Learning Circle
is available in a different blog post. CLICK HERE!
Self and Peer Assessment (video)
I remember back in the Philippines, we would give each other’s feedback with no filters whatsoever. It was a bloodbath, but we did not take this negatively. I think giving feedback is greatly affected by language. I could say a bunch of things that may be unpleasant if translated into English but are not in Tagalog. I remember not taking feedback in English lightly while I am fine with feedback in Tagalog. I do not know if others feel the same (those whose English is not their first language. Also, I find written feedback does not work sometimes because you do not feel the intended tone of the speaker giving feedback to you. I think I will lean more toward recording my feedback in an audio format and sharing it with my students.
Anecdotal Comment Activity
It was really funny that my partner and I did not notice the answers on the very last page until it was pointed out to us. It reminded me of textbook questions where the answer is at the back of the book. As a student, I would just look for the answer at the back because why would I make myself suffer when the answer is right there?
Anyhow, as our partner and I went over these statements and decided, we found ourselves confused on statement 7. We thought that even though it was a lengthy comment, it seemed quite vague still. I think this shows the importance of descriptive feedback. As a teacher, you do not want to write a paragraph feedback consisting of nothing but vague, empty comments. We have to think about quality versus quantity in this case. Does not mean we wrote a bunch of words in the feedback means the student understands where they stand and where they could improve. We teachers have to be explicit and direct while being respectful and understanding of the student’s feelings.
Observational Feedback: SPARK and Two Stars and One Wish
This sort of connects to the statement above. Using SPARK will help students and teachers to create meaningful feedback for themselves. I was personally interested in Two Stars and One Wish. I am definitely going to try this in my future classrooms. I think this will work out really well in the arts. For example, a teacher proposed a project to create a contemporary dance. Students will demo their choreography in front of the class and then receive feedback from students. I have not made this connection in Mathematics yet.
Performance Stations
One thing I really like about performance tasks is how it is closely related to thinking classrooms. Students will be able to showcase their different learning and different ways of solving problems. We are giving the students the opportunity to enhance their critical thinking skills and their prior knowledge. I realized in my schooling that whatever the teacher’s way is the right way, and we have to step out from this thinking. Students come to class carrying their own knowledge. This is also a great way to co-construct criteria on what we look for in terms of different performance tasks.
Leisure Love Performance Station Activity
I extremely enjoyed this activity, I think it would have been better if it was in class. Anyway, I think this showcased how students will proceed with the questions differently. Students are also forced to have different answers because of the use of dice. Students will now have to rely on their own knowledge and skills to solve the task. This makes it complex in a way that students will have different interpretations of the answer. The questions are simple, but they become complex in a way that students have different prior knowledge and ways to solve things. For example, question 4 is about fractions. Some students will simplify the fractions, while others will not. We, teachers, have to keep in mind that it does not matter, simplified or not, the value is the same. Moreover, question 5 is more like a puzzle than a math problem. Students will understand that there may maybe multiple ways to solve question 5. Overall, it is a really great task for teachers to observe and make anecdotal comments, and it is a great task for students to showcase their skills and knowledge apart from the teacher’s teaching.
SYMBOL
This class is making me look at everything from a teacher’s lens. As I go through the week, I see more clearly why certain things are the way they are. As a student, I will struggle to understand why my teacher does the way they do. however, as a pre-service teacher, it makes me realize a lot of things. That is why for this week, my symbol is a lens. I look forward to seeing things from a different perspective.
