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Editorial -
"Low Tech Assessment Thoughts"
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Contrary to expectations I want to address this editorial to some low-tech
thoughts about the challenge of assessment. Some time soon I anticipate
we will be able to assess our students using a handheld device,
upload our observations onto our computer, then upload them onto
the web. There will be no need to send home reports and parents
will be able to check their child's grades on a daily basis.
Sure this can be done today, but not easily.
And until it is really easy, few teachers will be willing to spend
the time to even consider it.
Until then how can we address the challenge
of assessment? For most teachers the answer to the assessment
challenge is WE CANT AND WE WON'T. As these folks rightly point
out they often see several hundred students daily. Just learning
student names is a challenge. Only seeing these students once
or maybe twice a week makes the thought of assessment even more
of a joke. Quite legitimately they comment, "I don't have
enough time to teach let alone assess!"
On the surface the response is reasonable.
We don't have enough time with our students. But some years ago
I heard Luke Kelly from the University of Virginia also comment
that "If you aren't assessing, you probably aren't teaching."
Think about it and his comment makes sense. If we don't know what
our students can already do, how can we hope to teach them something
new?
Here's another way to look at it. Think about
how we teach reading. Would it make any sense to teach all 3rd
graders reading using the same book and progressing at the same
speed? Probably not. But isn't that we so often do in PE? We choose
a skill and teach it to a whole class of students not really knowing
how many of them can already perform the skill.
So what's the solution? Well, even high tech devices probably
aren't going to help us much with the lack of time in our classes.
Perhaps it would help if we began to think differently about assessment.
Think smaller perhaps. Think low tech. Return to what some of
our colleagues have been doing for years.
Let's first at least identify what our students should be learning.
Write it down and break it into steps. It's easy to post these
steps on a chart or poster. Write student names down the other
side of the chart. Then involve the students in the assessment
process. They will need instruction as to what to look for, but
they are quite capable at recording successes in well defined
learning steps. This can be part of the lesson and does NOT need
to take time away from instruction. In fact as Kelly also commented,
"Assessment IS teaching."
The irony is that effective PE teachers have always assessed.
The only difference now being expected is that assessments are
recorded and don't just remain in teachers' heads. Everyone then
benefits. Students know what they are supposed to be learning.
Teachers know who needs most assistance. And principals and parents
see that physical education actually has some clearly defined
learning goals and is not just a form of organized recess.
What do you think? To comment on these thoughts or share a different
perspective post your ideas on the PE
Forum.
Steve
Jefferies
Guest Technology Section Editor
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If you are interested in technology you should subscribe
to Bonnie Mohnsen's free Online
Technology Newsletter. Here's a taste of some of the topics
you can read about in the October
and August
issues:
Selecting Digital Cameras
Prices for digital cameras range from about $100 to more than $1,000.
A digital camera's maximum resolution (measured in pixels) is a
major factor in determining its price. The average digital camera
has a maximum resolution of 2.1 megapixels (1,600 pixels x 1,200
pixels) which is high enough for good quality 5 x 7-inch prints
or respectable (though perhaps not gorgeous) 8x 10-inch prints.
A value-priced camera often has less than a megapixel (roughly 1,024
x 768 pixels) of maximum resolution, and is well suited to taking
pictures you plan to upload to the Web. Read more...
WebQuest
A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all
of the information that learners interact with comes from resources
on the internet. The instructional goal of a short term WebQuest
is knowledge acquisition and integration. A short-term WebQuest
is designed to be completed in one to three class periods. The instructional
goal of a longer term WebQuest is extending and refining knowledge.
A longer term WebQuest will typically take between one week and
a month in a classroom setting. Read the complete story here.
See a sample of a WebQuest entitled "Sweating
to the Super Bowl" here.
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Click-n-Build
Want to build your own web site but don't know html? Have a child
who would like to build his or her own web site? There are lots
of free programs available to help you and "Click-n-Build"
is just one of them. Give it a try!
Protect
Your Children Online!
EarthLink Kids, Powered By SurfMonkey is a free service that helps
parents guard against cyber strangers and shady sites. Free membership
of Earthlink required.
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"You
must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if
a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become
dirty."
- Mahatma Gandhi
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| If you missed any previous editions of PELINKS4U, remember they can be
found in our PE Archives. |
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| If you have ideas, comments,
letters to share, or questions about particular topics, please email
one of the following Technology PE Section Editors: |
| Help to support quality physical education and health education
by contributing to this site. |
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Six
Rules for Setting Rules
Laura Clark, a Middle School teacher in
New York City learned quickly learned that having clear classroom
rules that students buy into can make all the difference. She shares
six "rule-setting rules" that worked for her and which seemed to
provide the right balance between democracy and order in her classroom.
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I
Am Going to College
Last April Rudy Benton, PE teacher extraordinaire
from Burlingame, California, organized an "I am going to College"
evening for students in grades K-8. Close to 700 guests attended
including business and college representatives and of course most
of his school's parents and students. In this short report, Rudy
details the evening events and offers to help other teachers who
might be interested in hosting a similar event. Rudy is of course
also the author of "PE Mail" an emailed newsletter you
can receive by contacting Rudy.
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