7 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Giving An Assessment

Too often, we spend time trying to determine how to reshape curriculum and instructional strategies so that students will perform well on a given assessment when we should instead be asking how to make assessments work in support of student learning and teachers’ professional growth. But how do you select assessments that are accurate, standards-aligned and powerful enough to measure and support what matters? Here are seven questions to guide your thinking as you shape your classroom, school or district’s assessment toolkit.

How Will You Use The Information?

Identify why you’re assessing students and how you intend to use the information obtained from the test. Are you measuring student growth over time to inform instruction, assessing mastery of course content or determining student performance against Common Core State Standards? Use your goals to drive which assessments you use and what you do with the resulting data.

What Type Of Insight Are You Seeking?

Educators and students find it particularly valuable to get assessment data as soon as possible following a testing session to influence instructional strategies, while school and district leaders may be more interested in understanding progress and challenges on a larger scale. In either case, timely assessment data helps to inform decision-making.

Can The Assessment Measure Multiple Targets?

To be truly useful and reliable, assessments should evaluate the knowledge and skills relevant to a student’s goals, and they must do so accurately. Accurately measuring student learning, both growth and achievement, is complex. An assessment scale that has been validated and stabilized over time produces data that is credible and consistent.

Does The Assessment Meet Content & Depth Of Knowledge Standards?

Educators determine specific instructional strategies and use assessments to gauge the success of these methods. Assessments can also help identify content that will be engaging for each student and help them to master academic standards. This is particularly important in the transition to the Common Core State Standards, which emphasize both new content and cognitive strategies for students. As educators adjust instruction accordingly, they need assessments that can give them insight into student progress on all aspects of this new set of expectations.

How Do You Ensure Fair & Accurate Assessments?

High-quality assessments undergo a rigorous process to ensure items measure what they are intended to, do not introduce bias for or against particular student populations and avoid potentially sensitive or offensive content. Assessment items should be field-tested for viability, evaluated for bias and, ideally, scored relative to a norming population that is updated regularly to allow for meaningful comparison of scores between similar students, groups of students, schools and districts.

How Frequently Do You Use Assessments?

Teachers and students benefit from targeted assessments that are delivered at strategic intervals throughout the academic year. A comprehensive review of your assessment system, particularly as you consider adding a new measure, will help to streamline your approach and provide better insight into instructional strategies and results.

How Can This Assessment Engage Students?

Assessments should engage each student in their own learning and prepare them for success. Many educators find value in using assessment results as one component in a student-driven goal setting process.

Take another look at the assessments you’re using to see what measures up and what’s just not working. When assessments are selected and used thoughtfully, teachers gain instructionally useful information, students get a more personalized and engaging learning experience and leaders can make more informed decisions about resources and interventions. That’s a valuable use of everyone’s time and one that should lead to better outcomes across the board.

Post Source: http://www.edudemic.com/assessment-questions/

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4 Powerful Ways To Inspire Student Creativity

By jperrier on February 10, 2014

Are you looking for a way to bring creativity into your classroom?

When you help your students be creative they will feel good about themselves as well as do better in the classroom. Studies have shown that students that show off their creativity do better on standardized tests along with coming into a classroom motivated and have a more positive attitude towards learning. Even as a teacher you will also be rewarded. Your performance as a teacher will increase and you will come to work every day feeling positive and eager to teach.

Working Within Restrictive Curricula

Even if the school you’re teaching at has a strict curriculum that you have to follow, you can still find ways to be creative. Use your imagination there are no limitations when it comes to being creative. You can use any materials and there are absolutely no limitations. You can use anything that is handy and there is a plethora of different websites and books out there that can help you find new and exciting ways to help promote creativity in the classroom.

Promoting Creativity

Make your classroom more appealing. Spruce up your classroom with posters and finished crafts that your students have made. Don’t hesitate to get your students involved. Take a few minutes every day to hear from your students. It can be about anything pertaining to the class. Let them make suggestions on what their learning and the things that they would like to do.

Get to Know Your Students

Don’t use the same lessons that you used last year. Just because it worked last year doesn’t mean that it will have the same results the following year. Each child learns differently. So, at the beginning of the year take the time to get to know each and every one of your students. After, you have gotten to know them you can then make your lessons based on what you have learned about your students. By making up custom lessons that are tailored for your classroom you will be able to let your students grow and learn to the best of their ability.

