High Quality Formative Assessment

1. What is formative assessment?

-Formative assessment is an assessment for learning , not an assessment of learning. It is also a way of improving student achievement.

 

2. What is the CENTRAL purpose of formative assessment?

-The central purpose is to put student learning at the center. It benefits the teachers in order to help focus on the students needs. However, the assessment is centered around students and their learning.

 

3. Connect a best practice in formative assessment to one research-based strategy.

-Giving feedback to students provides them with opprotunities to understand misconceptions they may have. Effective feedback is timely. Delay in providing students feedback diminishes its value for learning (Banger-Drowns, Kulik, Kulik, & Morgan, 1991).

 

4. Give an example of how a specific assessment can be used formatively and summatively.

-A rubric that is given to the students prior to the start of a project can be used to help students understand what the teacher expects, but it can also be used as a summative assessment at the end of the project to grade the final product.

 

5. Give an example from your field placement related to formative assessment and timing.

- When I taught students about shadows and the process of day and night, students were given a week to study all the information. They were given a student lab book that was taken home every night. The students were able to review the labs they have completed as well as complete homework that was given nightly. The lab book also had a page of words that would be tested along with their defintions and examples. This provided students with enough time to understand the information and pass the assessment.

 

6. What are some strategies to help formative assessment be more effective when providing students with feedback?

-Make sure the feedback is given in a timely manner so that students have a chance to correct misconceptions. Also, be sure to give students postive feedback.

 

7. Name two advantages to high quality formative assessment.

- The formative assessment allows teachers to identify struggling students as well as improve teacher instruction. It also gives students higher self confidence that will allow students to transfer positive thoughts in other learning aspects.

8. What are some challenges to implementing high quality formative assessment?

Double Journal Entry #13

Chapter 6: Affinity Spaces 1. Give an example of a "community of practice" in which you are currently participating in. Being a future educator, my "community of practice" is the clinical work I do in the schools. I work alongside a Host teacher (a person with experience in the field), and learn from them.   2.Why is the term "community" better defined in relation to spaces rather than groups of people? Community is better defined in realtion to spaces rather than groups because people aren't always in the same group (so to speak). People have different views, goals, and thoughts. Therefore, they are not going to be affliated in the same community just because of the things they do.   3. What is a "generator"? What is it's counterpart in school? A "generator" is the what the space is about. In school it is the content.   4. What is a "content organizer"? What is it's counterpart in school? The "content organizer" is how stuff is designed/organizer. This related to the lesson plans, we as teachers create, the yearly cirrculum plans, and even the monthly/weekly plans.   5. What is a "portal"? What is it's counterpart in school? A portal is something that gives access to the content in the space. This may relate to text or trade books, the internet, or many other gateways of learning.   6. What do people have an "affinity" for in an "affinity space"? How does this inform your understanding of good teaching? "what people have an affinity with (or for) in an affinity space is not first and foremost the other people using the space, but the endeavor or interest around which the space is organized" (Gee, 2004). This informs my understanding of good teaching because it does not judge or discriminate againist race, class, ability/disability, or gender. The affinity space also does not discriminate about the skilled and unskilled either. Basically, everything in the affinity space is a different experience for each person. As the people in the space make their own decision. The common interest is what brings everyone to the affinity space. 7. How do "affinity spaces" support inclusive classrooms? Choose two characteristics below to make connections between "affinity spaces" and inclusive classrooms. Affinity spaces support inclusive classrooms because they do not discriminate about the people in it. It fosters a sense of community and everyone shares a common vision. It also gives you the ability to connect with other people and solve problems together. There are many more reasons as to why affinity spaces support inclusive classrooms, but the main part is that people in the space don't neccissarily feel judge or different than the other people.   8. How are traditional classroom different from Affinity Spaces? Traditional classrooms are different from affinity spaces because students in the traditional classrooms are often labeled and seperated based on abilities and disabilities. Where in affinity spaces everyone is basically the same.

