LESSON 17Assessment in a

Constructivist,Technology-Supported

Learning

Complex learning cannot be assessed or evaluated using any single measure. We must examine both the processes and products of student learning.”

which form of assessment fits a constructivist technology-supported learning environment.

Focus Questions

Read and analyze the cartoon below then reflect on the questions:

ACTIVITY

1. Do you also memorize when you prepare for tests?

2. Do you like it ?

3. Why do you have to memorize?

4. Why do you have to memorize even if teacher’s style of testing changes?

Questions

Discussions Questions:

1. What assessment practices were expressed in the conversation?

2. Do you favor such practices? Why or why not?

ANALYSIS

from the conversation we gather that some students:

Memorize very much for the test fit their

style of test to the kind of test and Study only for passing score and a passing

grade.

ABSTRACTION

The questions we raise are :

The answer to both questions is a

“Is it really bad to memorize for the test?”

“Is it not good to study for a score and for a grade?

No

It is not bad to memorize for the test.Examinees even take in Memory Plus food supplement to increase their power to memorize.

Neither is it bad to study for scores and grade.However, we should go beyond memorizing for tests and we should not study only for a passing score and passing grade.

In a constructivist classroom, learning transcends memorization of facts.

What then is the assessment practice that will be congruent with the constructivist’s thinking?

It is a higher level form of assessment that will require the display of the basic skills of writing and speaking, computing and the more complex skills of applying concepts learned, analyzing, critiquing and evaluating, integrating and creating, and the social skills of working with others.

The traditional paper-pencil test will prove to be inadequate to measure basic skills integrated with higher-order-thinking skills

Authentic assessment measures collective abilities, written and oral expression skills, analytical skills, manipulative skills, (like computer skills) integration, creativity, and ability to work collaboratively.

Students perform real world tasks, thus the word “authentic”.

It is an assessment of a process or a product.

Authentic assessment is most appropriate for the constructivist classroom

The performance is a reliable measure of skills learned

Product is a proof of the acquisition of skills.

Scoring Rubric

Figure 32. Multimedia Project and Performance

4 3 2 1

organization Student presents information in a logical, interesting sequence that the audience can follow.

Student presents information in a logical sequence that the audience can follow

Audience has difficulty following presentation because student does not consistently use a logical sequence.

Audience cannot understand presentation because there is no sequence of information.

Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates full knowledge (more than required) by answering all class questions with explanations and elaboration.

Student is at ease and provides expected answers to all questions but falls to elaborate.

Student is uncomfortable with information and is able to answer only rudimentary questions.

Student does not have graphs of information; student cannot answer questions about subject.

Graphics Student’s graphics explain and reinforce screen text presentation.

Student’s graphics relate to text and presentation.

Student occasionally uses graphics that rarely support text and presentation.

Student uses superfluous graphics or no graphics.

Mechanics Presentation has no misspelling or grammatical errors.

Presentation has no more than two misspelling and/or grammatical errors.

Presentation has three misspellings and/or grammatical errors.

Student’s presentation has four or more spelling errors and/or grammatical errors.

Eye contact Student maintains eye contact with audience, seldom returning to notes.

Student maintains eye contact most of the time but frequently returns to notes.

Student occasionally uses eye contact but still reads most report.

Student reads all of report with no eye contact.

Elocution Student uses a clear voice and correct precise pronunciation of terms so that all audience members can hear presentation

Student’s voice is clear. Student pronounces most words correctly. Most audience members have difficulty hearing presentation

Student’s voice is low. Student incorrectly pronounces terms. Audience members have difficulty hearing presentation.

Student mumbles, incorrectly pronounces terms, and speaks too quietly for students in the back of class to hear.

Assessing ActivityTo what extent does the environment you have created promote Manipulation of real–world objects and observations based on theseActivities?

Learner interactions with Real-World Objects

Little of the learner’s

time is spent engaged with

tools and objects found

outside school.

Learners are often engaged in

activities involving tools

and objects found outside

school.

Observation and Reflection

Students rarely think about or record the results of actions taken during activities.

Students often stop and think about the activities in which they are engaged

Students share frequent observations about their activity with peers and interested adults.

Learner Interactions

Students manipulated none of the variables or controls in environment

Students manipulated some variables and controls in environment

Students manipulated all or nearly all variables/ controls in environment

Tool Use

Students used no cognitive tools

Students used some cognitive tools to support explorations/manipulations

Students used

nearly all cognitive effectively

Assessing Construction

To what extent does the environment you have created cause learners toPerceive puzzling dissonance and form mental models to explain the Incongruity?

Dissonance/Puzzling

Students engaged in learning activities because activities are required, rather than being an intrinsic interest.

Learners frequently Seem to be operating based on a sincere curiosity about the topic of study

Learners are consistently striving to resolve disparity between observed and on a sincere desire to know

Constructing Material Models and Making Meaning

Learners rarely create their own understandings of how things work

Learners are often expected to make sense of new experiences and develop theories

Learners routinely wrestle with new experience, becoming experts at identifying and solving problems.

Assessing Cooperation

To what does the environment you have created promote meaningful interaction among students and between students and experts outside of school? To what extent are learners developing skills related to social negotiation in learning to accept and share responsibility?

