Educ 5210-01 Learning Theory Essay

This is done now through the process of having a two assessment category- formative and summative. Both of these categories are used to determine the student’s quarter and semester grade. The summative category would be based on four common assessments, and one of these must be a performance task. As for formative assessments, this would show students the progress that they have made in mastering the material that would appear during the summative exam. He continues by saying that the school has realized that they can no longer control student’s grades based on behavioral infractions.

My area of specialism is ESOL. One of the approaches used in ESOL teaching and learning is the ‘student-centred approach’. This approach “encourages and enables students to be more engaged in and take more responsibility for their education”

In particular, authentic methods of assessment, those which closely look like the ways in which skills and knowledge are used in the real world, can help to motivate students above and beyond more traditional methods of assessment, such as essays. Needless to say that essays are in any way a 'poor' or inappropriate form of assessment. However, there may be opportunities in which I could still support the learning outcomes as an essay whilst better engaging my students with the assessment task. In some cases the use of certain assessment methods are overpoweringly resource-intensive.

The effort needs to focus on every child and their needs. In his work as an education guru, Robert Marzano offers guidance that could lead us toward curriculum and instruction that celebrate student learning and achievement, but more importantly, growth. Formal assessments are good if they reflect points in the students journey, not as a one and done grade (Marzano, 2013). Formal assessments for students should only represent points on a performance scale. Marzano noted that "characteristics of sound feedback" include that it should be frequent, give students a clear picture of their progress and how they might improve, and provide encouragement.

Concept attainment is an inquiry-based instructional strategy that is suitable for teaching notions that have an open set of attributes. Concepts have a name, a definition, examples, and critical attributes or characteristics. They are also ideas or abstractions that are formed by putting data into observable categories (Lemlech, 2010). The primary point of this model is to allow students to create their own definitions and understanding.

Assessments are a teacher’s tool that builds a profile on student’s growth and are the “tell-tell” detectors that provide the with teacher information on a student who may need additional services in and beyond the

I incorporate this learned experience daily and learn through each success and discovered area of improvement. Addressing my students needs using a variety of assessment tools has been a beneficial practice to help guide instruction. Students have different learning styles and their strengths and weaknesses are not always apparent using the same methods of assessment. Utilizing formative, standards(goal)-based, anecdotal, observational and benchmarks has driven my instructional programs. The combination of different assessments provides me with a multi-dynamic perspective of my students allowing me to better understand their strengths, weakness and academic needs.

Cognitive theory encourages a love of learning on a cultural level by making education enjoyable, engaging, and rewarding. Varied assessments that align with the curriculum objectives are formative assessments and summative assessments, such as tests, quizzes, and other graded course assignments. Also, a diagnostic assessment is administered to show where the student learning scale lies. In addition, peer-to-peer assessment where students provide constructive criticism and feedback on each other's work through peer evaluation, also known as peer review. It gives students the tools they need to self-evaluate, improve their own work, and develop lifelong abilities in evaluating and giving feedback to

Cognitive Development Cognitive theories of learning focus on the idea that each person does not necessarily view the same environment in the same way. They explore how individual differences in knowledge and experience influence how we interpret our environment and what we learn as a result. Knowledge is constructed by the learner and influenced by the learner’s previous experience. Development of Cognitive learning Theory Among the behaviourist psychologists were many who doubted the very existence of mind and consciousness: these were, at best, redundant concepts, having no place in a scientific explanation of human behaviour.

Likewise, the Multiple Intelligence (MI) theory is also a very useful model for developing any systematic approach for nurturing and training learners and respecting their individual needs and strengths within a classroom setting. According to Emmer and Evertson (2009) multiple intelligence aids teachers in easily creating more personalized and diversified instructional experiences. It offers the teachers to help students become empowered by extending and promoting cognitive bridging techniques based on the seven intelligences, by fostering in them a deep metacognitive understanding and advancing suggestions for a broad array of skills and techniques to deal with different types of learners. This theory is summarized by Howard Gardner in his book Frames of Mind (2006) namely: Linguistcs, Logical Mathematical, Spatial, Musical, Bodily Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, and Intrapersonal. Using these techniques can help create ‘instructional bridges’ into difficult concepts.

The students are provided with a mediated learning experience in this approach. In this way, depending on the needs of the students, instruction as an assistance is presented to them. This assessment procedure causes the students to improve and find a better way. Accordingly, dynamic assessment offers development by providing the interaction opportunities and internalization of them.

The findings have identified the main problem in traditional teaching where learning is not learner-centered/driven offering a new way of improving learning (Lanaux, Vice & Fasching-Varner,

Understanding what they are learning is how students become better

Further, proper assessment methods engender a “reflective process that ensures continued growth long after specific learning opportunities have been completed” (Bassett & Jackson, 1994, p. 73). Without the “appropriate assessment tool, such as a self-assessment, the educator might not ever realize that significant learning occurred. Therefore, classroom educators should search for assessment techniques that measure more than just the ability to remember information” (Wurdinger, 2005, p.

When discussing assessments most people envision a pen and paper evaluation that measures the acquired knowledge on any given subject. While this is partly true it’s important as educators that we understand that there are many different ways that a student’s knowledge can be assessed. One ideal way is to provide the students with an authentic assessment. Authentic assessments demonstrate what a student actually learns in class rather than their ability to do well on traditional tests. Which makes this type of assessment an excellent way of evaluating a student’s knowledge of a subject matter.