catch up" in class. Do you think that using the flipped classroom only some of the time at first would be a good way to give students time to adjust to this new classroom style?
DeleteKaty,
DeleteI agree...the logistics are an issue. Would Khan Academy lessons take place at home or during instructional time when a teacher-led lesson would normally occur? Since self-paced learning boasts the ability to pause/repeat content on an as-needed individual basis, I would assume that Khan Academy lessons would take longer than normal teacher-led in-class lessons. When would students receive initial delivery in order for teachers to simply scaffold in-class? Great ideas for global use, but refinement needed!
-Jamie Hipp
I love the alternate assessment ideas! I think incorporating nontraditional assessments can even assess what students have learned more so than the traditional assessments. At least for certain topics. Rather than having students regurgitate vocabulary or facts, having them analyze or explain their thinking through a brochure, poster, video, etc. has many benefits. First of all, students actually enjoy doing these things, so they are more motivated. Additionally, students are more likely to learn in the process and express what they have learned because they have to put things in their own words or explain things to others, rather than memorizing and regurgitating word for word from the teacher/textbook. I think we are too focused on "right" or "wrong" answers and not focused enough on students learning and exploring ideas. I think Khan academy is a great idea in theory. I think there are some aspects of it that I love. Having videos for students to watch and rewind at their own pace is great. Then meeting in class to ask questions, explore content on a deeper level, collaborate with others are all great ideas as well. However, I student taught in a flipped classroom, and the one I was in was not done very well. The students did not watch the videos. They came to class unprepared and they practiced problems in class, but memorization was promoted, not a deeper understanding. I think incorporating a program for students to practice problems on their own outside of class is a great idea and way to free up class time to do more projects and experiments and learning on a bigger picture level. However, so many schools now don't support homework. This is one reason some teachers do the flipped classroom. So can the flipped classroom (or any classroom for that matter) really work if there is no reinforcement outside of the 90 minutes they spend in class? How much can students really retain if they only learn and practice within the constraints of class time? So I do think the Khan academy program and others similar to it with achievement points and games can be beneficial to helping students learn and retain material as well as being a great motivator to kids. So like everything in education, there are pros and cons to this flipped classroom model. But I think certain aspects of it could work if implemented well.
ReplyDeleteI love the alternate assessment ideas, too! I think it is a great way to motivate the students and allow them to take a little more control of their own learning. I feel like these alternate assessments are so much more fun and creative than a traditional test. I agree that we are sometimes much too focused on right or wrong and not focused enough on exploration and conceptual development. Many traditional tests are actually testing memorization skills rather than true understanding, so asking students to create something based on the content could give us a better understanding of what they truly understand.
DeleteI think that in order for students to get the most out of their education, they need to be held responsible for completing homework. I feel that so often, students participate in so many extra curricular activities and spend no time on homework outside of the classroom. Parents and students even become frustrated when the teacher expects them to complete homework assignments. On the other hand, I don't think that middle school students should spend hours completing only one subject's worth of homework. There has to be a balance so that students won't lose their motivation to learn. I think that using alternative assessment strategies and a flipped classroom model would ultimately put learning into the student's hands, but I definitely think it would take some time to get everyone on board (parents, administration, teachers, students).
Before this discussion I have never really sat down and thought about allowing our students to test their ideas. I don’t think many curriculums allow for students to have that kid of freedom with their education. I defiantly think finding ways of alternative assessment will help with their learning process. Thinking about my own educational experience I know that the classes or subjects I excelled in were those that allowed me to explore my interests. I would use some of these alternative assessments in my classroom as different types of formative assessments before I give a summative assessment. Although it is important to all students to test their ideas it’s also important to know if and what they really learned and how they can apply it. I wouldn’t use some of these assessments at the end of a unit but rather focusing on different areas throughout the unit. I would use some of the assessments as group work, such as the time capsule and the radio show. I think we as teachers need to monitor the projects to make sure they are truly assessing what they are suppose to be assessing and correlate with the standards or objectives.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think there is too much of a focus on standardized testing in our schools. Half the time the tests don’t really seem to test what they are intended to. It doesn’t teach our students to be critical thinkers just how to be successful test-takers. I think it’s hindering their ability to learn for the purpose of acquiring new knowledge to be used in future academic and social interactions. Its preventing them from becoming well rounded students.
