Lesson XVII

ASSESSMENT IN A CONSTRUCTIVIST, TECHNOLOGY – SUPPORTED LEARNING

From the conversation we gather that some students:

o   Memorizing very much for the test. Fit their style of test preparation to the kind of test and

o   Study only for passing score and a passing grade

`The question we raise are:  “Is it really bad to memorize for the test?”  and  “ Is it not good to study  for  score and for a grade? The answer to both questions is a NO. it is not bad to memorize  for the test. Examines 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 a passing grade.

In a constructivist classroom, learning transcend memorization of facts. It is putting these isolated facts together, from concepts and making meaning out of them. It is connecting the integration of these facts and concepts to daily life. It is seeing the relevance of these facts and concepts to what we value and treasure in life. If that is what learning is from the eyes of the constructivists, then definitely, the pure memorization (sometimes without understanding done for a mere recall test does not jibe with such belief.

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 call for alternative  forms of assessments. The traditional paper – and – pencil  test will prove to be inadequate to measure basic skills and social skills.

Authentic assessment is most appropriate for the constructivist classroom. ( You will learn more about authentic assessment in your two subjects on assessment.) authentic assessments measures  collective abilities, written and oral expression skills, analytical skills, manipulative skills, (like computer skills) integration, creativity, and ability to work collaboratively.

In authentic assessment, students perform real – world tasks, thus the word “authentic”.  It is an assessment  of a process or a product. That is why authentic assessment  includes performance or product assessment. The performance is a reliable  measure of skills learned and the product is a proof of the acquisition of skills. These performance and product are assessed. Again the mere paper – and – pencil test cannot evaluate these. So what do we need? We need to observe  and evaluate and, to do it more objectively, with the aid of the scoring rubric. ( You will be taught how to make a scoring in rubric in your assessment courses.) for now it may be sufficient  to see a sample of a scoring rubric to get an idea of what it is about and to see its place in assessment.