Constructivism: Evaluation

Evaluation
"We should be measuring what kids can do with knowledge, not how many right answers they can give to questions." Seymour Papert

Assessment and evaluation practices must be well planned, tied to the curriculum and capable of meeting student needs. Student evaluation is an integral part of good teaching practices and must inform instruction. Assessment tools are needed to guide students and teachers in setting appropriate learning goals. The Adaptive Dimension in the High School contains excellent resources to help teachers be aware of multiple options for evaluating and assessing tests, one form of assessment and evaluation. The Taxonomy of Learning is an excellent guide to begin to differentiate written tests, questioning and to direct student assignments.
Other effective evaluation strategies are described in this section.

Building Blocks of Constructivism

The intricate patterns of evaluation...
Planning
Pre-Assessment
Connections
Exhibits
Evaluation
Reflection

Anecdotal Records - Anecdotal records are a form of ongoing assessment of observations of student(s) in the classroom. These jot-notes provide the teacher with information as to how the student is processing information, collaborating with students as well as general observations on learning styles, attitudes and behaviour. These records are a valuable form on ongoing assessment - Anecdotal Record Form.

Celebration of Learning - A demonstration where students have the opportunity to share their expertise in several subject areas with other students, teachers and parents. See Best Practice Celebration of Learning to learn more and how to use this approach as student-led conferences.

Exit Cards - An easy 5 minute activity to check student knowledge before, during and after a lesson or complete unit of study. Students respond to 3 questions posed by the teacher. Teachers can quickly read the responses and plan necessary instruction. Exit card pdf example. Exit card student sample. For more info, see Best Practice Exit Cards.

Graphic Organizers - Graphic organizers, also known as mind maps, are instructional tools used to illustrate prior knowledge. Student sample page. See Best Practice Graphic Organizers

Journals - Journals can be used to assess for process of learning and student growth. They can be open-ended or the teacher can provide guiding, reflective questions for the students to respond to. These often provide insight on how the students are synthesizing their learning.

Oral Presentations - Students are allowed to verbally share their knowledge. Some students may choose to do an oral presentation using multimedia.

Peer Assessment - Assessment in which one learner, groups of learners or the whole class gives written or verbal feedback to another learner. Peers can use checklists, rubrics or give a written response to peer work.

Portfolios - A portfolio is a representative collection of an individual student's work. A student portfolio is generally composed of best work to date and a few "works in progress" that demonstrate the process. Students show their knowledge, skills and abilities in a variety of different ways that are not dependent upon traditional media such as exams and essays. See Best Practice Portfolios. Multiple Intelligences Portfolios are an effective way for students to understand not how smart they are but how they are smart.

Project-Based Learning - instructional strategy that challenges students to discover answers to their questions through real-world investigation. These are in-depth learning opportunities that motivate students and integrate many curriculum objectives. See Best Practice Project-Based Learning.

Rubrics - A rubric is "a road map, telling students and teachers where to begin, where they're going, and how to get there." Dr. Kay Burke.
Rubrics are scoring guides or sets of expectations used to assess student level of understanding and allow students to know the expectations and what they need to do in order to be learning at a higher level.
Examples: Graphic Organizer, Canada Collage, Reflection, Student Generated Evaluation Rubric. For more info, see Best Practice Rubrics.

Simulation - The use of role playing by the actors during the operation of a comparatively complex symbolic model of an actual of hypothetical social process; usually includes gaming and may be all-man, man-computer, or all-computer operations.

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