Formative Assessment In Physical Education

When assessing and evaluating a student in physical education (PE), teachers need to collect and organize information and make judgments based on that information in such a way that it provides each student with equal opportunity to demonstrate his or her skills and knowledge of the lesson. The purpose of assessment is to improve learning, inform instruction and aid students to achieve the highest standards they can and offer meaningful reports on students’ accomplishments. Chapter 6 provides information regarding the skills and knowledge new physical educators need in order to properly assess students in physical education (PE). For an assessment to be effective, it must measure students in three domains: cognitive, psychomotor and affective.

Collaborative assessments allow students to get involved in the assessment process. Students who are included in this process are better able to take on a dynamic role in their own learning. When students have a clear grasp of their own strengths, weaknesses and abilities they are better able to set, monitor and meet learning objectives. Self and peer assessments are two examples of formative assessments that permit students to become engaged in their own learning. They make effective use of self-centered teaching; one of Mosston and Ashworth’s eleven teaching styles. This teaching style will allow students to take on the role as teacher and help their peers in learning and assessing new material. It also makes students cognizant of their own biases, whilst being exposed to other perspectives and observation styles that together help the student develop their ability to judge others not according to personal preference or emotional appeal. Furthermore, students can actually develop a cognitive understanding of all components of each skill being evaluated. Peer assessments require that the student-teacher is able to grasp the skill components cognitively. By cognitive understanding of skills, students acquire a more comprehensive understanding of the components

In the teaching games for understanding (TGfU) model, a teacher breaks down a game into more developmentally suitable game play in order to give students, of varying degrees of physical literacy, an opportunity to learn and understand how to use certain tactics and strategies effectively. During guided practice in Madeline Hunter’s Model, students are given the opportunity to practice and apply what was just taught to them. Unlike teachers of academic subjects that use written tests, physical education teachers focus largely on movement, sport skills, and physical activity. This means that PE cannot happen without the routine observation of movement. Observing students during PE class can give teachers a chance to check for understanding. Observation helps teachers collect evidence of student learning. This information can then be used as feedback for students about their learning. Providing students with descriptive feedback during guided practice is a key component of engaging students in the assessment of their own learning. This type of feedback permits students a greater understanding of what they are doing well and gives them an idea of what they could do to make improvements: a key component of formative assessments. Furthermore, by focusing the game on one component of the play, students have the opportunity to practice,