Interaction Among Learners

Little of the learners’ time is

engaged with other students.

Learners are often immersed in activities in which collaboration with peers results in

success Interaction with People Outside of School

Little of the learner’s time is spent gainfullyEngaged with experts outside of school

Learners are often involved in activities in which there is significant learning outside the school.

Social Negotiation

Little evidence that learners work together to develop shared understanding of tasks or solution strategies.

Learners are often observed in the process of coming to agreement on the nature of problems and on best courses of action.

Learners collaborate with ease. Negotiations become almost invisible yet ideas of all learn members are valued.

s

Acceptance and Distribution of Roles and Responsibility

Roles and responsibilities are shifted infrequently; most capable learners accept more responsibility than the less capable.

Roles and responsibilities are shifted often, and such changes are accepted by both the most and least capable.

Students make their own decisions concerning roles and responsibilities, freely giving and accepting assistance as necessary.

Assessing Authenticity

The tasks learners face have been designed for schools(i.e., separated into “subjects” and developed to simplify learning

The tasks learners face are embedded in theme-based units that cross disciplines and present

Students accept challenges as they exist in real world using languages, math, science, and technologies to accomplish important tasks

Higher- Order Thinking

A large percentage of what is expected is memorization. Students are rarely asked to evaluate, synthesize, or create.

Students are often asked to develop ideas and solutions, often in groups, and demonstrate the abilities to create and reason

Learners routinelyGenerate hypotheses. Conduct investigations, assess results, and make predictions.

Recognizing Problems

Students are not expected to be problem finders, but are instead expected to be able to solve occasional well-structured problems

Students occasionallyFace ill-structured Challenges and are expectedTo refine their problems as well as solve it.

Students frequently face ill-structured challenges and develop proficiency in identifying and defining problems

“Right Answers”

The “problems” presented to learners tend to have “right answers”. “correct” solutions that the students are expected to eventually reach

The problems presented are “new to the learners, and generally involve complex solutions of varying quality, rather than “answers.”

Assessing Intentionally

To what extent does the environment you have created cause learners to pursue important, well-articulated goals to which they are intrinsically committed ? To what extent can learners explain their activity in terms of how the activities relate to the attainment of their goals?

Goal Directions

Learners are oftenPursuing activities

That have little to do with the attainment of

specified goals

Learners are generally engaged in activities that contribute to the

attainment of specified goals.

Setting Own Goals

Learning goals are provided by

educators Learners are sometimes

involved in the establishment

of learning goals.

Learners are routinely responsible for

developing goals.

Regulating Own Learning

Learners’ progress Is monitored by others

Learners are involved as partners in

monitoring and reporting progress

toward goals

Learners areResponsible for monitoring and

reporting progress toward

goals

Learning How to Learn

Little emphasis is placed on metacognition. There are few opportunities to

discuss the learning process with peers or

educators

The culture of the learningEnvironment promotes

frequent discussion of the processes and strategies

( both successful and unsuccessful involved in

learning.

Articulation of Goals as Focus of Activity

Learners don’t see the relationship between the

activities in which they are engaged and specified

learning goals.

Learners describe the activities in which they are engaged in terms that relate directly to the specified learning goals.

Technology Use in Support of Learning Goals

The use of technology seems unrelated to the specified learning goals.

The use of technology

Contributes to the attainment of

specified learning goals .

The use of technology makes a

powerful contribution to the

attainment of specified learning

goals.

Figure 34. Rubric for Understanding and Improving meaningful Learning Environment

The traditional paper-pencil tests are not adequate to assess learning in constructivist technology-supported learning.

The authentic forms of assessment such as performance and product assessment, are more reliable and adequate to measure students’ communication, analytical, integrative, evaluative, and collaborative skills.

SUMMING UP

1. In your Principles of Teaching, you learned that “learning is a personal process “then what mode of assessment is most appropriate ? ( Corpuz, B and G. Salandan, Principles of Teaching, 2007). Will self-assessment be appropriate?

2. Do out-of-context drill items learned in Principles of Teaching have a place in constructivist assessment?

MAKING THE CONNECTION

3. for assessment of higher-order-thinking skills, which is more sound to do-give the graphic organizers to use or ask them to create their own organizers?

4.Which visual symbols (e.g. graphics) in Lesson 13 can be used for assessment purposes in a constructivist technology-supported classroom?

1. For thinking maps visit www.thinking maps.com

2. Create visual tools –graphic organizers –on the screen, visit www.inspiration.com

Taking It to the Net

◦ Students study and learn based on the way they are tested. The type of assessment anticipated appears to influence how and what they learn. Therefore, the quickest way to change the way students learn is to change the way learning is assessed.

◦ In a technology-supported class in room, the student learns from and with technology. Technology is seen as a source of information that the students learn from in the same way that facts and concepts from technology and with the aid of technology. Isn’t this the essence of computer-assisted instruction? Is it in order then to assess the students’ learning of information by way of the traditional-pencil test? We caution the teacher , however, to make his/her paper-and-pencil test? We caution the teacher, however, to make his/her paper-and-pencil test with authentic assessment to assess analytical integrative and collaborative skills, skills that are taught in a constructivist classroom.

PS POSTSCRIPT

THE END