Implementing and Analyzing an Alternative Assessment Methodology - Essay Example

Designing, Implementing, and Analyzing an Alternative Assessment Methodology Introduction Conventionally, have been assessed on the basis oftheir performance in the class room or percentage of marks achieved by them in examinations. In the traditional teaching environment, all students are evaluated by a single assessment strategy which the teacher thinks fit for his students. But, such a class room-based method suffers from numerous limitations. The class room assessment involves teacher, peer and self assessment. The most visible limitation of classroom-based teaching is that students are not given individual attention for evaluation, especially when there are large numbers of students in a class. Students' can contribute and share their learning experience in discussion board and homework submitting where individual attention is least possible. But, students differ from one to another in terms of their qualities and skills. Moreover, a single method of evaluation is no longer found successful and hence the need for alternative assessment was seriously felt. The need is further compounded in the present circumstances of varied subjects and multi-cultural class rooms. Many developments have been taken place in this regard to find an alternative assessment methodology that can overcome the discrepancies of traditional system. As a result, a new method was evolved, which became popular by virtue of its superiorities over other methods. This new method is known as Journal Based Method. This paper examines the methodology of journal based method in the context of secondary students. The paper tries to illustrate journal based assessment methodology for mathematics secondary 4 express stream students on their understanding on speed-time graph after being taught by their teacher on the topic - Graphs and Graphs Applied to Kinematics. Journal Based Assessment in Mathematics The scheme of journal based assessment methodology revolves around the preparation and submission of a journal in which students proves their understanding and mastery over a specific subject. The teacher, after evaluation will be in a position to gauge his/her students' performance and skill on a one to one basis. Individual attention in assessment is its salient feature that made it the most sought after assessment methodology among academic community. Journal based methodology can be applied across all disciplines including mathematics. At this juncture, it is worthwhile to know what a journal is in the context of students' formative assessment. Journals are a written record of what students do in their classes and what they learn. Mr. Alvin White, a mathematics teacher of Harvey Mudd College opines out of his teaching experience that "A journal is a personal record of occurrences, experiences and reflections kept on a regular basis. In my mathematics classes students keep a journal of their mathematical experiences inside and outside of class. The purpose of journals is not to assign a grade for each entry but to help students find their own voices and to be reflective about the subject. Allowing more informal tentative writing into the classroom encourages students to think for themselves as opposed to only knowing second hand what others have thought before them" (White). In common, journal based assessment has become the most popular among teachers and students. In the words of Shavelson J.Richard, Stanford University, "student assessment according to this methodology involves two stages, namely at individual level and class room level. At the individual level, journals are considered a source of evidence bearing on student's performance over a course of instruction and at the class room level; journals are a source of evidence of opportunities students had to learn science" (Shavelson, 2001,9). In the context of mathematics, journal based assessment has much importance as seen in the various studies so far undertaken in various countries of the world. The science of mathematics is the most elegant among all other subjects and it is evident from the statement of D. Buerk that "mathematics has a public image of an elegant, polished, finished product that obscures its human roots. It has a private life of human joy, challenge, reflection, puzzlement, intuition, struggle and excitement. The humanistic dimension is often limited to this private world. Students see this elegant mask, but rarely see this private world, though they may have a notion that it exists" (White). Literature Review Many universities and schools across the world are applying the concept of journal based assessment for evaluating their students' performance. At the Stanford University, the students are evaluated by means of journal prepared by them for various subjects. The methodology adopted by the University, according to an online report, is reliable, valid and useful. As far as the reliability is concerned, the source mentions that in the journal based methodology, "raters can consistently identify journal entries and reliably scored" (Shavelson, 2001, 20). The method is valid in the sense that "inferences about implementation are justified and inferences about students' performance are also encouraging" (Shavelson, 2001, 20). In supporting the method, the report remarks that the feedback scores help to explain differences in performance across classrooms. Some of the findings of the methodology are: "Science journals can be reliably scored and be used as a valid assessment tool Students did poorly in scientific communication and showed partial science understanding in their journals Most teachers did not effectively use science journals Teachers have very limited content knowledge. They did not know how to promote or assess student learning" (Shavelson, 2001, 21) At the Harvey Mudd College, Mr. Alvin White, a mathematics teacher has applied the Journal based assessment methodology to evaluate his students' performance in and outside the classroom. He used many customized strategies to effectively understand