Assessment?

For a while, I have been concerned about the format in which students are assessed. Currently, each student is assessed with the same assessment. If modifications are needed, they are made. Well, my question is "why are all students taking the same assessment?". There are two answers (possibly more) to that question:   1) That is the traditional way and less work; and 2) parents expect paper and pencil assessments--they want to see the assessment.  

Paper and pencil assessments may not be the most appropriate for every student.  I have recently started exploring other options for assessment with my second graders.  I have recorded the assessments and provided a different assessment based on the students' needs.  Students are able to complete their assessment on the computer.   I am also incorporating the assessments via the ActivBoard and ActivVotes (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic).  This makes the assessment a little more engaging for second graders.  

One of my colleagues develops and shares rubrics used to assess writing. Rubrics are shared with the students prior to the assignment so they know the requirements.  They are also able to assess themselves.   We also use a rubric to share the results of presentations made by students.  Rubrics are shared with the students and parents prior to the presentation so that they know the expectation.  

My goal this year is to work on developing different forms of assessment for my students.  Each student has a talent/strength, and it needs to be used as part of the assessment process.  For example, I have a student who is so intrigued when I am videotaping or capturing pictures.  I would love to allow him to use the video camera to showcase his knowledge about a particular topic (it would serve as his assessment).  

As I introduce more PBL projects to my students, I must develop rubrics to assess their artifacts/products.  I am thankful for RubiStar.  Off, to plan... 

PBL

As I began reading the PBL articles, I thought of BOOST, the new initiative in which GACS third through fifth grade students participate. According to Brad Schultz, the program was "designed to help our young Spartans generate new ideas and ways of accomplishing tasks, adapt that to different situations, collaborate with their classmates, and solve problems together in unique ways."  The Launching a PBL Project article geared the PBL project for third through twelfth grade levels.   It indicates that students rise to the challenge of solving problems.   Children who may be having difficulty in a certain area, may rise to the occasion when they are given opportunities to create a product or artifact.  This reminds me of a student in my class last year.  He had difficulty with reading; however, when he had an opportunity to role play or create a LEGO Robot and program it on the computer, he was engaged and working to solve the problems that arose. 

The article also mentioned that students should have an opportunity to share their artifacts with a non-classroom audience.  In the past, I have invited students from another classroom to a special showcase of students original poems and the USA  Cookie Project.  My goal this year will be to invite school personnel (President, Media Specialist, Junior High, and High School personnel) to come in an view the students' work.  Also, since we have the video production room, I would like to have the students video their classmates projects and then allow them to create a movie in which they may share their artifacts via video with a non-classroom audience.  Last week, my student teacher provided an opportunity for students to work collaboratively during math class.  They had to work collaboratively to create a number story, provide an illustration, and report their results to the class.  Each student had a job.  Three of the four groups were able to work collaboratively. 


As I reflect on some of the things that I plan for my class, I realize that I do some PBL projects (e.g., TechnoGram).  However, my challenge has been assisting the students in working together collaboratively. It is important to discuss the rules of collaborative work before starting and encourage the groups to discuss their problems. Sometimes, you want to give up and return to whole group activities when problems arise.  However,  I must remember that "one of the main purposes of doing PBL is to engage students in inquiry, analysis, synthesis, and other cognitive processes that lead to deep understanding."  They need to be shown how to analyze the problem that arises and develop a solution.  Also, I need to allow the students to explore topics of their interest and develop questions they want answered about the topic.  Reading these articles has me excited about PBL.  Since I have a student teacher this semester, I believe that we can work collaboratively to incorporate more PBL projects.  As our assistant principal says, PBL "brings the curriculum to life!" Off to explore more about PBL...

Reflecting

As I began reading the article Designing to Learn, I started wondering whether my classroom is set up for designing. I have rearranged my classroom and the management of guided reading time twice since school started; trying to make sure it is designed to match the learning styles of my students. It is a challenge at the moment. But in reading the things that must occur before Problem Based Learning can occur, my focus will be on ensuring that my students and I have the necessary skills and abilities before attempting to create/design artifacts. I have realized that each student must have an opportunity to explore before the entire class tackles a project, especially when they are working on different projects. In addition, the students must be trained how to work collaboratively. (Oh Yes!)

Currently I am still researching lesson plan sites to locate lessons that are LoTI level 4 or higher. Most of the lessons I have found appear to be a 3. However, after listening to the explanations of the LoTI levels, I will review them again to see if they can be moved to a higher level. I may also consult with my school SME regarding the LoTI Framework. (We had to develop lessons several years ago based on the LoTI scale.)

The results of my LoTI survey were as follows:

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I was a little surprised at my infusion level. I believe I answered the questions based on this year's instruction rather than in previous years. However, my goal is to develop/utilize lessons at the higher end of the LoTI scale so that my students will have more opportunities to collaborate with students in other classes and/or other schools. Through Studywiz, our new learning management system, I believe we can soon start collaborating with a fifth grade class about LEGO Robotics via the blogging section.


The Cool Tool Demos have been cool!!! Dippity is one that I plan to share with my third through fifth grade colleagues and the media specialist. It could be a valuable tool for their students. After the demo of Storykit, a further search showed that it can be used with the iPad. Storykit may be helpful with my project on Book Clubs/digital storytelling. I'll keep thinking of how I can incorporate this tool into my project. (Maybe Shelley's class could collaborate with my class in demonstrating the use of Storykit on the iPod Touches.) As I was explore sites, I came across Storyrobe, similar to Storykit. It is currently an app for the iPhone and iPod Touch (which we have in my classroom). That may be the one way my students can record their book reviews in a fun way. (My students love the "fun stuff"--as they call it.) I'll explore that one a little more.

As of this moment, my project will be geared around the Book Clubs idea mentioned in my first blog post. My second grade colleagues are interested in doing book clubs with their students as well. So this would benefit our team. I do plan to work with my school SMEs--media special and integration technology chair, along with my team colleagues--for ideas. Off to do more research...

Integrating Technology

As I began becoming acquainted with the resources in the LoTi Lounge, I came across one lesson that would assist students in the area of Geography, Language Arts, and technology. This lesson was part of the ReadWriteThink Resources. Since I have used ReadWriteThink before, I decided this would be my resource for this particular part of my blog this week. These lessons will also be included in my Webpage.


1) Mail Time! An Integrated Postcard and Geography Study: This lesson is geared toward K-2 students and was designed to connect students with other cultures. In this lesson, the students have an opportunity to write postcards to family members in different parts of the country/world. The family members will be requested to send a postcard with pictures of emblems/symbols from their state or country. The students may create their own letters/postcards using online tools such as the letter generator or the postcard creator. This lesson can be incorporated into the geography lessons that we teach. It would provide students with a visual of the geography skills we study.


2) Shape Poems: Using the Five Senses: This poetry lesson is designed for grades 1-3. It brings in language art and science and provides time for students to work collaboratively. The lesson begins with the read aloud of the poem Flicker Flash, an exploration of light in the form of shape poetry. After listening to the story, the students use a graphic organizer to explore something from nature using their five senses. They then create their own poems using the interactive shape poem tool. They work with a peer to analyze their use of sensory language.



3) A Schema-Building Study With Patricia Polacco: This is a language arts lesson that was designed to help build students vocabulary and comprehension skills. Students in grades 2 through 5 will use interactive tools to help deepen their understanding of the vocabulary and characters in the stories they hear or read. They then explore more reading comprehension skills through the author's webquest.



These are just three of the lessons that I have explored as part of technology integration. More to come...