Double Journal Entry 12

Double Entry Journal #12

Chapter 5: Learning and Gaming 1 What is the main argument the author is making in Chapter 5. The main arguement that author is making, in chapter 5, is that facilitating learning can help outside the classroom, and without traditional schooling techniques. Students that are identified as "at-risk" are given dumbed downmaterial to learn when in reality they just need new/different outlet to learn.   2. What constitutes a theory of learning? "Learning is not infinitely variable and there are patterns and principles to be discovered-patterns and principles that ultimately constitute a theory of learning" (Gee, 2004). In other words, discovering these patterns and principles in whatever way you can constitutes a theory of learning.   3. Why did the author struggle to learn to play Warcraft III? What needs to proceed before good learning principles? Gee struggled to play Warcraft III because he "failed to engage with it in a way that fully recruited its solid design and learning principles" (Gee, 2004). "Motivation for all extended engagement" (Gee, 2004). must come before good learning principles. 4. How would have the authors struggle with learning to play Warcraft III been interpreted in school? In school, his struggle to learn is comparable to getting a bad grade (I.E an 'F'). It's considered a failure when in fact it's a precurser for later learning.   5 What kind of learning experience might be better suited for at risk students? Horizontal learning is better suited for 'at-risk' students. It allows them to get "their feet wet" (Gee, 2004) and experience many different things. They aren't building on the same old material rather gaining new experiences that will further their knowledge eventually.   6. Why does the school-based interpretation of "at risk" lead to bad learning? The school-based interpretation of 'at-risk' students leads to bad learning because it is a dumbed down version of material that is meant to help them with the basic skills they are struggling with.   7. What do schools need to do to function more like a good game? In order for schools to function more like a good game they need to involve their students in the learning . Not just mind, but body, too. Games often allow the players to feel as if they are in the virtual world they are manipulating. If teachers can accomplish this type of entracement then the students would perform better in school.   8. What is different about how good games and school assess learners? Schools assess learners "then deciding for the learners how these problems ought to be dealt with" (Gee, 2004). Good games, on the other hand, "solves the problem by letting learners assess themselves and learn things about what they do and do not know and what style of learning suits them here and now" (Gee, 2004).   9. What are the attributes of a fish-tank tutorial that make it an effective learning tool? How is it different than school-based learning? The attriubutes of a fish-tank tutorial that makes it an effective learning tool is that it is multimodal . It not only gives the skills/skill set visually, but in print and orally. The fish-tank tutorial is also effective because it is an example of Proximal Development which is based off Vygotsky's theory of what students can learn on their own, and what they can do with help. It is different because all too often teachers only teach in one mode and don't scaffold enough.   10. What is a sand-box tutorial? Why is effective? How is it different than school-based learning? A sand-box tutorial "is a piece of the real world, but sealed off to be a protected and safe place where children can explore" (Gee, 2004). It is effective because it is giving the person a real life example of the game with no penalties for wrong decisions. It is different from school based learning because teachers don't always provide a real world example of something during their teachings. Without a concrete example students often fail to see the importance of the material, and the realtionship it has on everyday life. 11. What is a genre? Why is it important for good learning? A genre tells you what type of something you have. For example, when reading a book you can read a true story (fiction), or a made up story (non-fiction). It is important for good learning because it identifies the types of skill sets, rules, and knowledge you will need in order to understand or play the game well. 12. According to the author, what do learning and play having in common? As they play the game the player becomes better and learns more information. When the learning stops the player will not have any fun, and in return, will stop playing the game. "For humans, real learning is always associated with pleasure and is ultimately a form of play- a principle almost always dismissed by schools" (Gee, 2004). 13. How are the skills test in good games different from skills tests in school? Skill test in good games are "developmental for the learner and not evaluative" (Gee, 2004). "Furthermore, they are tests if what skills mean as strategies, not decontexualized test of skills outside of application where they mean quite specific things" (Gee, 2004). 14. How does RoN support collaborative learning? RoN supports collaborative learning by providing a website that has chat rooms for players around the world to talk and stratigize together. They can learn information from each other and figure out how to solve things. They can also play againist each other and build on prior knowledge. 15. Match at least one learning principle of good games (on page 74) with each the following learning theorists you have studied in 3352: Dewey "They ensure that there is a smooth transition between tutorials and actually playing (customized unsupervised sandboxes are good for this)." Vygotsky "They let learners themselves assess their previous knowledge and learning styles and make decisions for themeselves (with help)." "They offer supervised (i.e guided) fish tank tutorials (simplified versions of the real system)." "They allow learners to discover the outer edge of their competence and to be able to operate just inside that edge." Piaget "They teach basic skills in the context of simplified versions of the real game so that learners can see how these skills fir into the game as a system and how they integrate with each other" Gardner "They give information via several different modes (e.g. in print, orally, visually). They create redundancy" Bandura "They allow learners to practice enough so that they routinize their skills and then challenge them with new problems that force them to re-think these taken-for-granted skills and integrate them with new ones. Repeat." Skinner "They create motivation for an extended engagement"

Double Journal Entry #11

Chapter 4:Simulations and Bodies

1. What does the author mean when he says, "Learning doesn't work well when learners are forced to check their bodies at the school room door like guns in the old West."

