Evaluation Reflection

“Every phase of instruction must be accompanied by a means of checking for understanding” (Fisher & Frey, 2008, p. 37). I have realized that assessing students’ understanding of the concept on which the lesson is based is a critical step in determining the flow of the lesson. A quick recap in the form of questions and answers works well for me to not only correct misconceptions but also improve learning as it helps the students connect the day’s lesson with previous learning. In my experience, all assessment may not count towards a grade but there should be feedback for learners as well as us facilitators to know where they stand with respect to achieving the lesson objectives. “Students achieve more when they have a clear picture of the expectations”

I need to further strengthen my assessment strategy for collaborative learning strategies to cover individual assessment as well. In today class, I gave an exit slip which helped me assess the individual. “Ultimately, for students to attain high levels of achievement, they need to be able to self-assess” (Orlich, et al., 2010, p. 329). During my classes in CIDTL, I have got to know that when students learn to self-assess they begin to understand the reason why they are learning which helps them understand what has to be done to achieve the goal. I gave a simple rubric to students for their self-assessment. I have come to realize that “collaborative learning provides a critical bridge in student learning because it allows novice learners to refine their thinking about new concepts and skills” (Fisher & Frey, 2008, p. 85). As I have started this journey, I feel that my students are getting the skills required for collaborative learning. In the rubric I also included the group work skills so that what is expected from them as individuals in a group is

5). I believe that students should be given an opportunity to learn and demonstrate their knowledge in a variety of ways. The manner in which the students interacted during the group activity opened my eyes. The main reason that the lesson went well was that I had grouped the students well as per their predominant intelligence which ensured that each student was engaged in the given activity. I had never seen them this enthusiastic to perform a task! Asking them to pick a group leader was something which had worked well earlier as I have seen that this helps me classroom management when I am providing scaffolding to other students. However, while assessing individual contribution towards the group task, I realized that a few students had not participated enough. Next time, as suggested by the experienced practitioner, I would emphasise individual contribution using different methods like designing tasks in a different way or including points for full