I really enjoyed the video. I think what I enjoyed the most about it was that it had the data to back up the fact that this specific way of teaching is effective. The flipped classroom model was interesting as well. This in my opinion is really what school should be about. We spend so much time teaching to the test that we loose track of the purpose of education. Coming from a special education point of view, I think this could be something that it used as tier 2 intervention as it relates to RtI (Response to Intervention). Many schools don’t use the RtI model properly and students that could have been helped in the classroom end up being place in special education. I think this is something that could not only benefit students academically but also emotionally and socially and in return reduce problem behavior in the classroom. If I had the opportunity I would love to test that hypothesis. I’ve seen many academic programs that use the method of teaching to fluency that Khan Academy does. As I was watching the video some of the techniques reminded me of Precision Teaching because it measures math fluency and frequency of correct responses and uses that data to determine mastery before allowing the student to move on. I definitely think this is something than is can be intrinsically motivating for at least 80% of the classroom population. The Khan Academy program allows students to self-evaluate which is something Zull talks about in chapter 12. He talks about taking control and owning what you have learned through evaluating your own work and process.
Morgan W.
I really enjoyed your post, Morgan! I think it's a great idea to use the alternate assessments throughout a unit and then end with some form of summative assessment. I agree that we need to focus on figuring out what our students are learning rather than focusing on whether or not they get a right or wrong answer. I think that using alternate assessment strategies throughout a unit would be a great way to figure out where the misconceptions and misunderstandings are so that we can better help our students. I also enjoyed the comment you made regarding how we are constantly losing sight of what education is really about. We are taking the exploration and creativity out of the classroom and just teaching our students how to take a standardized test. Students are not standardized and they should be given more of an opportunity to take control of their learning. I think we would be amazed at what they could accomplish!
DeleteWhen COMPASS evaluations started ~3 years ago, I realized student-centered project-based or experiential learning was key to not only student achievement but also to teaching success. It makes perfect sense: I think back to various projects and experiences I had as a child where I took ownership of my own learning…a puppet show demonstration in history class (6th grade) to teach the class about a unit I had researched, making my own map of Middle Earth to chart Bilbo Baggins’ progress whilst reading The Hobbit…this is the information that was truly committed to my long-term memory. In looking at the list of alternative assessments, I believe each one should be available to students on a regular basis in the form of a Homework Menu (like Dr. Zadina’s!). It also excites me that so many of the assessments listed involve the arts! Currently, I use mostly performance-based assessment and my students will create their own rubrics that we will use. They also enjoy creating their own trivia games (by unit) to assess conceptual learning. One of my personal favorites are the eulogies they created to “say goodbye” to their boring words. R.I.P “Big,” “Good,” and “Nice.”
ReplyDeleteLet’s rewind to one of my Master’s classes in 2011. We were learning about Individuals with Disabilities and IDEA. I will never forget the part of IDEA that one test alone cannot qualify a student for special education. How, then can we rightfully ask students to demonstrate knowledge in only one way? I believe that everyone has varied strengths…I know I am not a great standardized test taker. My ACT and SAT scores reflected that I hated waking up early on a Saturday and did not eat breakfast. Although I would have preferred taking both tests orally, I was forced to bubble in!
Wow! The Khan Academy Video! Such implications for the teacher knowing the ZPD at all times! New term: self-paced learning. I like this so much more than “differentiated” as I can now share this term with students and they will understand. The Khan Academy model makes the most of instructional time. This model begs the question if younger learners would be motivated to get online and learn as opposed to having to sit and listen in class. Currently, one of my three schools utilizes Reflex Math. The learners have to be motivated to seek out this non-required component to their education and actively test (Zull) their knowledge by using this program. I actively test on a daily basis. For example, when I teach a concept to multiple classes, I test my teaching strategies and refine them as the day goes on. This makes the teaching memorable for me, and better for students.
-Jamie Hipp