Learn With Your Students

When it comes time to work on projects or the class is doing anything that involves creativity, learn with the class. Sit with them and do brainstorming with them. Sit with them and participate with the session. Call out answers just as they do. Participate is if you’re a student not an instructor. You will encourage the students to get more creative and it will also allow you to open up to let your creativity flow as well.

We all know how hard it can be to be creative every day; some days are going to be harder than others.

About the author:

Jay Perrier is a skillful and dedicated writer. Widely known among students who searched for “write my essay for me”  for his dedication and professional approach to every tasks.

Post Source: http://www.edudemic.com/student-creativity/

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Why Ineffective Teachers Matter

By Katie Lepi on February 10, 2014

One thing that every teacher strives for – regardless of the age, subject matter, or grade level they teach – is effectiveness. I don’t know any teacher who wouldn’t agree that they want to be an effective teacher. Not only does an effective teacher help their students learn more, want to learn more, and learn more efficiently, they often save their own sanity in the process  (right?!). 

Often, when we’re evaluating our own effectiveness, a quick reminder of some basics and a bit of self reflection is key. Seeing what other teachers are doing can also be helpful. We may all admit at some point or another that we aren’t always being as effective as we’d like to be, but what happens when teachers really are ineffective?

The handy infographic below takes a look at what the effects of ineffective teachers can be. Using the state of California as an example, the graphic extrapolates some numbers to show just how important effective teachers in the classroom are. Keep reading to learn more.

What Happens When Teachers Are Ineffective?

• If just 3% of CA’s teachers are ineffective,  about 270,000 students are impacted in just one year
• After 30 years, that number climbs to 8,100,000 students impacted
• Students taught by ineffective teachers miss about 2.5-3.5 months of school per year, or about 39%!

Post Source: http://www.edudemic.com/ineffective-teachers/

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Resources For Teaching About Drugs, Alcohol, and Addiction

By Katie Lepi 

Over the past few days, I’ve seen so much buzz on the internet about the death of Philip Seymour Hoffmann. His untimely death is very sad, though not nearly unusual enough for stars, but there is something about the whole situation that strikes me as worth bringing up here.

In 2006, he publicly discussed his history of drug abuse. In May of 2013, he completed a detox program after relapsing after 23 years of sobriety. 23 years sober and addiction still took his life.

Addiction is real.

Addiction can kill.

Addiction is not something that just goes away with some quick treatment.

Addiction is happening in your communities, in your schools, maybe even in your own home. Your students or colleagues may be affected even if they are not the addict. If you know someone who is battling addiction or is affected by addiction, be compassionate. They may need help or already be getting it, but they need support and compassion and not judgement. We know that you probably already know this, but your students may not.

There are many, many resources and services out there. AA, NA, and SAMHSA all offer a variety of resources, and are a great place to start. Earlier in 2013, the lovely Dawn Casey Rowe put together this fabulous list of Learnist resources for teaching about drug and alcohol abuse.  We’re reposting it now in case you haven’t seen it yet. If you have a bookmarked folder of ‘just in case’ resources, this might be a good thing to save.

Drunk Driving

Mercyhurst Prep Health has put together one of the most extensive collections on on Learnist. This board is tough to get through, because it shows the human toll of drunk driving, as well as the cost to society. With learnings about teenage drunk driving, drunk driving after the prom and the extremely emotional “Faces of Drunk Driving,” this board shows the learner, “This could be you.” Hopefully, with continued education and awareness, it never will be.

Alcohol and Drug Prevention Education in Schools

Jeff Wolfsberg is a national expert in alcohol and drug addiction. This board discusses some of the issues in schools, and how experts, students, and families can recognize problems in order provide help as soon as possible.

A Guide to Staying Healthy in College

Erica Jackson acknowledges that there are challenges to staying healthy in college. Avoiding the “freshman 15,” and keeping a workout regimen helps develop good habits, but avoiding alcohol and drugs is also critical. Many college students struggle with this very serious problem.

Generation Rx

Carly Wick knows that Generation X is exceeding previous levels in alcohol and drug abuse, including prescription meds and binge drinking. This is a very large problem and growing, spreading all across the nation.

