Objective Assessments of Student Learning

Are Tests the Only Types of Objective Assessment?

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It seems that as educators, each year we are required to give our students more and more tests to assess their ability to achieve, as well as our own ability to teach.  We have standardized state tests (also know as High-Stakes Testing), benchmark tests, unit tests, chapter tests, etc.  But are these tests the only way to assess student learning? I would have to say that even though these types of tests are important, they are not the only acceptable form of objective assessment.  

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Depending on the content being assessed, there are numerous ways to determine whether our students are making the grade. Summaries and reports can be used as a type of assessment, and can be either oral or written.  Students can use their creativity to develop a presentation using Powerpoint, Prezi, or Google Slides to share their information with their teacher and classmates.  Students can design websites, respond to blog posts, or create eBooks to show whether they have a clear understanding for what they have learned. Running experiments and completing lab reports show growth in students, as well. Students can utilize programs like Inspiration and Kidspiration to create concept maps.  By being able to link related concepts together, they are proving that they understand the curriculum. When students are involved in research projects, they can be assessed using a rubric at a number of checkpoints throughout their research that demonstrate the progress they are making. These are not the only types of assessments, but they are a start.

All of the different types of assessments mentioned above can be used to determine a student's performance and growth.  They can assess individuals, partners, or collaborative groups. Not one is a traditional test. These assessments allow students to be creative and think outside of the box.  They promote critical-thinking skills that are sometimes overlooked in a traditional test.  They, also, allow students who are not good test takers to have the chance to succeed. 

The Technology Infused Classroom

“We need technology in every classroom and in every student and teacher’s hand, because it is the pen and paper of our time, and it is the lens through which we experience much of our world.” – David Warlick

 

What Does a Technology-Infused Classroom Look Like?

http://www.saintmartinschools.org/Departments/Technology/tabid/38786/1

     When pondering the thought of a technology-infused classroom, my mind goes in a few different directions.  The most obvious is the type of technology this classroom would include. What would the teacher and students have at their fingertips?  I will come back to this momentarily.

     First, I want to address what the classroom should ideally, physically look like.  The furniture in a technology-infused classroom would include tables (not individual desks) where students could work collaboratively.  These 21st Century classrooms would need to have an ample amount of space and an ample amount of electrical outlets to accommodate any cords that accompany the technology (McCrea, 2012).  There should be USP ports to accommodate the technology, as well (McCrea, 2012).  If the room does not have good natural light, then lighting should be easily accessible (McCrea, 2012).  

     A technology-infused classroom should be one that promotes collaboration, critical-thinking and creativity.  The teacher facilitates learning, and the instruction is student-driven.  In a technology-infused classroom, technology is integrated into the existing curriculum, and is utilized on a daily basis.  It is second nature to the students using it, no matter what their age.  It is a place where digital natives become responsible digital citizens.

     Now, back to the obvious.  A technology-infused classroom includes a variety of technology.  Students and teachers would have access to the Internet via laptops or desktop computers.  They would know about and understand how to use productivity and presentation software.  There would be an interactive whiteboard, digital camera, and possible tablets with educational apps for students to work with.  In the perfect classroom, there would be 1-to-1 technology for students to access at any given time.

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How Will I Have a Technology-Infused Classroom?

     In my own classroom, I have a SMART board, 3 desktop computers, and the ability to sign out a mobile computer cart containing 24 Netbooks.  Although this is not the perfect technology-infused classroom, it does give me the ability to make sure that my students are able to work toward becoming 21st Century learners.  With the tools that I have, my students are able to research on the Internet, then present to their classmates using PowerPoint, Prezi or Google Slides, rather than poster board.  They can work collaboratively using Google Docs, or they can individually post to a class blog to share their work or opinions.  My students are constantly exposed to multimedia within my lessons to help them gain a better understanding for the topics they are learning about.  I maintain a class website where parents can keep up with what is going on in our classroom, find nightly homework, or see important dates.  Parents can contact me by text or see how their child is doing at any given time with the push of a button using our Class Dojo app.   In my technology-infused classroom, I am fostering creativity and higher-order think skills in order to prepare my students for years to come.  By having a technology-infused classroom, I am giving my students access to the world around them.  The possibilities for what they are able to do because of technology are endless. 



McCrea, B.  (2012).  Designing the 21st century K-12 classroom.  Retrieved from http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/18/designing-the-21st-century-k12-classroom.aspx



The Impact of Visual Literacy in the Classroom

According to Merriam-Webster, visual literacy is the ability to recognize and understand ideas conveyed through visible actions or images (2015).  While visual thinking is "the ability to transform thoughts, ideas, and information into all types of pictures, graphs or other images that help communicate the associated information" (Kovalik & King, n.d.).  The question is, how can visual literacy and visual thinking impact the teaching and learning process in the classroom?

 

The Impact of Visual Literacy and the Internet

  Image from http://www.learninglive.co.uk/teachers/primary/literacy/materials/visual_literacy/index.asp).   

Often times, in the classroom, students are unable to understand a concept my merely reading or hearing about it.  They need to be able to see what the instructor is talking about.  Utilizing the internet is a quick and easy way to find photographs, infographics, videos, diagrams, and a variety of other visuals that will help students who are having difficulty understanding without the additional support.  In the words of Ellen Topiel (2013), "Imagery can make language come to life..."  Allowing students the opportunity to use visuals in daily lessons helps to develop their higher level thinking skills.  Students who are submerged in meaningful visuals are better able to construct mental images that help them to better understand text.  These students, also, have better observational and analytical skills, and improved presentation and communication skills, as well (Topiel, 2013).

