This week, I got to discuss the use of assessment and feedback with my CT and how she used different questioning techniques as well as tests to assess students’ understanding of the topic.
By varying the questioning techniques employed in class, this can help ensure that the students do not get bored or used to one form of questioning. This can range from questions that require individual answers from every student to discussion questions that students think about in groups and have a representative answer on behalf of the group. Hence, a greater number of students can participate, even the students who might be too shy or not confident enough to present to the class by themselves. Also, having a range of questions is important as well, as a mixture of easy and more challenging questions can help encourage more students to speak up in class. It is important to have some questions that are easy enough for the entire class to be able to answer so that every student has a chance to participate and contribute to the class discussion. I also observed that even when students are unable to answer the question, my CT provides support and takes the time to help them get to the correct answer through prompts. Hence, not only are questions used to provide feedback to the teacher regarding student’s understanding, they are also a good way for the teacher to provide relevant and timely feedback and help to the student in addressing their misconceptions or doubts.
However, my CT stressed the importance of not singling out students, especially those who are not confident of themselves, as such a practice might increase the stress on the student and discourage him or her from participating in the future. This links back to the idea of the classroom as a safe space where the students feel comfortable and have the confidence to participate freely. Not only should the students feel safe enough to answer and not be judged when they are incorrect, they should also feel safe by not being pressed for an answer if they are unwilling to answer. Nonetheless, it is important for the teacher to know the students well, and to be able to judge whether the student can participate. In some cases, my CT might call on some students whom she feels know the answers, and through having a conversation and the use of several question prompts, help them to get to the answer which they might already have known but were unsure of. This can help build confidence for the students, but nonetheless, it has to be qualified that such a method can only work effectively if the teacher knows the students well enough, as a misjudgement by the teacher might backfire and cause the student to lose confidence in themselves further.
In the case of tests, one example which we discussed was a German chapter test that was held a week ago in class. My CT shared that she would go through the scope of the test with the class during the lesson prior to the test, letting the students know the exact topics which will be covered by the test. By ensuring that there were no unexpected questions, this allowed students to prepare adequately and do well. My CT expressed that this allowed the students to have the satisfaction of doing well when having done adequate preparations, which she felt was important in encouraging students to revise and study. While we often are reminded to have differentiated segments in assessment to be able to differentiate between students’ ability, the importance of assessment and results as motivation for students cannot be understated as well. In this case, especially as this is the first time the students are taking German, I understood from my CT’s sharing that it was more important to have tests that can help build confidence in the students – while it was not necessarily an easy test, it was still a test that students, having done their work, can do well in. Another important point was the going through of answers for the students after the test was returned. By getting students to take turns to provide the correct answers, this not only ensured that the students would review their test answers again as a form of reinforcement, but also helped the teacher assess whether the students understood their mistakes. When a student has to answer a question that he or she made a mistake on during the test, the teacher will help prompt and guide the students to get the right answers, ensuring that they learn from their errors and are able to understand and work out the right answer. In addition, from such chapter tests, common mistakes made by the class can be identified as well, and the teacher can then adjust lessons accordingly, like putting aside some time in the next lesson to review the mistakes and revise the content with the class if necessary.
One area which I found interesting and different was the use of timed tests in class. I noticed that my CT would give an approximate amount of time for the students to do the test (say, 30 minutes) based on her knowledge of the students’ pace, but in the case of students with special needs, there might be extra time given for them. In ensuring that the students are not penalised unfairly by the time, the test will then be a more accurate reflection of their ability, which can then provide the teacher with important feedback regarding the students’ understanding of the topic.
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