Evaluation for Learning Styles

As a teacher in training, I agonize when I evaluate students. I constantly wonder what method is fair and am I being fair in my method that I am using? Have I left all my biases at the door? Am I unfairly comparing the students to one another’s efforts instead of looking at each individual effort? Reading Mamchur’s Six Traps of Evaluation made me worry even more! I wonder if my feedback as viewed by the students seems fair and constructive to them, and if they are able to use it to further scaffold their learning. I presume my obvious anxieties towards evaluating students comes from me as a student always wanting to succeed to the best of my ability and knowing what was expected of me is key to this success. Ambiguity to me sends me into a state of turmoil. I also want my students to succeed to the best of their ability and wish to be able to communicate with them as much as possible during evaluation processes.

I was given advice during my short practicum by my faculty associate, who obviously sensed my anxieties, to involve my students in the evaluation process. This was a foreign idea to me, because I had never seen a teacher do such a thing in my own education, but it was an idea that resonated and made sense. Mamchur speaks of “showing and not telling” to empower the students’ learning. My faculty associate’s advice was to extend this further to involve the students in the evaluation process by deciding as a class what should be evaluated. She suggested, like Mamchur states, there is learning embedded in evaluation. By having an open discussion about the criteria the students are engaged, they feel they have set goals that are reasonable and they know the expectations. It is also an opportunity for each different learning style to have input on how they would like to be assessed. The best way I have seen this implemented is through the use of a rubric.

I believe that the main purposes of evaluation are to assist students in their learning and to improve instruction. Evaluation is an essential part of the planning process. A variety of assessment strategies need to be used to accurately assess all learners; some examples include anecdotal records, observation checklists, rating scales, contracts, self-assessment, peer assessment, oral presentation, and written reports. I believe expectations for the evaluation should always be communicated to the students in advance and that students should have opportunities for input regarding the evaluation process. There should be some opportunity for the criteria and its weighting to be discussed and/or negotiated between the teacher and the students. Evaluation, above all, must be fair and equitable. It should be sensitive to the socio-cultural influences of the students and be free of bias. Students should be given opportunities to demonstrate the extent of their knowledge, understanding, skills, and attitudes according to their learning styles. Evaluation should help students, not hinder them by shutting down their learning. It should provide positive feedback and encourage students to participate actively in their own learning. Mamchur states that each student needs to feel personally acknowledged, recognized and valued for ideal learning to occur. I also believe an important part of evaluation is for the teacher to reflect on the methods used. This reflection assists the teacher in making decisions concerning improvements or modifications to subsequent teaching and evaluation.

I made my own assessment of my life, and I began to live it. That was freedom. ~ Fernando Flores