In this week’s readings, I was able to unpack the importance of multimodal assessment tools and why it is necessary to bring technology into the classroom. In order to increase the literacies of your students, it is beneficial to introduce aspects of technology. Technology can provide a lot of different skill building tools that have not been available to teachers and students in the past. Now, teachers can assign projects and different forms of assessment that incorporate things such as music, videos, and photos. Technology can heighten student involvement and allows students to build a wide variety of skills. As Jennifer Rowsell and Maureen Walsh write in “Rethinking Literacy Education”, “A fundamental part of ‘new’ literacies in literacy education considers not only that literacies are multiple, but also that they demand different modes” (p. 55). As this quote suggests, it is important to consider literacies in this light. There is more to literacy than just reading a book. Literacy has many different aspects and technology and digital citizenship are two aspects of literacy that must be considered.
As a teacher, I plan to encourage the use of multimodal assessment with the use of technology. As Rowsell and Walsh write, “We are constantly reminded in education that the mastery of the tool itself is not the outcome but how we use it” (p. 60). As such, it is important to teach students how to use technology effectively, safely, and responsibly so that they can use it as a tool to better their lives and to continue to learn with. I believe that it is not only a necessary learning tool in the 21st century but also a way to broaden the minds, abilities, and interests of the students.
In the article, “Assessment as a Tool for Learning” by Dochy and McDowell, they discuss the importance of self, co, and peer assessment. These different forms of assessment can be meaningful to the students. As a teacher, I plan to implement these forms of assessment into my classroom. They allow students to reflect on the work they have done, their participation in a group, the work of their peers (in relation to others and to their own standards), and they also allow students to become observant of their own effort. As Dochy and McDowell explain, “There is now a realization that the potential benefits of assessing are much wider and impinge in all stages of the learning process” (p. 279). In my past placement, I observed my co-op teacher give out a meaningful self-evaluation for a project that the grade 7/8 class had just completed. The students seemed engaged in completing the evaluation and the verbal feedback of the evaluation seemed to be positive. I will be using these forms of assessments in meaningful ways whenever I can as I believe they allow students the chance to reflect on the work they have done; and as I have learned in Education classes, reflection is very important.
There are certain forms of assessment that help students as they develop their own learning styles and engagement with learning activities. As Dochy and McDowell write, “Portfolio assessment, self assessment, and peer-review are some forms of assessment which encourage students to engage continuously and foster a deep approach to learning” (p. 279). These types of assessment allow students to further develop their engagement with an assessment. Not all assessments should be essays, tests, or quizzes as those forms of assessment do not always challenge students to reflect on their learning and their effort with the assignment. Creating assessments such as portfolios allow students to access their creativity and often increases engagement with the task. In addition, portfolios allow students to showcase work that they are most proud of and that best represents their unique, individual abilities. In terms of self assessment, this form of assessment is important to implement in a classroom as it gives students the opportunity to express how they think they did on an assignment, what they struggled with, what they succeeded at, and even the grade they believe they deserve. Giving students the option to have input on the grading of their assignment creates agency for the students and demonstrates their true thoughts about the assessment. Finally, peer review is an excellent method to include peers in the work of students. Often, peers will point out areas of strength or improvement that the teacher may not have even recognized. In addition, some students prefer to receive feedback from a peer. Not all teaching needs to come from the teacher and peer feedback is incredibly valuable.
Resources:
Dochy, F. & McDowell, L. (1997). “Assessment as a Tool for Learning”. Studies in Educational Evaluation, Vol. 23(4), pp. 279-299.
Rowsell, J. & Walsh, M. (2011). “Rethinking Literacy Education in New Times: Multimodality, Multiliteracies, & New Literacies”. Brock Education, Vol. 21(1), pp. 53-62. https://urcourses.uregina.ca/pluginfile.php/1946124/mod_resource/content/1/Rowsell%20and%20Walsh.pdf