Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Post 2
A successful meteorologist uses more than just a barometer to predict weather changes in conditions to accurately forecast weather for his viewers. In addition to a barometer, he utilizes Dopplar Radar as well as satellite data and an anemometer to measure the wind speed - all in conjunction to be as accurate as possible in his forecasts.
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Just as a meteorologist uses a combination of tools to predict weather,the ability to teach students what they need to know requires teachers to continually use a combination of formal and informal measures and tools to identify students' strengths and weaknesses in interacting with text (Barrentine, 1999). Currently, formal assessment has been emphasized. External assessment of reading, such as standardized tests and state-mandated benchmark tests typically focus on student's basic skills in reading and writing. Nationwide, there is a growing consensus of key elements that constitute a successful reading program. The quality of the instruction students receive is a major factor in their reading success (Excellent Reading Teachers - The International Reading Association, 2000). Research-based qualities from their position statement list the following qualities of excellent classroom teachers: 1.) They understand reading and writing development and believe all children can learn to read and write. 2.) They continually assess children's individual progress and relate instruction to previous experiences. 3.) They know a variety of ways and methods to teach reading. 4.) They offer a variety of materials and texts for students to read. 5.) They use flexible grouping strategies to tailor instruction. 6.) They are good reading "coaches." They help srategically.
ReplyDeleteAs teachers we should provide instruction that reflects the students' level of reading development. To be effective, we must rely on a variety of assessment tools, including informal tests, interviews, observations, samples of students' work, portfolios, and students' judgments of their own performance (The Reading Teacher, Feb. 2007). Just as a meteorologist gets a complete forecast by using a number of instruments, likewise, effective teachers rely on a variety of assessment tools to provide a complete picture about their students' reading capabilities. Teachers may then make informed instructional decisions to maximize their teaching effectiveness. The knowledge gained from the assessment is more critical to a learner's reading development than the assessment instrument itself.
A successful teacher can prospectively use a variety tools for assessing reading instruction, similarly to the meteorologist. However, the equipment of the teacher can and often will change. A barometer will always be such, just as some of the other tools the meteorologist utilizes. With the transition to more digital media, the facade of literacy is transforming also. Digital media is provided another resource for teachers to pull from and provide to their students (Rose & Meyer, 2002). Teachers must become accomplished at teaching students how to read and navigate these potential digital mine fields. This means that the teacher has to be able to acclimatize the classroom to meet those requirements (i.e. access to the technology). Not to reference changes in legislation that set in motion the changes in instruction even mandating many of them (Turbill, 2002). It is not safe to assume that the diagnostic character of tools is adequate in addressing the needs of pupils. The meteorologist is able to diagnose, but is not able to offer any change in the weather. It is the individual response to instruction that is made from the diagnostic that will drive instruction, and create a change. This also alludes to the scantiness of many curricula, when used as an exclusive measure for instruction for all learners. The meteorologist has their tools, we continue to reinvent ours to create revolutions and not simply diagnose.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both comments above. Just like a successful meteorologist who needs a variety of tools altogether to accurately forecast weather, a successful teacher needs to use different kind of assessments to better identify and understand what students’ current levels are, what their strengths and weaknesses are, as well as what they need, etc. Gillet, et al. (2008) defined assessment as “gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information to tell how well a student reads (p.8).” Since the primary purpose of assessment is to facilitate teachers to evaluate students’ performance and needs, the format should vary according to different purposes at different time in the learning period so that teachers can gather useful and effective information and then provide students necessary helps. That is to say, the assessment should include everything from informal observations to the use of standardized tests (Gillet, et al., 2008; Abromitis, B., 2009). Therefore, it may not be valid and is less effective to over-rely on certain assessment, just as if a meteorologist only depends on a specific tool, and the weather forecast will not be accurate most of the time. Therefore, a successful teacher should use a combination of various assessments not only to effectively evaluate the students’ needs but also monitor the success of instructional approaches.
ReplyDeleteLooking at all three comments before mine, they all seemed to cover the bases of why it is important to assess student's. Since the primary purpose of assessment is to facilitate teachers to evaluate student's performance and needs, the format should vary according to different purposes at different times in the learning period so that teachers can gather useful and effective information and then provide students with necessary help. Much like the main discussion about meteorologist, on how they need all this equiptment to predict and evaluate the weather(which is usually wrong).Teachers need to continously monitor and evaluate student's progress and needs to futher develop a students understanding of material. As teachers we should provide instruction that reflects the students' level of reading development. To be effective, we must rely on a variety of assessment tools, including informal tests, interviews, observations, samples of students' work, portfolios, and students' judgments of their own performance (The Reading Teacher, Feb. 2007). Futhermore, I hope I'm nothing like a meteorologist, because nobody likes them very well.
