Professional Learning Plan
Hailey Jorgensen
Department of Education, University of Regina
ECS 401: Educational Assessment
Dr. Chris Atkinson
January 30, 2024
There is only one month until my pre-internship and I have very little knowledge about assessment. I do know there are two types of assessment: formative and summative, which are done for constructive/adaptive purposes and as a final representation of your learning, respectively. I have done some self and peer assessments both in school and professionally which were both done to identify what could be improved in performance, usually only after the assignment was completed. During my once a week pre-internship the only assessing I did was done on paper, as this seemed like the easiest way for them to show their learning (and see if I could get the information across). The students never received their assignments/exit slips back because most of the lessons were one-offs and we weren’t there every day. I have almost no experience in creating rubrics or correcting work, which is obviously an important part of being a teacher. I do not know how to gauge student understanding by observation if only a handful of people are participating. I do not know how to objectively mark assignments like papers and what the proper weighting is for observation, assignment, and final project marks. One day during my pre-internship, we taught math; some students required constant encouragement and set up by my partner, when “marking” we wondered if these students who got 100% with her help deserved it compared to students who achieved the 100% on their own. At this point in my assessment career I have way more questions than I have answers and it just goes to show how much more difficult teaching is than people think.
If I had to pick one thing to work on it would be practicing assessment through observation. This goal is important because to be a just teacher, you have to assess in various ways but also on various things. Assessing through observation informs me of their engagement like participation in group work and raising their hand, but also informs my teaching by hearing student questions and by asking them to rate their understanding. To help me achieve my goal, I will bring a class list with me as I teach, making marks by the students names who participate and by making mental notes of how the groups interact in group work. As I am in the midst of unit planning for my pre-internship, I will make sure to have lessons that focus on observation and others on products. I would also like to ask for student understanding more often than I had in my first pre-internship as this will help me adjust future lessons to their needs. At the end of the block I will compile the student’s written evidence with my notes to assign them a letter grade, unless instructed otherwise by my co-op. My successes and tricky areas that I encounter will be discussed during my end of semester interview.