I believe the Author means that when students come to the classroom they are always asked to bring their mind only. They are not asked to fully embodied themselves in a concept. He says that when students are learning in a cultural process, "their bodies are invovled because cultural learning always involves having specific experiences that facilitate learning, not just memorizing words" (Gee,2004). He later says that when we are learning how to play gmaes we are ivovled in the learning which allows us to learn more content than just memorizing.

 

2. According to the author, what is the best way to acquire a large vocabulary?

The author says that the best way to acquire a large vocabulary is to have "...experienced the "worlds" to which these words refer" (Gee, 2004). If you have come across words before then you have already experienced them. This allows you to understand the words better because you have already seen and understood them.

3. What gives a word a specific meaning?

A word gets a specific meaning when it's used in a certain context. The author gives an example of the word "work". It has many differenet uses and can be used in different context. The meaning depends on the context in which the word is used in. There person reading or using the word will understand the word only in the context they have experienced.

4. What does the term "off the hook" mean in each of these sentences?

a. My sister broke up with her fiance, so I'm off the hook for buying her a wedding present.

 

off the hook here means that they don't have to spend the money to buy a wedding present becuase they broke up

 

b. Them shoes are off the hook dog.

 

Off the hook here means they are cool or stylish.

 

c. Man that cat was fighting 6 people and he beat them all. Yo, it was "off the hook", you should have seen it!!

 

Off the hook here means that it was exciting, or worth watching.

5. According to the author what is the"work" of childhood? Do you agree?

The work of childhood is play. I do agree with this. The more they play the more experiences they have. The more experiences they have the better off they will be.

6.Why is NOT reading the instruction for how to play a game before playing a game a wise decision?

"The texts that come with games are very hard to understand unless and until one has some experience of playing the game - experience which, then, will give specific situated meanings to the language in the text" (Gee, 2004).

7. Does knowing the general or literal meaning of a word lead to strong reading skills?

Knowing the general or literal meaning of a word doesn not lead to strong reading skills. Knowing the meaning of the word is pointless to say the least because if you can't apply the word then what's the point?! Especially if the word can mean different things in the different contexts.
 

 

8. What does the author mean by the terms "identity" and "game". Give an example of 3 "identities" or "games" you play?

The author means that every person plays a certain role in society. For example, I am a student, a teacher, and a server.

9. According to the author what is good learning?

 

Good learning is understanding words in the different contexts/situations.

10. How does understanding that being able to build a mental model and simulations of a real-word experience is closely tied to comprehending written and oral language support of change the way you think children should learn in school?

When students are given the opprotunity to participate in real world simulations it allows them to comprehend the written or oral laguage better. They can use their own experiences to tie into the simulations and bring it home, so to speak.

 

11. Why is peer to peer interaction so important for the language development of young children? How does knowing this support or change the way you think children should learn in school?

 

 

Double Journal Entry #10

 

Chapter 3: Language and Identity at Home

 

1. What are the features of the forms of language that are spoken in a home environment that align with academic varieties of language?

Announcing the beginning, middle, and end of the story and providing a brief summary. Adopting a frame that mimics story books. Offering a title and using syntacic structure that is typical of literary books. Using literary sorts of repition and parallelism. Using specific figurative device that is common in "high literature".

2. What are the features of Leona's specialized form of language?

 Leona uses forms of poetry as her specialized language. Her lines are parallel to one another and contains matching content. She uses repetition within here lines and stanzas. You could organize her story into different episodes. Her story involves complicated syntatics and an evaluation that connects the begining of the story to the end.
 

 

3. Why is Leona's specialized form of language not accepted in school?

 

Leona's specialized form of language is not accepted in school becuase "The teacher heard her as rambling. In fact, the teacher often thought Leona was going to start off on another story when she got to what we have called her "evaluative" section" (Gee, 2004).

4. Explain the contradiction between the research conducted by Snow et al. (1998) and the recommendations made by Snow et al. (1998).

 

5. What other factors besides early skills training will make or break good readers?

 

Other factors that will make or break a good reader is his/her sense of belonging. Students must feel valued and accepted in their social groups.

6. Why do some children fail to identify with, or find alienating, the "ways with words" taught in school?

Students fail to identify with, or find alienating, the "way with words" taught in school because of three reasons. One is the child is living in a home where the adults find "ways with words" alienating. Another reason is because the teachers make these varieties seem irrelevent. Lastly, students live in a society filled with technology. Thus, making students more interested in it's language rather than the normal language instruction.



