Critics of standardized testing have often pointed to what they call an obvious flaw; to wit, that achievement data is skewed by how well prepared students are. This new collection method satisfies that:
School reformers are obsessed with data; they say it is the only thing that will tell them what works.
In fact, some educational leaders and key decision makers gather rather mundane data to help them improve their schools. One firm visits classrooms for mere minutes to tally "Critical Teaching Attributes," or behaviors that they say teachers should display. They then quantify those data across the school, month, or year.
What sorts of data would you like to acquire and measure in your classroom? What makes the most sense? What will help you make the most effective instructional decisions?
Value added is designed to account for demographic differences. It looks at the same test results (no new tests are given) but with an eye on how much a student’s performance improved each year. ["School evaluation gets a new tool," Times New Leader]
School reformers are obsessed with data; they say it is the only thing that will tell them what works.
In fact, some educational leaders and key decision makers gather rather mundane data to help them improve their schools. One firm visits classrooms for mere minutes to tally "Critical Teaching Attributes," or behaviors that they say teachers should display. They then quantify those data across the school, month, or year.What sorts of data would you like to acquire and measure in your classroom? What makes the most sense? What will help you make the most effective instructional decisions?
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9 comments:
In my art classroom I would like to know how many of my students are understanding the technical terms. There is so much stigma around art classes - students just have to draw - when really everything means something specific. If I ask the students to say draw a contour line of the still life and I end up with a detailed drawing obviously they are not understanding.
I would also like to know how my students feel about the assignments, if they have any suggestions/ideas for other assignments.
I would like to acquire data on how my students feel about our communication. It is vital that they feel comfortable enough to stop me during a lecture if they have any questions or comments. I would also like to acquire data on if they feel prepared for class, quizzes, and tests. An anonymous survey would be useful in both cases. In order to make the most effective instructional decisions, data can help me by pointing out specific methods that prove to be ineffective so I can make the necessary changes as soon as possible.
K=MOLLY K GALLAGHER
I would like to gather data about the effectiveness of my lesson because this is what controls whether students learn or not. I would be interested in knowing if I had good volume, showed enough examples and gave students enough time to ask questions. If for example I did a powerpoint, I would want to know if it was exciting, or if students want more visual aids or props to help explain concepts.
In my class I will give students an opportunity to communicate with me through surveys the ways that the class can be improved, what areas should have more focus, and how comfortable they are with the material. Allowing students to anonymously give me their opinions will hopefully result in a more honest communication between me and my students and will provide me with the feedback I need to improve my class in multiple areas. I will also give students small assessments regularly, maybe every class, to remind them of the material they learned in the previous class or from earlier in the class period. Through this I will easily be able to tell what ideas need more focus.
In my classroom I would like to know if my students understand the process of learning how to reading; the techniques, letter and word patterns, etc.
I will have my students self-reflect. This helps me see what they have learned, so I can alter or keep the instructional methods I am using. Also, self-reflection reminds students of what they learned in class that day.
The sorts of data that I would like to measure in my classroom would be how well the student is learning, as well as how well I am teaching. If my job is to teach, then it follows that the result should be learning. It makes sense to measure how the students feel they are progressing and get feedback about how I can improve my methods so that the students learn more effeciently. If I know what sparks a student's natural interests, curiosity, and learning style...as well as what doesn't... then I can find methods that will be mutually effective.
I would like to acquire data on what my students already understand, and what they need more help comprehending. I would also like to learn what their favorite genres are so I can incorporate that into my lessons. I am interested in how they feel about communicating with the rest of the class, it's important to me that they are comfortable with their peers and with myself.
I would probably use an anonymous survey to gather my data. This will be helpful to my class because it will allow me to reorganize my lesson plans to make the class as beneficial for everyone as possible.
-Hannah
I would like to acquire data on what my students already understand, and what they need more help comprehending. I would also like to learn what their favorite genres are so I can incorporate that into my lessons. I am interested in how they feel about communicating with the rest of the class, it's important to me that they are comfortable with their peers and with myself.
I would probably use an anonymous survey to gather my data. This will be helpful to my class because it will allow me to reorganize my lesson plans to make the class as beneficial for everyone as possible.
-Hannah
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