How to Build a Constructive Assessment Learning Environment
A high-quality assessment is one in which students understand clearly what skills and knowledge are being tested, and the criteria for scoring their performance. In a constructive learning environment, students are actively engaged in discovering patterns, truths and formulas. Skills such as communication, persistence and problem-solving are less easily quantifiable and therefore require more preparation and planning in their assessment. It is well worth the effort, however. If you teach with a constructive philosophy, it only makes sense to also assess your students in a similar manner.
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Things You'll Need
- Examples of scoring guides -- readily available online
- Copies of District or State "LifeSkills" Standards
- Poster board
- Markers
- Digital camera
Instructions
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Decide what "constructive learning" means to you. Do this alone, before working with your students. This will help guide your vision of what type of skills and methods of learning you want your students to attain. This may include items such as "learning through discovery," "communicating new ideas to others" or "working through frustration."
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Introduce the concept of "constructive learning" to your students. Discuss with them the difference between student-centered, discovery-based learning and teacher-centered, rote learning. Develop a list of the pros and cons of each method with them, and have them brainstorm a list, similar to yours, that defines what "constructive learning" means to them. Have the students design posters of these concepts for display around the room.
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Look to your copies of your district's or your state's Life Skills standards for matches with your vision and with what your students said. (These might be called something different, such as Work Skills or Personal/Social Skills.) Show your students that other groups also value constructive learning skills, including school districts, employers and universities.
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Create a scoring guide for assessing a student's performance in the constructive learning areas you have discussed. If your students are not familiar with scoring guides (also known as rubrics), you will need to slowly introduce them and give them several examples. Develop with your students specific descriptions of what an "Advanced," "Proficient," "Developing" and "Emerging" constructive learner looks like in your classroom environment.
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Use the constructive learning scoring guide you have developed with your students to assess their performance. Decide whether you will conduct a daily assessment, weekly, or other. Involve students in assessing themselves. This is highly valuable, as you have created "buy-in" through their involvement.
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Tips & Warnings
Take many pictures of your students engaged in high-quality constructive learning and post them around the room. The more students see themselves as successful, the more they will be. This will also create a more positive learning environment.
Be persistent. This might be a slow process in the beginning, but if you believe you are doing the right thing, your students will get used to the idea of assessing their social and work skills.
