Reading Response for Summative and Formative Evaluation
October 18, 2011
Summative Evaluation- asses the program of the outcome and what the lesson impacts.
The advantages of Summative Evaluation are:
- that it provides evidence for "cause/effect"
- assess for long term outcome
Formative Evaluation
- it is more complex
- targeted for small audience
- test conducted during the development to improve the program
- individualized
Robert Stakes
"When the cook tastes the soup, that’s formative; when the guests taste the soup, that’s summative."
Summative Evaluation
- provides information on the product/lessons efficiency
- uses numeric scores and letter grades to assess learners.
- targets assessment to a whole group
- group results from assessment will drive instruction
Making it Happen- September 20, 2011- Reaction
From my understanding the book Making it Happen discusses effective project management and how the ideas are being learned. The author writes the book in his personal perspective and personal experience. Projects must have a structure and a plan in order for it to work. This reminded me of the case study of Coles, where there was no plan, but many opinions. The main objective (the point) of the project was lost, because there were no outlines, milestones, or outcomes given to Coles. Another point I took out is there needs to be a reflective piece when planning and executing the objective. After every step there needs to be a way you can reflect and refine the mistakes in the process.
Reading Sept. 13- Audience Analysis
Audience Analysis
The purpose of this document was to inform us that before creating a presentation we must identify the audience, assess their objectives/needs, and plan to reach all members of the audience. A formal audience analysis consists of conducting surveys and questionnaires to gain understanding of the audience. An informal audience analysis gathers information about audiences by talking with people who will read the final product.
EDT 500- Response to Taking Learning Seriously
The article Taking Learning Seriously touches on the topics of learning and teaching. As educators we were taught many different strategies of teaching and contents to teach. In this article, Shulman talks about how and what students learn, know, and what they assume, as well as application. “Learning is a dual process inside beliefs and understanding must come out and only then can something outside get in.” Teaching in an urban environment, my students did not have much prior knowledge to many things. I found this interesting because when I taught, they had nothing to base this knowledge on and made it harder for them to grasp the information in order to apply it to their lives. I find this quote, “To take learning seriously, we need to take learners seriously” very interesting because we have to understand or think about what our audience needs to know and what they know in order for them to really take part of their own learning.
The article talks about three pathologies: amnesia, fantasia, inertia. I found each one interesting, because I was able to connect each of these pathologies to some of my students and how I used their lack of understanding to regroup and reteach.
Amnesia- the malfunction of memory. When students forget what they have learned. For example: I was teaching a four week summer school course. The first week I taught the reading strategy summarizing. I introduced the strategy in the beginning of the week and every day we summarized a book. At the end of the week, I asked the class what they learned, no one could answer. I recalled teaching the whole week and I had plans to prove it, but they really couldn’t recall. They all forgot!! So the next week I changed my approach. I did more activities and had them do more independent discoveries that would lead them to apply the strategies more.
Fantasia-“illusory understanding” This can be dangerous because students are confident that they understand the concept, but really don’t. This pathology is probably the most common. I would think the students are understanding a concept, but then I give them an assessment and BOOM- nothing. It is not that the students forgot the concept, I see the steps they were using, but it is used incorrectly. For example: I was teaching a math strategy called “ball park” estimation for the CMT test. I drew a baseball diamond and then plugged in the numbers, then multiplied each of the numbers. I noticed on many of the students were able to draw the baseball diamond, plugged in the numbers but misinterpreted what to do with the numbers, some added, divided, doubled, but did not multiply- or they multiplied and didn’t know what to do next.
Inertia- “application”- ideas that lie there, doing nothing. They are not forgotten, but not being used. To many teachers, this last pathology shows us who gets it and who doesn’t. We find this “application” through various assessments, whether it be paper, behavioral, verbal, or demonstration. I believe a student will truly understand a concept when they are able to take that information and apply it when necessary. I found it interesting when Bloom did the study on the American History students. Students who scored equivalently well on the test were taken and given a problem solving question dealing with history. Bloom wanted to understand how two groups of people, who apparently knew roughly the same things, could be so very different in what they could do with their knowledge. Those who understood the concepts were able to infer and connect what they have learned to the question. Those students who only knew the facts (concrete) were not able to form a conclusion to the question with what they knew. I find this often in many of my students. There are students who understand the concept, but unable to apply it, then those who can synthesis and infer the concept.
I found this article very interesting. The use of techonology in the classroom can really make a difference in students' learning. I feel students would be more engaged and interested in the concepts and will be able to see real life examples of application through the technology. This approach can also use the different intelligences through the lessons. Reading this article made me look at myself as a teacher and a learner. I also hate to admit there are times that I possess the qualities of amnesia, fantasia, and inertia. Learning is definitely a process!
