I Believe…

Pedagogical Beliefs:

… every child matters! Regardless of race, gender, identity, culture, religion, etc.

… mental health should be recognized and that resources should be provided.

… in order to get respect, you must give respect.

… educational spaces should be welcoming, safe, inclusive, and accessible for everyone.

… everyone has their own unique way of learning, and as an educator, it is my duty to support that.

… every person has the right to be addressed by their preferred pronouns. You should never assume how someone wants to identify.

… to learn, you must listen. You can learn from students just as much as you can teach them. Let their voices be heard.

… that every day is an opportunity to learn something new.

… with authority comes responsibility.

… you’re never done learning.

… everybody deserves equitable opportunities.

… in inclusive and diverse environment and education.

Assessment Beliefs:

… assessment is a continuous process that influences both teaching and learning.

… in using formative evaluations to provide timely feedback that promotes growth in students.

… that specific, practical feedback is critical for helping students understand and improve their learning.

… that daily lessons should be matched with assessment goals to maintain consistency and relevance in learning.

… in developing assessments that promote critical thinking and real-world application.

… that assessments should be fair, transparent, and consistent with learning objectives.

… that assessments should be modified to meet the unique needs and strengths of all students.

… in using assessment data to adapt instruction to each student’s particular needs.

… that incorporating assessment as a natural part of everyday learning helps students stay engaged and motivated.

The quote from How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning by Thomas Guskey, “The best classroom assessments also serve as meaningful sources of information for teachers, helping them identify what they taught well and what they need to work on… Instead, these assessments must be part of an ongoing effort to help students learn,” reinforces my beliefs about assessment’s critical role in education (How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning, 2021). This statement emphasizes that evaluations should be an inherent part of the teaching process, not just methods for measuring end results.

I believe that assessments should be used as ongoing feedback processes to inform both teaching and learning. This perspective is consistent with the quote’s emphasis on using assessments to identify educational strengths and areas for growth. By including assessments as ongoing tools for improving student learning, I aim to foster a dynamic classroom climate in which assessments are linked with instructional goals and contribute to continuous growth. This method guarantees that evaluations are used to promote and encourage student growth, rather than just assessing their achievement at the end of a unit.

 

Reference:

How Classroom Assessments Improve Learning. (2021, June 29). ASCD. https://ascd.org/el/articles/how-classroom-assessments-improve-learning