REFLECTION (WEEK 5)

PERSONAL REFLECTION

             As a reflective practitioner, I know that alternative assessment (since it  uses  a  rather  wide  variety  of  approaches  rather  than  only  tests  or quizzes) may  be  more  effective  than  formal  assessment  because it  takes  off   most of  the stress that  assessment  itself  brings into  the   classroom.  More  often than  not  students  are  placed  under rather big  amounts  of  distress as they  take  a  test  or any  sort  of  quiz.  I  tend  to let  my  students  know  that  they  are   to  perform   to   the   fullest  at all  times  since  evaluation  is  permanent.  It is stressful at the beginning since they often do not know what to expect; however, they   fast get used to it.  I also make sure to provide permanent feedback.  I see mistakes and questions as opportunities to learn; thus, my students learn at all times, and feel self- confident to participate in class (thanks to positive feedback).  In  fact,  I  often have  one  or two students   to  summarize  the  main points of the  class as a  closure  activity.  A class  in which  students do not  learn  anything  new is  not  worth  attending  nor  teaching.

      It  is  worth  remembering  that  handing  back  any  piece  of  assessed homework  or   progress tests  presents  teachers  and  students  with ideal  learning  opportunities-  opportunities  which  will be  wasted if   the  work  is  immediately  put  away, rather  than  being  used  as  a  vehicle for  development (Harmer, 2007).  A good teacher never ceases to assess students, whether those assessments are incidental or intended (Brown, 2001).