ReplyDeleteJust like a successful meteorologist uses more than one tool to be as accurate as possible in his forecasts, a teacher uses a variety of assessment tools in order to be as accurate as possible about their findings on each student. “Assessment is more than testing; it is an essential part of teaching and learning” ( Tompkins p.97). Teachers use a variety of informal and formal assessment tools to assess students’ literacy development. In terms of literacy development there are so many areas to assess and many different tools to use in order to get an accurate picture of each students’ overall literacy development. Just like in the weather forecast, a meteorologist is looking for several different areas to determine the overall weather outlook. Teachers take running records to assess students’ reading fluency, they use informal reading inventories to determine students’ comprehension levels, they use rubrics to assess the ideas, organization, vocabulary, style, and mechanics in students’ compositions. Teachers also analyze students’ spellings to determine their stages of development. Teachers can also monitor students’ learning using observation and anecdotal notes, conferences, checklists, and collections of students’ work samples. Teachers can also conference with students about their attitudes and motivation for reading and writing, and they also use surveys to better understand their students. A successful teacher should use a variety of tools such as formal and informal assessments in order to determine each students’ overall literacy development. There is not one specific tool that a teacher can rely on in order to give them an accurate picture of their students’ literacy development, just as a meteorologist does not rely on one specific tool to give them the weather forecast. Successful teachers must use a variety of informal and formal assessment tools to assess students’ literacy development.
ReplyDeleteJust as a meterologist uses many tools to predict the weather, teachers should use many assessment tools to assess their students and their instruction. According to Gillet (2008), there are four reasons to assess students: 1) to guide our instruction 2) to monitor the success of instructional approaches 3) to give feedback to children and their parents 4) to make decisions on the placement of children in special instructional services. If we are purposely assessing students for these reasons, than we are obviously going to use different assessment tools. For instance, it would be beneficial for us to use the ERAS to guide instruction or to give feedback to parents on the attitude their child has toward reading. Also I do believe that many times teachers believe that the only assessments that matters are those that go into the grade book for report cards. They forget that the way a student feels about a topic greatly influences the work that will put into a given assignment or task. I think teachers also forget that they do not have to take a grade for the grade book every time they make an assignment. Assessment should be both formal and informal. Teachers take for granted that every time they walk around the room and check on their students while they are working or simply as the students what they are reading or if they like their book we are informally assessing students. I think informal assessments are often taken for granted by teachers and many times they are the most informational and useful.
ReplyDeleteMeteorologists use many different instruments to predict and forecast the weather to give the public a better understanding on the preparations needed for that day. Just as teachers use assessments, teachers use different kinds of assessments for different kinds of assessments for different purposes at different points of the year (Gillet, 2008). This analogy is accurate most would say but what concerns me and I hope this concerns you is how accurate are the meteorologists when it comes to their weather predictions? We as teachers have to be precise about our assessments than the meteorologist’s predictions because the stakes are higher.
ReplyDeleteThe meteorologists are highly trained in their various high-tech gadgets for predicting the weather and teachers must be highly trained in their assessments on literacy and how to incorporate best practices learning for that student from results of assessments. In the digital age we live now. Entering the age of "multiliteracies", meaning making now in their students' involves being able to read not only print text but also color, sound, movement, and visual representations (Turnbill 2002). So as we move into this age we as teachers must adapt in our abilities to use all forms of formal and informal assessments.
Weather and the predicting of weather is a huge task and people the world over depend on accurate forecasts to prepare their days for safety, recreation, clothing needed/rain and all of life’s demands. Literacy and assessing literacy is an even greater task and the world depends on this for everything including understanding the weather so a great task is at hand. Teachers must use both formal and informal assessments to improve literacy instruction in both their students reading achievements and their own literacy instruction techniques.