the analytical skill of the students. He made a remark on the methodology that "using journals for formative assessment encourages students to explore topics they might have been intimidated by if they were being graded" (White). He shares some of the outcomes of the novel evaluation system with readers through an online report. The report narrates that "many students seize the opportunity to learn independently and to write about their knowledge. Grades are not mentioned. (The activity might be part of class participation.) All students, with rare exception, participate enthusiastically. Some of the responses have been inspired. An Iranian student could not think of an appropriate topic. I suggested that he learn and write about the Persian poet-mathematician Omar Khayyam. He was so excited by what he learned that he insisted on writing a second paper about his countryman" (White). Assessment Methodology The present paper is an attempt to design and implement a journal based assessment methodology for mathematics students after they have been taught Further Graphs and Graphs Applied to Kinematics by their mathematics teacher. A brief account of the various procedures involved in the evaluation system is given below: First, all students are asked to keep individual journal about their encounters with mathematics in or out of class. These may include numerical questions or puzzlements that range from easy to difficult. Entries in the journal by the students should be made at least once a week without others' support. This will improve the communication skill of students and achieve confidence in dealing with similar problems in future. The journals are collected from the students for evaluation every two weeks and returned within a week. No specific guidelines are given/notified in advance. Students are encouraged to express themselves in writing. It will create an environment of discussion among students and between students and teacher. In some cases, unimportant and utter foolish write ups might be seen in the journal. But, it is negligible at least for the purpose of encouraging the writing skill of students. The entries to the journal include answers to questions or topics that may arise in the given context. Students are also asked to give their responses about experiences with good or not so good teachers. Their previous award points and successes etc should also be mentioned in the writing. In short, the journal will become an integral part of the conversation between students and teacher that condense the distance between them. Grading of Method The method of evaluation involves the following: Standard Codes have been fixed for all types of entries from low to high (or poor to excellent) All entries in the journal are scrutinized thoroughly to know to whether they adhere to the instructions Coding each item entry in the journal based on the standards fixed in relation to: Instructional Implementation Type of Entry Student Performance Teacher feedback Converting the coding of each entry into scores as marks attained by students Assessment Results Journal based assessment method is accepted among the academicians as an effective learning experience. It encourages the way of learning by doing, which is recommend everywhere to become masters over subjects. The preset opportunity was taken by many students as an experience to learn and to write about their knowledge. The present system will at least result in two outcomes, namely enhancement of mathematics knowledge and improvement of writing skill. It stimulates the active participation of students through encouraging them to write their own answers to questions asked by their teacher. It is found that all are highly motivated to participate enthusiastically as they have realized the role of the system to enhance their knowledge and skill level. Writing journal entries as answers to the questions might persuade students to freely exchange ideas and thereby improve their oral communication skill. In addition to that it will also result in generating new ideas and conversation between students and the teacher. Reflective Experience It has been a wonderful experience for me to design and implement a journal based assessment methodology for mathematics students. Mathematics students usually acquire knowledge through solving problems and memorizing the formulae and models. But, in the journal based approach, students are given an opportunity to express themselves on anything which they find logical in relation to mathematics. The writing skills of many of the poor students have been improved as a result of the implementation of the system and many have ideas and insights about which they have never spoken. Therefore, the journal based assessment methodology is an opportunity for each student to be personally involved in the agenda of the class and to improve the relationship with teachers. Work Cited Bryant, D. & Driscoll, M. (1998). Exploring classroom assessment in mathematics: A guide for professional development. Reston, VA: NCTM. Kulm, G. (1990). Assessing higher order thinking in mathematics. Washington, DC: American Association for the Advancement of Science. Niss, M. (Ed.) (1993). Cases of assessment in mathematics education: An ICMI study. Dordrecht: Kluwer. Nitko, A. J. (2001). Educational assessment of students. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill. Shavelson J. Richard. (2001), Journals: An Assessment Tool for Teachers and Students, On Formative Assessment with Student Journal, viewed 6 January, 2009, http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/SEAL/Presentation/Presentation%20PDF/On%20Formative%20Assessment%202001.pdf Webb, N. L. (1992). Assessment of students' knowledge of mathematics: Steps toward a theory. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching & learning. New York: Macmillan. White Alwin. (n.d.), Assessment without Anxiety. The Mathematical Association of America, Supporting Assessment in Undergraduate Mathematics, MAA Online. Retrieved 6 January, 2009, from http://www.maa.org/SAUM/maanotes49/129.html Read More