Today we went over chapters 8 and 9 after not coming to class Tuesday due to Mardi Gras break.
Chapter 8 was about the structure and use of higher order test items. I remember how in school our teachers would so often give us our essay questions verbatim ahead of time. As we talked about the purpose of essay questions today, I began to think about how I would not want to give so much away to my students if the whole purpose is to test their thinking on a higher level. Certainly it would be allowable to give them an idea of what might be asked so that they know which topics to review most thoroughly, but I do not intend to give my future students the test questions word for word as has been my experience in the past. I liked what we discussed about asking in an essay question for evidence to support the answer so as to ensure that the students are not just shooting the bull. Another interesting point made today was that open book tests should not be word for word but instead designed so that the text book and notes are a resource instead of an answer bank.
In chapter 9, we talked about performance based assessment. One thing that we got talking about was how, for every lesson, there must be at least four multi-motile activities to support it within a two-day period of time. This concept was interesting to me. I can see how it would be a wise thing to do as a teacher to ensure that the students are truly understanding what is being taught. I hope to incorporate this in my future classroom.
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