As stated above a “successful” meteorologist will use many different tools including: a Barometer, Doplar Radar, and an Anemometer, just to name a few, to accurately predict the weather changes. In comparison a “successful” teacher will use a wide variety of formal and informal assessments to gage student performance and then steer instructional strategies. A teacher, like a weather man, could not only use one form of assessment to accurately determine weather changes or student progress. Not only do teachers need to use formal assessments (ex. PIAT-R), informal assessments (ex. Kid-watching) to the EWAS which measures a student’s feeling towards writing not just academic stats. Assessment is so important for teachers and students if used in the correct manner. If a teacher JUST assesses a student and then does nothing to the curriculum after assessment, then it was really just a waste of time.
ReplyDeleteThis statement coincides with the idea behind being an effective teacher. In order to ensure your students comprehend your lesson plans, retain the information, and generalize it across a variety of environments you have to use a variety of measures to be successful. Like the weather man, a teacher is not only going to use one method (the barometer) to teach their students (or tell the weather). A teacher will use a variety of teaching approaches like the weather man uses satellite, anemometers and radar. Some examples of these approaches are power points, hands on activities, working in groups, peer tutoring and many other ideas. Teacher’s goals are to try and make that best foundation for their students to be successful in the future just like the weather man wants to make the best predictions to help people prepare for the following days.
ReplyDeleteTo be a successful teacher, you have to be able to test the students in more than one way. Some students to not test well in some ways as they do others. The teacher needs to be able to administer different tests to find out which way the students test best. This could be giving projects for tests, having oral tests, having essay tests, or multiple choice tests.
ReplyDeleteAlso students need to be taught in different ways to meet the needs of every student. Not all students learn the same way. Some students may not learn anything from lecture but they could learn from hands-on activities. Students could work better in peer groups or with a partner. Also, teachers need to spend more time on one lesson to make sure the students know what is being taught. This way, a teacher can get in many ways of teaching rather than just standing in-front-of the class and teaching in a lecture format.
http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/teachtip.htm
Here is a website that gives different teaching techniques and is basically a teaching tips index.
A successful teacher uses many methods of assessment to predict how well a student is learning the information being presented. Teachers must use formal and informal assessments. Informed teachers realize that a formal, end of the unit, multiple choice test is not the only way to measure a student’s understanding of the unit. Other methods, such as portfolios, should be used to get a true picture of how the student is progressing as the school year is progressing.
ReplyDeleteStudent attitudes also play an important role in the development of reading ability (McKenna & Kear, 1990). If a student does not view himself or herself as a good reader, the teacher has to work to overcome those obstacles as well as problems with decoding or fluency. That is why it is important to use attitude assessments such as the EWAS and RSPS to ascertain where the student’s interests and attitudes lie.
Just as Dopplar Radar informs the public of an approaching storm, the RSPS can provide an alert to a teacher of where a student may need additional instruction. Henk and Melnick (1995) state, “Teachers can gain a sense of how the general classroom climate affects children’s self-efficacy judgments in reading.”
A meteorologist predicts and determines weather with many different tools so that he can get a full assessment of te weather. One tool may just look at temperature, while another may look at precipitation. Much like meteorologists, teachers need several different instruments, or assessments, to get the "big picture" of their students' capabilities. Gillett (2008), notes that there are four reasons to assess students: so teachers know what instruction should be given, to monitor how successful teacher instruction is, to be able to give feedback to students, and to place them based on their level of learning. As it was mentioned in class, many assessments do not measure all aspects of the assessment. They may concentrate on a certain issue, such as what grade level the student reads at, but does not address why the child is at that level.
ReplyDeleteNot only does a meteorologist use multiple instruments to predict the weather, he also monitors the weather and alters his predictions. Teachers do this as well. They make an initial assessment, and then use different assessments to monitor the progress of a student throughout different points during the year (Gillett, 2008). This allows teachers "change their prediction" or alter instruction if needed.
According to Tubill (2002), reading has become more complex over the years and we are now in an age when reading is not only a an educational issue, but a political issue. Teachers are now, more than ever pressured to produce students that can read, write, and function in a "global economy." Assessment of reading programs has become an area of increased interest and importance because we want our students to be competetive with other students. Most teachers and school systems probably use assessment materials for the wrong reasons. Assessments seem to get used to identify students that are not performing well, but don't offer the classroom teacher the supports to provide appropriate instruction of deficient skills. It would be like the meteorologist using a ruler to tell the tempereature. Sure it is measurement tool, but not the right one.