Tobacco/Alcohol/Drug Education

Erica Pavlovich is using this in her classroom to teach about the dangers of addiction. This board helps students in health class access the material they need to understand the seriousness of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use and abuse.

Alcohol Awareness Month: The Basics

Kate Garklavs discusses the basics behind alcohol addiction, including the way alcohol is processed by the body. These are important facts to know–the short term and long-term effects of alcohol are often very striking.

Addiction

Dick Dillon teaches about addiction, cautioning not to substitute one addiction for another. This is often a challenge for those trying to recover from addiction–addictions are often personality traits. It’s very easy to swap them out.

Drive Hammered. Get Slammered

Drunk Driving is never acceptable. Each state has different laws on this subject, but they are all severe. People die as a result of drinking and driving. Sometimes the driver doesn’t realize he or she has had one too many. The best course of action is not to drive–this board brings the severity of drinking and driving to light.

Emerging Drug Trends

One of the biggest issues for parents, families, and schools is keeping up on the drug trends and vocabulary. This board helps everyone to do this–this is a good board to add to if you are an in-field expert, educator, or member of law enforcement, because the more information that is added to this board, the more help it will continue to be.

Source: http://www.edudemic.com/teaching-about-drugs-alcohol-and-addiction/

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Why Should Teachers Use Infographics?

By Katie Lepi

The Power of the Educational Infographic

What is an infographic, anyway? 

An infographic is a visual display of information, data, and knowledge. It makes information simple.

Why use an infographic?

Research on Bloom’s Taxonomy, the brain, connected learning, and Gagne’s events supports the use of infographics.

What are the benefits of using infographics?

It gives solutions at your fingertips. Infographics are simple, clickable, printable, collaborative, and shareable, among many other qualities.

Can infographics change education?

Infographics bring the educational world together, and help share experiences and encourage innovation and collaboration.

What is the reach of a typical infographic?

If sharing on just one social media outlet, an infographic from Mia MacMeekin’s site (the creator of the infographic below) reaches about 200,000 views in 5 months.

 

Source: http://www.edudemic.com/educational-infographics/

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How Technology Can Improve Student Writing

13 Ways Technology Can Improve Student Writing

By Mike Hanski on January 29, 2014

As an Edudemic reader, you are well versed in the importance of technology in education. But are you aware of the specific role it can play in writing? Take a look at the findings of a recent study:

• 96% of participants agreed technology allows students to share their writing with a wider, more diverse audience.
• 79% of participants claimed digital tools encourage greater collaboration.
• 50% of participants said it was easier to improve student writing with the use of technology.

Let’s take a look at 13 specific technological tools that can enhance students’ learning, performance, and efficiency in writing. If you’re lucky, you might even get them to enjoy the process too!

Utilizing Scoring Engines

Free up valuable time in the classroom by using a scoring engine for writing. These programs automatically grade compositions and provide instantaneous feedback.

1. Criterion Online Writing Evaluation – This web-based writing tool is instructor-led. It will help students plan, organize, and write their essays. With immediate, detailed feedback, students can easily revise their work too.
2. GradeMark – This program allows instructors to provide five different types of feedback:
   • a. The originality check reduces plagiarism and copied content.
   • b. The QuickMark Sets allow teachers to quickly drag comments (both pre-loaded and custom-made) to the appropriate place on the paper.
   • c. The voice comments allow for personalized audio feedback.
   • d. The grading rubrics help students understand clear expectations. Teachers can utilize pre-loaded rubrics or design their own.
   • e. The general comments section encourages instructors to provide broad, general feedback on the overall quality of the composition.
3. My Access! – This award-winning cloud-based program includes over 1,500 writing topics in math, science, language arts, and social studies. After creating a composition, the program provides instant feedback in five categories: Focus and Meaning; Content and Development; Organization; Language Use, Voice, and Style; and Mechanics and Conventions.

Incorporating Writing Aids

Sometimes, all students need is a little guidance and encouragement. Here are two writing aids that can help make the process more efficient and entertaining.

1. Odyssey Writer – Teachers will appreciate the fact that Odyssey Writer makes the composition process more efficient. Students will appreciate that it makes writing fun! Odyssey Writer uses popular techniques (like stream of consciousness writing, outlines, note cards and graphic organizers) to navigate the student through the four phases of writing.
2. StoryBird – This program is a great way for creative students to express their thoughts more efficiently. It helps students create short, art-inspired stories that can be published and shared with others.

