Kate Ropchan's
ePortfolio
My voyage to Master of Educational Technology
Racing
How does one evaluate the accomplishments of a boater? In the case of a race, one might assess success by whether or not one’s boat came in first place. Others, such as myself, might value the journey more than the destination, arguing that all boaters who finished the race were successful. I believe that learning is not a race, but teachers do need to assess their students’ performance during various “legs” of a course. In my discussion of assessment, I will reflect on my ETEC 532 Vignette about assessment, and ETEC 512 behaviourism Prezi.
The purpose of assessment should be to “motivate, inform, and provide feedback to both learners and teachers” (Anderson, 2008b, p. 49). Assessment should be as timely as possible in order to effectively provide inspiration and enthusiasm while shaping behaviour and mental constructs (Anderson, 2008b). After all, students must receive feedback while it still matters to them in order for it to postively alter their further learning. If students have moved on to new content without receiving feedback on what they have already learned, they may perceive the feedback as irrelevant to their current studies, making it "extremely unlikely to result in additional appropriate learning activity, directed by the feedback” (Gibbs & Simpson, 2005, p. 19).
Feedback must also be quite specific to be useful (Gibbs & Simpson, 2005). Detailed feedback shows students what they need to do for revision and improvement. A useful method of formatively assessing students is to involve learners in the assessment process, making them more reflective and accountable for their own learning (Lutz & Huitt, 2003).
There are many opportunities for assessment, not only involving the teacher but also exploiting the influence and expertise of peers, external experts, machines, and as mentioned above, "those that encourage learners to reflectively assess their own learning” (Anderson, 2008b, p. 49). Assessment-centered learning may include tools such as online computer-marked assessments (quizzes, simulations, virtual labs, etc.), feedback from collaborative groups, systems to encourage students’ assessment of their own work and that of their peers, assessment of products created by users online, and informal feedback on social networks.
Gibbs & Simpson (2005) assert that "the most reliable, rigorous, and cheat-proof assessment systems are often accompanied by dull and lifeless learning that has short lasting outcomes – indeed they often directly lead to such learning” (p. 3). Thus it is a goal of mine to move away from multiple choice testing and incorporate more authentic forms of assessment. Authentic relevant assessments focus on understanding rather than memorization and regurgitation of facts. I aim to generate engagement with learning tasks, leading to long-term learning and interest in the subject manner. For example, I have started introducing more case studies and project-based learning in my classes, rather than basing summative assessment exclusively on unit tests. Students have shown greater interest and effort on these tasks than they have in the past when studying for exams. In the future, I wish to expand my transformation of assessment by introducing student ePortfolios in some of my classes, giving students the opportunity to demonstrate what they learned in the class and reflect on the learning process.
Artifact: Assessment Vignette
In ETEC 532, I critiqued a vignette where a teacher uses technology to enhance his lectures and improve student access to course content. The lecture aspect of the teaching emphasizes a teacher-centered classroom, thus students should be provided with opportunities to construct their own knowledge through dialogue with others, rather than passively accepting what they are told. Technology is helpful in this regard, allowing multiple opportunities for students to learn by inquiry and collaborate with one another.
Technology has altered the perception of students and the role of a teacher, thus assessment practices should change accordingly. Assessment should be “explicit, fair, consistent, and as objective as possible” (Anderson, 2008, p. 282). If students are involved in the creation of the assessment rubric, then they will have clearer expectations and be more likely to succeed. Technology can also help to improve assessment, for example by giving students the opportunity to provide formative feedback to one another.
I chose to include this vignette because it demonstrates some of my goals surrounding assessment and teaching in general. Like the instructor in the vignette, I currently use technology to improve my delivery of course content, but can improve by involving students more in their own learning and assessment process.
Artifact: Behaviorism Prezi
The theory of behaviourism emphasizes changes in behaviours due to consequences from the external environment, rather than the internal thought processes of the subject. Thus it is the environment that creates learning and determines what is learned, not the individual learner. I think that behaviourism is a simplistic theory in its concept, but it can help to create a classroom that is conducive to learning. I have seen the benefits of using behaviourism in my classroom by giving little reinforcements and punishments for positive and negative behaviour. However, intrinsic motivation is so much stronger than extrinsic, so I believe that it is more powerful to make students feel good about themselves when they complete a desired behaviour, than to give them an external reward. The problem with giving rewards is that terminating the consequence will terminate the behaviour. The goal, therefore, should be to motivate students to monitor their own behaviour and act appropriately.
Behaviourism is helpful to motivate some students, but it doesn’t account for free will and internal influences such as moods, thoughts, and feelings. It does not give students a chance to direct their own learning or to reflect upon their own behaviours. I also see behaviourism in contrast to constructivism, which allows for experimentation and exploration in the classroom and places a greater emphasis on the experience of the learner.
I personally find a blend of behaviourist and constructivist strategies to be the most effective teaching approach. Students in my classes are encouraged and motivated using behaviourism techniques, but I also take into account their previous knowledge and give students a chance to explore their own learning within reasonable guidelines.
In ETEC 512, I collaboratively built the following Prezi presentation on behaviourism. I enjoyed the opportunity to improve my skills with Prezi, and I have shown this presentation to my Psychology 12 classes as they study theories of learning and motivation. I have found it quite helpful to show students what they can do themselves with Prezi, as they often use it for their own collaborative projects. Being proficient with this tool allows me to provide technical support when my students have questions about its use.
