Assessments as an Education Tool

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Assessment is a very general term that includes all methods we can use to gather information about the ability and understanding among the children, (Wiesnerova, 2012). 

Hence it is important for both the teacher and taught as it provides feedback to them. My main assessment tool in the class is the formative assessment as it is intended to generate ongoing feedback that improves and accelerates learning (Sadler, 1998). I love diversity hence a variety of methods that can be used to conduct in-class and in-process evaluations of learning needs are my favourite. It is as good as an assessment for learning as it influences the way learning processes are defined for me in an ongoing fashion. It gives me a feedback loop that helps improve my teaching and also students’ learning (Carnegie Mellon University, 2021). This loop is a most powerful way of moderating one’s teaching on a continuous way.

In assessing my students:

· I give feedback in a sensitive manner, focusing on the task and not the person. This opens up the risk-taking approach in the students as they feel safe (Saaris, 2016).

· I also open the space for a dialogue with the students when giving feedback. They can give me feedback on my feedback which helps us create a dialogue space (Nicol, D. & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006). This is especially helpful for the thoughtful kids to go deeper in their reflections.

· I make use of the teaching time. During teaching math, my subject, I ask a lot of questions and that creates a space for dialogue too. This is an informal formative space for us.

· I often use rubrics, especially when handing a small task in groups or a full-fledged project work. I find that a rubric helps the students in giving a boundary to their thinking. It also helps the students understand (a) what a good performance is, (b) the gap between their performance and good and finally (c) how to close the gap (Sadler, 1998).

· I use feedback also as a tool for self-regulation. I observe if the kids are able to listen with patience when feedback is handed over.

Reference

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