Double Journal Entry #9

A Strange Fact About Not Learning To Read

 

 

1 and 2. The strange fact about not learning to read is the fact that the majority of the people that can't read are those who come from "minority groups whose members have faced a history of prejudice and oppression (Snow et al. 1998)". The reson being is because most students who fall into this catergory are usually "poor". They don't fit in with the middle to upper class student which alienates them from the other students. Thus, causing them to not be interested in school.

 

3."it seems a bit strange - creepy even - to claim that an African American child or a poor child might be inherently less able to engage with Pokemon than white or rich children. We do not, however, find such thoughts strange when we thnk about school learning, though we should" (Gee, 2004)

4.The difference between the traditionalists approach to learning to read and more progressive educators is the fact that the tradionalists are focused more on skill-base situation as opposed to the meaning driven based progressive educators.

5. Learning to read is not a natural process. Learning to walk and talk are more natural processes. Learning how to read is something that is learned.

6. The natural process is one with which we are born with (like walking and talking). An instructed process is where someone is instructing/teaching. The cultural process is one with which a person learns pertinent information that is based off his/her cultural upbringing. Reading should fall under  the cultural process. It is important for students to learn in a culturally rich environment.

7. Reading is taught as an instructional process. However, I believe that a cultural based process might be more beneficial to students because in most cases that culture will stick with them in what ever endevors they choose to embark on.

8. The fourth grade slump is atributed to the changing from learning to read and reading to learn. This change causes many students stress and often causes grades to drop.

9. Better predictors of successful reading is the early language experiences the students come to school with. The more experiences a child has with language and literacy the better able the student is to learn how to read.

10. Vernacular language is one that occurs on a daily bases and is gernerally more natural to the person. Whereas, the speciality language is learned and is more proper.

11. Early language ability is generally formed when a child is raised in a print rich environment prior to entering pre-k or kindergarten. The more experiences the child had prior to entering school the better equipped the child id to learning how to read. It is developed at home.

12. The traditionalist approach fails to teach kids how to read because it is not started early enough. It also doesn't account for their language experiences.

13. I don't think that it necessarily the parents fault that the children don't know a specialized language. It is hard enough to learn the vanacular of most places, so I believe specialized learning would be even harder. We also live in a society where there are millions of single parent, no parent, or working parent families. I feel as though providing food and shelter for their children might just be slightly more important that teaching their child a specialized language. They could provide them with the neccessary tools if possible, but I don't think that it is plauseable in most situations.


14. To be honest, it was not a hard reading. There were a few words that challenged me but once I looked them up and found a defintion for the word the meaning of the sentence became much clearer. I only had a few words that needed to be defined, so overall I think I did pretty well.

Double Journal Entry #8

Situated Language and Learning: A critique of traditional schooling

Introduction

 

 

1. The main challenege being addressed in this book is "how to get all children- rich and poor- to be successful in school, but to ensure also that all children -rich and poor- are able to learn, think, and act in new ways fit for our new high-tech global world" (James Paul Gee, 2004).

 

2. I think what the author means by "ways with words" is that each subject area has it's own special set of language and symbols. Thus, making it more difficult to like language in the first place. Each subject has their own "ways with words".

 

3. The core arguement of this book is that "people learn new ways with words, in or out of school, only when they find the worlds to which these words apply compelling" (James Paul Gee, 2004). This means that a person must be interest in the content of the place where the language is useful.

 

4. I have worked in some type of food industry since I was 15 years old. While working there I have picked up my own "way with words" that only applies to that particular resteraunt. My friends that don't work with me are often confused when I say things to them that only my coworkers would understand. For example, when talking to a cook behind the line, you would say "Inside, I need.." and you relay the information. When they have understood what you said their response is "Heard,..." They repeat what you said back. If I were to use this language at home it would not make sense to anyone else but me.

 

5. People learn their "ways with words" best when they can tie those words to an experience or situation. It makes it easier to comprehend the words when there is a connection between the word and an experience/memory.

 

6. In order for people to be successful in the 21st century people "must become 'shape-shifting portfolio people'; that is, people who gain many diverse experiences that they can then use to transform and adapt themselves for fast-changing circumstances throughout their lives" (James Paul Gee, 2004).

 

7. I do believe that he is right. Language that you would learn in the classroom is not the ONLY language students will need to be successful. The more 'tools' they have on their toolbelt the better. I highly believe that students need to adapt to this changing world in order to be successful.