Week 9 Blog Post #ETLEAD

#ETLEAD

 

Essential Question: What are the challenges in shifting content from “what” to “where” and “how”?

            With each new school year, the pressure of student achievement on high stakes testing increases.  Students and teachers are constantly reminded of how important it is to perform well on tests, and that students are expected demonstrate their understanding and knowledge by circling the correct bubble on a multiple choice questions test.  These pressures cause teachers to meet the demands of teaching students what they will see and encounter on tests, and also how they will encounter it.  Teachers are expected to teach students certain skills by the spring when testing time comes around, but students not only need to know content skills, but they are expected to know how to take the tests.  Since the tests and testing formats are not something students encounter in everyday life, testing skills must also be taught and practiced.  And efficient way to do this is to use this method to test students throughout the year to assess their knowledge.  While this method of practice is practical, it is not most beneficial to students.  Students are much better at demonstrating their understanding in way that are practical and relevant to their every day lives.

            The story in Chapter 8 was a perfect demonstrating of contextualizing assessment to meet student familiarity.  When asked to point on a map, few students were able to identify Iraq, but when given a computer, almost all students were able to find and identify Iraq on a map.  This example demonstrates how certain situations, and how questions are asked and assessed can greatly vary student achievement and success.

            In my third grade classroom, making learning contextual can be even more difficult than usual.  Teaching in a rural village offers challenges than a teacher from other places might encounter.  The texts and books we read in class often do not relate to the students at all.  The stories and example offered in the math text book to help explain concepts to the students are often more confusing and unfamiliar than the math concepts themselves.  To make learning and knowledge more relevant for the students I have begun to try to create my own way to teach them math concepts, using items or situations that are familiar to the students.  I also assess the students, in addition to a traditional paper/pencil test by using project-based learning.  In the projects, the students work in small groups to create situational examples that are relevant to their lives.  They are given the opportunity to apply math concepts using content that is relevant and familiar to their lives.