Alternative assessment is a non-traditional approach to assess students on their individual achievement or competence rather than standardised tests. This mode of assessment engages students in the learning process and builds their confidence through various forms of interactions.
2. Alternative assessment – Observation
Today, the mathematics curriculum focuses on conceptual understanding and thinking skills therefore learning and teaching have taken a new dimension in the classroom, hence the mode of assessments ought to complement these changes.
Currently, there are various forms of alternative assessments incorporated into classrooms and one of the commonly used assessments is ‘observation’. This method of assessment has been around since teaching evolved however it was not recognised as one. In any typical classroom setting, the teacher observes the students for behaviour, attention and understanding.
Although observation is a known classroom tool, teachers got to plan how to integrate alternative assessment to evaluate student’s understanding. To incorporate observation as an alternative assessment following ways can be adhered:
3. Activity
The activity which had been embedded into the lesson of "Measurements", was conducted in a Primary 5 classroom, Foundation Mathematics. The students are taught the various techniques to convert measurements of length and volume from a smaller unit to a larger unit and vice versa. The measurements included were, from centimetres to metres and vice versa, from metres and centimetres to metres and vice versa, from millilitres to litres and vice versa and finally, from litres and millilitres to litres and vice versa.
The teacher would show to the students the jigsaw template as illustrated below and explain to them explicitly the instructions to the activity, i.e. each side of the square should have the equivalent value to its adjacent side of another square.
2. Alternative assessment – Observation
Today, the mathematics curriculum focuses on conceptual understanding and thinking skills therefore learning and teaching have taken a new dimension in the classroom, hence the mode of assessments ought to complement these changes.
Currently, there are various forms of alternative assessments incorporated into classrooms and one of the commonly used assessments is ‘observation’. This method of assessment has been around since teaching evolved however it was not recognised as one. In any typical classroom setting, the teacher observes the students for behaviour, attention and understanding.
Although observation is a known classroom tool, teachers got to plan how to integrate alternative assessment to evaluate student’s understanding. To incorporate observation as an alternative assessment following ways can be adhered:
- Specific goal to monitor certain skills or behaviours
- Checklist & rubrics for assessing
- Assess on students’ ability to communicate, apply concepts and skills and interaction with peers
- Teacher to play the role of facilitator while observing
- Teacher to carry pen and book to record the observation
- It is more effective to observe each child at a time
- Video taping or recording the observation will help the teacher to refer to it later
- Allows teacher to list students’ traits during teacher – parent meeting
- Teacher able to understand every students’ understanding and misconceptions
- Mathematical content the student knows
- Student's mathematical processes, such as reasoning, communicating, problem solving, and making connections
- Mathematical disposition, such as attitudes, persistence, confidence, and cooperative skills
3. Activity
The activity which had been embedded into the lesson of "Measurements", was conducted in a Primary 5 classroom, Foundation Mathematics. The students are taught the various techniques to convert measurements of length and volume from a smaller unit to a larger unit and vice versa. The measurements included were, from centimetres to metres and vice versa, from metres and centimetres to metres and vice versa, from millilitres to litres and vice versa and finally, from litres and millilitres to litres and vice versa.
The teacher would show to the students the jigsaw template as illustrated below and explain to them explicitly the instructions to the activity, i.e. each side of the square should have the equivalent value to its adjacent side of another square.
The students were given the cut-up version of the jigsaw template as shown below and they were to place the smaller squares in such a way as mentioned in the above text. This activity can be used as a consolidation of the topic before proceeding to other parts of the topic.
(Text above by Borhan, Templates above created by Borhan)
4. The "Checklist Method"
The above is an example of using a checklist to assess student behaviors, attitudes, skills, concepts or processes during a group activity.
From the above data tabulated in the course of observing the three students during a group activity, it was quite clear from the picture that Student 3 seemed to be uninvolved with what is going on between the other two group members.
In Ivan's opinion, there could be 2 reasons why she is exhibiting this behaviour, firstly, she could be in the midst of thinking through how to solve the problem, because from the table, she is identified to be an independent worker. Secondly, she may not know how to verbalise her thoughts to her friends, as she does not really know how to work well with others.
Evident from the picture, the expression of Student 3’s attitude was in contrast to her two other group mates, who were actively engaged in the activity. This could be attributed to the reason because Students 1 and 2 were able to work well with others, (from the table) thus explaining what was depicted in the picture.
With relation to what could be observed in Students 1 and 2, both of them appeared to stay focused on their tasks, looking really interested and enthusiastic in solving the problem, while student 3 was having one hand over her head, demonstrating either boredom, because she was not participating, or the other 2 students were dominating the discussion, leaving her out of their dialogue.
All 3 students showed a willingness to seek help when required and in terms of problem solving, all of them demonstrated a right approach in their process and they were able to devise strategies in the course of it.
Student 2 is the most careful worker among them, because she is the only one who has been observed to check her work, displaying good working attitude.
(Text above by Ivan, Checklist above created by Ivan, Photography above by Borhan)
The teacher may use the checklist templates as shown below (created by Faizal), which consist of both "Group Observation" and "Individual Observation". The teacher can print out the templates into a smaller size in such a way he or she can jot down notes as the teacher is walking around the classroom during an activity, be it a group or individual and at the same time observing the students.
(Text above by Borhan)
(Checklist above created by Faizal)
References & Resources
- http://www.math.umd.edu/~dac/650/fantegrossipaper.html
- http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/DictionaryResults.aspx?refid=561537872
- http://classroom-organization.suite101.com/article.cfm/alternative_assessment_tools
Acknowledgment
- Students of Primary 5H from Fengshan Primary School
- Mr. Rif, form teacher of Primary 5H and Borhan's C.T for his Teaching Assistantship
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