Tag Archives: assessment
Pop Quizzes: Are They Good Practice?
I’ve been reading Dr. Allen Mendler’s book, Connecting with Students and I came across this passage: “Limit pop quizzes. Pop quizzes contribute unnecessarily to anxiety and rarely lead to increased competence. In fact, the sudden wave of fear that an … Continue reading
Grading and Student Engagement
The personal connection between student and teacher is vital to student achievement. When that personal connection exists, the student is more likely to be engaged in the learning and willing to perform the tasks the teacher sets to achieve lesson objectives.
Look around your classroom at the students who have habitual behavior problems. Are they engaged? Do they complete assignments? Do you think they look forward to class? Do you have a personal connection with the student? Continue reading
How Much Teacher Help Is too Much?
I have always been perplexed by the term spoon feeding. I know that it means that the teacher gives his students too much help, but I’ve never been clear on how much is too much. I’ll give you five possible … Continue reading
Should Students Be Allowed to Use Digital Devices at School?
I taught high school for 10 years and I’m still a certified teacher. I know that battling academic dishonesty in the classroom is like battling a Hydra. Every time you think you’ve lopped off the cheating monster’s many heads, it sprouts two more.
Yesterday on Twitter’s Tuesday #educhat, educators discussed student use of digital devices in the classroom. For the most part, cell phones aren’t allowed in schools; however, some schools are beginning to not only allow them, but also to encourage students to use their mobile devices in the name of learning. I had a guest post about using cell phones as clickers last year. I haven’t tried it myself, but I know that the technology works in classrooms Continue reading
The Exit Slip as an Informal Assessment Tool
In my class, I often gave out an exit the last five minutes of class. It’s a simple half-sheet of paper with four questions on it for students to answer. I used the exit slip as an informal assessment of what my students learned and what I still needed to teach. The exit slips are quick for students to complete and quick to grade, too. When the bell rang, I stood by the door and asked students to hand them to me on their way out.
As for grading, I looked at three things: 1) complete answers, 2) thoughtful answers, 3) knowledge of the lesson. It’s not a quiz, so I didn’t look for correct answers; I looked for the correct vocabulary and concepts. It’s O.K. for a student not to understand, but my goal was for the student to explain what he didn’t understand using the language from the lesson.
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10 Alternative Assessments for Homework
Homework is a dreaded word for many of our students. To them, homework means endless problem sets, memorizing vocabulary, or filling in the blanks. It’s hard for many kids to find a quiet place at home for homework or even a quiet place on the bus ride to the JV basketball game.
Extending classroom learning outside the school walls is a great idea; it reinforces objectives and makes for better classroom discussions. But the same ol’ read-and-respond assignments get dull. It’s good for everyone to mix up the assessments. After all, the brain loves novelty.
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The Pros and Cons of Rubrics
I read on Professor Maryellen Weimer’s excellent higher education teaching blog, The Teaching Professor, a post about a discussion college teachers were having about the pros and cons of using rubrics to grade student products.
It’s an interesting discussion and probably something you and your teaching colleagues have discussed before: do rubrics guide both teacher and student or do they limit student creativity and independent thinking? Continue reading
Classroom Management: What Not to Do
Sometimes a poor role model can be as instructive as a good one. That was the case for me when I was in my formative years of teaching. I couldn’t believe some of the things I witnessed in other people’s classes and, looking back, I can’t believe some of the mistakes I made myself.
So, in the spirit of the New Year and resolutions, here’s a list of What Not to Do to manage a classroom. If you see yourself in any of these examples, resolve to change. And, let’s face it: looking at other people’s mistakes can be interesting and entertaining. Continue reading