 

Visual Thinking Strategies for Classroom Use

Not all students will naturally have the skills it takes to be visual thinkers.  There are strategies that instructors can utilize in the classroom to help students along.  One such strategy is to help students understand how to think aloud.  This is a similar process to the think aloud strategy used to help with the comprehension of a story, where a teacher models out loud what a reader is thinking about while they are reading a text.  In this case, however, the teacher would model what someone might be thinking about when analyzing an image.  

Another visual thinking strategy that instructors can use to help students evaluate an image would be to ask a specific set of guiding questions.  According to Todd Finley (2014), three of these important guiding questions are:

1. What is going on in the visual?
2. What do you see that makes you say that?
3. What more can we find?

 

As mentioned earlier, visual thinking does not only apply to photographs and images, but it also applies to graphic organizers, infographics, diagrams, videos, charts, maps, etc.  From these different visuals, students can better summarize, analyze, and comprehend information (Teaching Strategies to Inform Visual Literacy, n. d.).

 

The Internet's Role in the Classroom

The internet plays an important role in the classroom.  There are numerous ways in which it can be used to enhance daily instruction.  One of the most common roles of the internet is for the purpose of research.  Students can work individually or cooperatively at any grade level to complete research on any topic.  There are kid safe search engines meant for young students, such as KidRex, Kidzsearch, and Kidtopia, that monitor the information the students are allowed to access.  The internet can also be used to play educational games, take virtual field trips, or complete web quests.  Teachers, with or without the help of the students, can set up class websites or blogs to display pertinent information about the goings on in the classroom.  It can be utilized as a behavior modification tool by accessing sites like Class Dojo. Students and instructors can use the internet in the classroom to connect with the outside world through emails, blogs, and some forms of social media.  And, the internet can also be a valuable tool that allows the teacher to bring the outside world into the classroom, by providing meaningful images and videos.  However, whatever the role of the internet in the classroom, it is vital that the instructor puts the students' safety first by carefully reviewing digital citizenship, as well as other expectations that the instructor has.

Finley, T.  (February 19, 2014).  Common core in action: 10 visual literacy strategies.  http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ccia-10-visual-literacy-strategies-todd-finley

Kovalik, C. & King, P.  (n. d.).  Visual literacy.  Retrieved from http://www.educ.kent.edu/community/vlo/literacy/index.html#visualthinking


Teaching strategies to inform visual literacy-Informational texts.  (n. d.).  Retrieved from http://visualiteracy.weebly.com/index.html

Topiel, E.  (January 30, 2013).  The need for visual literacy instruction in K-12 education.  Retrieved from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/teaching-methods-tips/127753-the-need-for-visual-literacy-instruction-in-k-12-education/

visual literacy. (2015). In Merriam-Webster.com.  Retrieved May 11, 2015 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/visual%20literacy

The Importance of Using a Variety of Instructional Strategies in the 21st Century Classroom

   
     Not all students learn in the same way, therefore it is vital that we use a variety of different instructional strategies when teaching daily lessons.  It is the only way to meet the needs of all students.  Some strategies, such as demonstration, presentation, and drill-and-practice are teacher-centered.  Others, like cooperative learning and project-based learning, are student-centered.  However, all need to be in our teaching arsenal ready for use at any given time.  We, as educators, are fortunate that there are also multiple technology options to help us engage the 21st Century learners we have before us, when implementing these instructional strategies.  Because students no longer learn in the same way as children of the past, we need to be well prepared.

3 Technology Enhanced Instructional Strategies

     Let's look a bit more closely at a few of the most common strategies. 




Presentation

 

       One such technology enhanced instructional strategy is the presentation.  Presentations can be created as slide shows via PowerPoint, Prezi, or Google Slides. They can include video clips, live broadcasts via the internet, interactive whiteboard lessons, etc. (Smaldino, Lowther, Mims, & Russell, 2015).  Presentations have always been a good way of getting information to our students, and now there are countless ways to present that information that will keep those students engaged and actively involved. 



Drill-and-Practice

     Drill and Practice is another strategy that can be enhanced by technology.  In the past, drill-and-practice involved a lot of pencil and paper computation or the use of flash cards to help students memorize math facts, spelling words, or vocabulary definitions. Now, there are a number of drill-and-practice software options that can be purchased or downloaded for free, such as First In Math or any number of flash card apps. These packages are used to reinforce skills that students are expected to know at their grade level.  The programs are often set up like games that motivate students to beat levels or earn rewards.  They provide instant feedback letting students know whether or not their answer is correct or incorrect and often track a student's progress, becoming more difficult as needed (Smaldino et al., 2015).

Cooperative Learning

     The cooperative learning strategy can encompass a number of other popular instructional strategies.  It can involve formal or informal groupings of students working together toward a common goal (Smaldino et al., 2015). These groups might complete internet-based research or a presentation that they will share with classmates.  Groups might work cooperatively on a STEM activity or in a problem-based learning situation.  The possibilities for technology integration into cooperative learning situations are endless.

How Does Understanding the Various Instructional Strategies Effect My Teaching?

 

     As an educator, it is my job to know the various learning styles of my students and the instructional strategies that will best suit their needs.  No one strategy fits the needs of all students, so it is important to use many different strategies when teaching.  After deciding on the appropriate strategy that will be used, I then need to meaningfully implement technology into my lessons to ensure that my students are on their way to becoming 21st Century learners.

Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., Russell, J. D., & Mims, C. (2015). Instructional Technology and Media for Learning (11th ed.). Boston, MA:  Pearson Education, Inc.

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