Ch. 15 Learning Log

What?
This week's discussion on Assessment was a difficult one for me. Assessment or test taking has always been my weakest area of learning, so it is hard for me imagine administering assessments. However, after much reflection, I did find some application to my content area: Music Education. As I reflected on the discussion and the reading, I felt more empowered by the number of assessments we can administer. Although they are annoying, they are a necessary evil. As educators, we can help our students learn the necessary material and assess them in a way that would be beneficial to each student.

So What?
We are called upon to give our students the knowledge that will carry them through their lives. We need to be sure that they are retaining at least some of what we are teaching them and understanding it. In order to do so, we have to administer assessments. The results from these will give us an understanding how much our students have learned.

Now what?
I am feeling more confident about administering assessments because they don't all have to be paper/pencil (which are mostly responsible for my apprehension as a student). I will be able administer playing or singing tests, group assessments, verbal assessments and much more. Because not all students learn the same way, it will be important to try different assessment styles to be sure that each student has an equal chance to succeed.