ReplyDeleteJust as teachers use assessments, teachers use different kinds of assessments for different purposes at different points of the year (Gillet, 2008). Teaching is not the only profession in which you must gather information from different resources to best provide for your students, or to whom ever your audience is to. Teachers must collaborate with other teachers, other resources to widen our resources. Just like the weather man who will give us (the viewers) the information in many different ways, we must do the same for our students. One day the weather man may give us a screen using information that they have gathered from the Doppler radar, and the use the wind speed to identify around what time the storm will hit us at, we must do the same. If we are reading a novel as a class, one day I might read aloud to my students, and the next day break up the reading into equal parts and have the students put on a skit to the entire class. Or one day we might do a power-point, and the next day have the students draw information that we have learned.
ReplyDeleteThe meteorologist uses tools other than only the barometer to help predict the weather, such as the radars, ect. to insure that the prediction they make is based on different types of evidence and to ensure that it may be more dependable than if it were only based on one type of measurement. This should also be true when teachers assess students. Multiple types of formal and informal assessments should be given to students to determine what types of strategies and instruction would be most beneficial to the individual student. "Teachers use different kinds of assessments for different purposes at different points in the year." (Gillett, p.10) The idea of using different types of assessments should also be considered as the student grows and develops academically to ensure that progress is being made.
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of these comments. It seems to me that you can look at a child as a different form of weather. Each form of weather requires its own tools and its own specific assessment. This is the same for children. Just as the Gilet article states, teachers uses different assessments for different parts of the year. The same way a meteorologist would not use the same tools all year round, teachers cannot use the same types of assessments all year round. It would be counter productive not only for you as a teacher, but fro the students as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of the ideas stated above, and feel this metaphor means in order to be a successful teacher who plans and delivers appropriate instruction for all their students to access, the teacher must conduct and track several types of formal and informal assessments to obtain the information needed to best provide for your students. You have to use multiple assessment tools to get information on all aspects of the student's learning so you have reliable and valid information leading to successful teacher planning to meet their student's instructional needs. I quote "assessment covers everything from informal observations of a student's reading to the use of commercial tests." (Gillett, 8). This just goes to show that we can gather information on many different areas surrounding the student and their learning using different forms of assessment which gain different types of knowledge surrounding their subject relating to all the different tools the meteorologist utilizes. We need all these measures to get an accurate depiction of the student's perceptions as well as performance. Assessment allows for us to see where they stand as well as plan to accommodate for any findings we as teachers may come across. Also a teacher like a meteorologist has an obligation to share their findings and use them to plan for what the future may bring. All of these measures or assessments can be shared with important people that will assist in the learning process for your students across settings and subject matter. Whether working in meteorology or education you have to gather multiple forms of different information to best understand and provide for the individuals dependent on you to monitor their lives and lead them in the right direction.
ReplyDeleteThe analogy between the various equipment utilized to accurately predict weather by a meteorologist, coincides well with the need for a variety of tools and strategies, used by effective teachers, in order to effectively assess students. Meteorologists have to use different methods to predict different weather patterns such as wind chill, temperature, precipitation, humidity, dew point, wind speed, barometric pressure, etc. The same tool is not used to measure each individual thing. Some tools may measure more than one aspect, but there may be another tool that can measure that aspect with more precision. The same goes for a standardized type test, a student might score poorly in the math section of the test, however, given the same questions in different circumstances, such as having the questions reworded, or having different size text, the accuracy of the student’s ability to correctly respond may change. Like weather, learning is forever changing, and constant monitoring of tools and learning are needed in order to successfully make predictions on student’s emotional or academic behavior. Meteorologists need to give reliable information in their predictions especially during severe weather, just as a teacher needs to use reliable assessment material. (Assessment Guidebook, 2008)
ReplyDeleteAs teachers it is our job to instruct students to be successful just as the weather man predicts the weather. What I think is most important is to unlock student’s unique way of thinking to understand and comprehend material that I expose them to in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteAssessing students is difficult but one of the ways to ease this stress is to involve children with topics that they are particularly interested in and to encourage them to dive right in. A way to find out what topics the students are interested in is to do inventories just as we have. In fact, Wixson and Lipson (in press) acknowledge that “the student’s attitude toward reading is central factor affecting reading performance.” (Kear, 1) In order to more effectively instruct these inventories can also be used. In reality, teachers use a combination of methods, just as meteorologists do with anemometers and different radars. This is what makes our job as teachers so interesting.