Learning Circle Discussion
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Personal Goal Setting and S.M.A.R.T. GOAL
I have a lot of goals for this class. And one of them is to be able to be well literate about assessments. I was delighted when I realized that we were going to have our personal goal for this class. I really want to master assessments. I feel like it should be the first thing, or one of the first things, to learn when you enter your education career. Since assessments are a vital part of our teaching career. Hopefully, by the end of this semester, I will be more knowledgeable about assessments and evaluation. Spending my entire schooling only knowing major projects, testing, quizzes, and more, I did not realize there’s more to it than those three things. So, I am very determined to learn more. And I am excited for what is coming. The professor also told us that as we go along with this course our goals will change over time. I am intrigued to see if my goals will change along the way, but I’m pretty determined with my goals right now. So, we will see.
The Basics of Assessment Handout
I really like this framework. I think it fully captures what I want to be able to do by the end of this semester. That is, to be able to incorporate different assessment strategies in my future classroom and upcoming internships and pre-internships. These questions are very important for me as a teacher and as a student because it’s interconnecting the professional relationship between a teacher and a student. I would like to incorporate these questions when I become a teacher.
“Where am I going?” – I would like to start the year by asking my students “Where are you going?” what is the end goal of this school year? I feel like, it is students’ right to know what they will be doing in my classroom. That way, they are prepared for whatever is coming and they’re not left out of the conversation of their learning.
“How am I doing?” – this is the question that I will be asking my students gradually. Every time my students are learning something new, I would like to ask them, “How are you doing so far?” And I would ask them to be completely honest with me because the student’s honesty will greatly help me to be able to figure out the next steps for their learning.
“Where to next?” – I would love to ask this question whenever we would close a unit together. With this question, I am preparing my students for whatever is coming next. This way, my students are still included in the conversation of their learning. This is also the question that I’m going to ask my students whenever I give them feedback and whenever they give themselves feedback. This is their time to reflect enter plan their own learning of how will they improve it.
Why do we Assess Activity – Individual
Something funny happened during this activity. I did not quite understand the rules. I just rated each statement individually, not as pairs. That is why, as you can see, the total is 22 (left) and 46 (right). However, it did not change the results I wanted. I believe the right column is more on assessments and the left column is for evaluation. Below is the result of the individual activity.
Why do we Assess Activity – Group
My partner and I agreed for the most part except for this pair:
I got to know that my partner is a future k-5 teacher, while I am a future secondary teacher. It made sense that we have different opinions on this. For me, I would rate this 5/5. I believe that tests and major assignments become problematic if used excessively. If used in moderation, tests and major assignments are great potential evaluations.
Shared Responsibility of Assessment
I believe that teaching is teamwork between students and teachers. So, it is safe to say that whenever we have to do something that includes students learning, they must be included in the conversation. However, there are still some things that the teacher is responsible for such as creating alternatives whenever something happens, or a student may need some extra help. Moreover, we must include students in their assessments because not only will they know what to expect of them, but they will also gain skills such as decision-making, collaboration, and so on. I remember in my schooling, everything was laid out for us students. That is, what will happen for the year, how are we going to be assessed, how are we going to be evaluated, and so on. I remember not having a chance to speak. Since everything is structured from the beginning till the end, we students have no choice but to follow this structure. All I’m saying, we did not have our voice in this type of schooling. We do not have a say on whatever our preferences are. I wish to change things once I become a professional teacher. To start, I would like always to include my students whenever I have or we have to decide something about their learning. I believe that students have as much power to decide their learning as teachers have. I will be their guardian of course, but I wouldn’t be a tyrant who commands everything that happens in the classroom.
SYMBOL
This week, the symbol that I have decided to use is a map. This week is a journey. I got to learn lots of things: from the book, from the handouts given to us, and from the surveys we answered, everything is being unpacked for us. This is also the week where we are starting our personal goals. So, I thought that a map would be an appropriate symbol for this week. This is because of my personal goal. A map of the treasure is a symbol of my journey to my personal goal. When treasure hunters try to find treasures, they will face hurdles along the way. Even though the way to the treasure is a long journey, and it’s not easy, the treasure hunters will find their way no matter what. For me, that treasure is to be able to fulfill my personal goal which is to be knowledgeable about assessments and evaluation. And I am sure I will face struggles along the way like those treasure hunters, and that’s OK! If I am very determined to achieve this treasure, I will do what it takes no matter the hurdles that come along the way.
