The article “Assessment, Teaching, and Theories of Learning” by James provided freedom for teacher discretion while also giving relevant and beneficial information about theories and models of assessment. As James writes, “by using models of assessment borrowed from elsewhere, teachers may find themselves subscribing, uncritically or unwittingly, to the theories of learning on which they are based” (3). I found this quote to be very interesting and I think it is important to keep in mind. When borrowing models of assessment or other resources from online or from other teachers, it is critical to ensure that it lines up with your own personal beliefs and values about assessment and how it should be done. If you use models of assessment from someone else, they may have a very different style of assessment that you may not agree with. If this is the case, I think it is important that as teachers we take everything we use from others in moderation. It is completely okay to borrow something but you must adapt it to fit your own needs and the needs of your students. When I get into my 3 week block, I plan to use some of my cooperating teacher’s resources, if they provide them. However, with my new knowledge about assessment, I will be critical of them and alter them if need be. I will only use materials in my classroom that I believe are effective teaching and assessment tools. Since I am the teacher, I am responsible for all products that are used in a classroom. If they are not up to my standards, I must adapt them until they are, or find a new resource.
James argues that theories can stand alone but, at the discretion of the teacher, can be combined to achieve the best results for a specific classroom. As James explains, “In the end however decisions about which assessment practices are most appropriate should flow from educational judgments as to preferred learning outcomes. This forces us to engage with questions of value – what we consider to be worthwhile – and, in a sense, is beyond both theory and method” (12-13). I found this passage to be relieving as James indicates that teachers can make their own judgments about assessment practices as circumstances can differ for each individual teacher and classroom. I appreciate that this article allows for teachers to make the final call as they will have an intimate understanding of the classroom needs.
In the other reading by Hinchey, she explains how teachers will not broaden their assessment or teaching styles and this in turn causes them to endorse a very specific view point which usually will lack any sort of diversity to the ever changing classroom. As Hinchey writes, “[l]ike many Americans who buy only the music they hear on their favourite radio stations, educators make choices endorsing one particular perspective largely because they haven’t been exposed to an alternative” (34). I think that this quote sums up a lot of the teaching perspectives that exist in schools across Canada. Many teachers don’t continue to educate themselves on new practices that exist or new information that is released about assessment or teaching in general. Many teachers are even frustrated when a new curriculum document is released because they will have to change the same lesson plans they have been teaching for over a decade. Many teachers are just resistant to change. Hinchey explains how teachers who are not exposed to alternative perspectives will continue to do things in the same way for their entire career. James continues on to say that “they are unaware, too, that their ‘choices’ implicitly endorse one specific perspective as being always and everywhere preferable to another” (34). I think it is this endorsement that we, as teachers, must always be conscious of. I would never want my students of colour or my LGBTQ2+ students to feel isolated or unrepresented. I want all my students to feel that their voices are being heard and that they have a place in my classroom. Specifically as an English teacher, it is my job to choose assessment strategies and class materials that will accurately reflect the diversity in my classrooms while also making it meaningful for everyone.
Resources:
Hinchey, P. (2010). “Rethinking What We Know: Positivist and Constructivist Epistemology”. Finding Freedom in the Classroom: A Practical Introduction to Critical Theory, Counterpoints, Vol. 24, pp. 35-55. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42976884
James, M. (2006). “Assessment, Teaching, and Theories of Learning”. Assessment and Learning, London: Sage, pp. 47-60. https://urcourses.uregina.ca/pluginfile.php/1946147/mod_resource/content/1/James.pdf