Appreciating Apps

In this day and age, technology is all about the apps. Fortunately, there is a beautiful relationship happening in the app stores; it involves education, writing, students, and technology.

1. Evernote – Evernote is one of the most versatile apps ever created. It can be used by just about anyone in just about any situation – and students in a classroom are no exception. This mind-mapping app is a great tool for successfully navigating the writing process. Students can use it to take notes, store audio files and photos, track the progress of assignments, sort research findings and much more. Once all this information is amassed, students can easily find what they are looking for with a keyword or tag search.
2. Day! – The Best Story of Mine – Like Evernote, Day! helps students track their thoughts and observations as they proceed through the writing process. It will appeal to a student’s creative side with personalized photo calendars, mood expression, and more.
3. Popplet – This app can be introduced at a young age and help student throughout the course of their educational career. This mind mapping and story planning app helps students visualize where their composition is going. They can document their ideas, sort them visually and then collaborate with others.
4. Dragon Dictation – Help students understand that writing is nothing more than communicating. Encourage young writers to speak their text into this audio transcribing app. As they speak, students can see their text. Not only is this process faster than typing, it also helps students overcome the fear of a blank page.
5. Toontastic – Toontastic is like putting on a puppet show – only way cooler! Elementary and middle school students can draw and animate cartoons. Then, they can set their creations into motion and include an audio soundtrack. This visual creation is a great addition to written compositions.
6. ABC Cursive – It is important to remember that mastering the writing process starts early. The most basic skills, like learning cursive writing, are essential for laying a solid foundation. Even the youngest students can benefit from technology with this app. It helps youngsters practice writing their letters, numbers, words and eventually sentences.
7. iCanWrite – Again, writing fundamentals begin at an early age. If students can’t write their letters, they can’t write their essay! Kindergarten and first grade teachers can use this app to help their students learn to write letters. When one letter has been successfully traced, the next will appear.
8. Sentence Builder – After mastering the ability to create letters, students will quickly need to learn to create sentences. This app helps students build grammatically correct sentences. With 3 different levels and 100 pictures to build sentences around, students will quickly catch on to essential grammar lessons. The learning process is enhanced with audio reinforcement and progress statistics.

Many educators are using technology in a general way to guide learning in their classroom. However, it can also be used to instruct specific skills – like writing. Use these technological tools to enhance the students’ interest, understanding and involvement with the writing process.

Do you know of any tech tools we left off the list? Let us know! We want to hear how you are using technology to improve students’ writing!

Mike is a blogger and a paper writing expert at Bid4papers, an online service that helps students with editing and writing of essays and research papers. He likes to write about education technology, college life and survival.

Source: http://www.edudemic.com/student-writing-technology/

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11 Signs That Technology Is A Key Part Of Education

By Jeff Dunn on February 3, 2014

The current trend of education technology is nothing to sneeze at. There are iPads and Android devices popping up in classrooms around the world. From BYOD to 1:1 to flipped classrooms, there are a lot of trends that leveraging the power of technology in education.

Aside from these few popular trends, there are other signs that technology is truly a key part of education. For example, technology makes it easy for teachers to create visually engaging images that illustrate a key concept. This would not normally be possible unless the teacher had a talent for art and design. Now, a teacher can head over to their favorite infographic-maker like Piktochart or Visual.ly or Easel.ly and whip up a fun little design that inspires a student. According to the visual below from JESS3, using visuals is beneficial as they increase retention from 14% to 38%. Take that random stat with a huge grain of salt but it’s something to ponder.

That’s the idea behind this handy chart below. It spells out just under a dozen (couldn’t have added 12th to hit the lucky dozen, huh?!) ways that technology is playing an increasingly important role in and out of the classroom.

What other key factors do you see in education right now? How is technology expanding and improving (or not improving) the classroom experience?

Do you ever wonder how schools, universities, colleges, and large groups in general should use social media? Students are often early adopters, frequent users, and overall lovers of technology and social media. Want to help? I'm always looking for fun, creative, and exciting writers to get featured. Get in touch with me at edudemic@gmail.com!

Source: http://www.edudemic.com/technoogy-education-signs/

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