Authentic assessment is “a
form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that
demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills” --
Jon Mueller (2014). This type of assessment allows for teaching to be more
student-centered and focused on providing students with the proper knowledge,
experiences and resources to be able to complete such real life tasks. It
shifts from the teacher having all the right answers and trying to fill
students heads with knowledge to 'pass the
test', to gaining real life experience.
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| Retrieved from CartoonStock |
Students are able to show they know the
information, skills and strategies to succeed in given real life task(s). These
tasks look at not just assessing the final product, but also the process and
they tend to give students more choice and voice in the tasks. These tasks
should also be engaging and fun which can be seen as a potential motivator for
students. In my grade 10 food and nutrition class in high school we did an
authentic performance assessment. Throughout the year we learned proper cooking
techniques and skills and our way around the kitchen, as well as some recipe
ideas and helpful hints. We practiced cooking certain foods once a week and by
the end of the year had the opportunity to prove our ability on our own. We
chose a meal we wanted to make and were assessed throughout the process. Our
teacher walked around and watched that we followed all the kitchen rules and
examined what techniques/skills we used, she also asked us questions about what
we were making or why we were doing certain things specific ways (allowing for
further inquiry). This task was great because it was a hands on way to work
with the material we learned about all year and demonstrate our knowledge of
the kitchen and materials. We were not only marked on the food itself but how
we were able to use the material we learned throughout the year in this real
life scenario. The assessment allowed for variation and allowed us to put our
own spin on things such as the presentation of the food.
In the following video a teacher candidate speaks
about her experiences with, and knowledge of authentic assessment within the
classroom, while also providing ideas on how to incorporate this type of
assessment into your own teaching.
Retrieved from Michelle Chelvanayagam's Channel
The idea of authentic assessment relates greatly
to John Dewey’s idea of progressive education. It demonstrates a shift from the
set, traditional, standardized teaching and assessment of children to a more
modern and flexible method. Students are more active and apart of authentic
assessment, just as they are supposed to be in progressive education. Also
according to Dewey students are the problem solvers who are actively engaging,
experimenting and planning with materials just as in these assessments. More
and more schools are shifting away from the tradition standardized testing and
assessments which I think is great! It gives students the opportunity to put a
unique spin on their work, which will help motivate them and keep them
interested to learn more. I think more authentic assessments should be done
with students of all ages because it’s more relevant to their lives, giving
them an opportunity to demonstrate what they can really do and it can take off
some potential stress and anxiety associated with being evaluated through the
typical ways of testing knowledge. In this assessment teachers are guiding
children with the knowledge they will need to be able to use this information
in real world situations, outside the classroom.
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| Retrieved from Lifehack Quotes-John Dewey |
Education should not be about ensuring children
have memorized the information we have set out as 'need to know', but rather we
should ensure they are able to use this knowledge in real life
situations, which is what authentic assessment aims to do. For some
ideas on what tools you can use to create authentic assessments visit education to save the world's webpage.
References
7 Tools for Authentic Assessments. (2013, May 8). Retrieved October 4, 2015, from http://edtosavetheworld.com/2013/05/08/7-tools-for-authentic-assessments/
John Dewey Quote [Online Image].
Retrieved from http://quotes.lifehack.org/quote/john-dewey/education-is-not-preparation-for-life-education/
McGookin, M. (Artist). (n.d.). Pouring knowledge into kids [Photograph].
Retrieved from https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/f/flip_top.asp
Mueller, J. (2014). What is Authentic
Assessment? (Authentic Assessment Toolbox). Retrieved October 5, 2015, from
http://jfmueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/whatisit.htm
Novack, G. (1960). John Dewey’s Theories of
Education. Retrieved October 5, 2015, from
https://www.marxists.org/archive/novack/works/1960/x03.htm
Chelvanayagam, M. (2014, May 26). Authentic Assessment [Video] retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHUqHTxgLc
What Is Authentic Assessment? (1997).
Retrieved October 4, 2015, from
http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/litass/auth.html
Hi Miranda!
ReplyDeleteI think the issue of authentic assessment is really important and I’m so happy you brought it up! I think it’s important that teachers emphasize how their students can apply the knowledge and skills they learn in real life. When students don’t know why they are learning something they instantly lose motivation. I loved your story about your food and nutrition class and think that’s a great example of a teacher using authentic assessment. While reading your blog I had a question. Do you think there’s ever a time when authentic assessment should NOT be used? Perhaps in a specific subject? It’s easy to implement in a hands-on class such as food and nutrition but how can it be used in classes like english or math? I do not have many experiences of teachers using authentic assessment which tells me that this is a progressive method of assessment. As a future teacher I hope to use authentic assessment as much as possible as I believe it’s one of the best ways to discover the level of knowledge and skills a student has acquired and can apply.
Miranda, I loved the idea of replacing traditional assessments with authentic assessment in schools! In order to engage students in learning and for them to see the value in education, it is important to link their learning to the real-world and make it relevant. Bloom’s taxonomy illustrates how memorization is at the bottom of the pyramid and the ability to create is at the top. This exemplifies how authentic assessment is a more progressive form of evaluation that emphasizes higher order thinking skills rather than focusing on content. Your video was insightful about what authentic assessment was and its relevancy today.
ReplyDeleteJust like your experience in your food and nutrition class, I remember in grade 6 we used authentic assessment for one of my math projects. As it was close to Christmas, my teacher gave us an assignment where we each had a budget of $100 dollars per family member and we had to use a catalogue to select gifts within the budget. This allowed us to connect math with the real-world by teaching us how to budget while using our math skills. If teachers were to move towards more of these assessments, what would be the challenges of designing a suitable rubric to evaluate students? Would there be subjectivity in scoring? Those were just some questions to think about. Overall, your blog had great points about moving towards more progressive education!
Miranda, this is such an important emerging trend in education today. We are absolutely looking to move past the lecture based teaching that leads to a test where all students do is regurgitate information back onto the page. This does not necessarily mean they learned anything, all it means is they have a well trained memory.
ReplyDeleteI know personally this exact strategy is what I use in courses where the material is just a little out of my wheel house. In the biology course I took in second year, I finished with a mark that when viewed through this classical lens, would show that I succeeded in the course. However, I did not understand many of the main concepts, I was just able to remember and repeat using cued recall and trigger words. It concerning that at this level of education, many of us are conditioned to learn like this, and still feel accomplished.
I like the idea you raised of having this start in the younger grades. If we can condition students to really understand and use information that is relevant to them, we will not be under cutting the success rate and we will be enhancing the education children receive through all levels of schooling. Education is such a vital part of life, every skill is earned. Knowing how to change a tired and being able to actually preform the tasks were tested on in school should viewed the same way!
Great choice of topic.