Jordan Going

ED 346 Literacy Practicum

Final Report

1. How have you seen assessment inform instruction?

I have learned that assessment strongly drives instruction. Being in the teachers shoes

actually conducting and grading the assessments, and then teaching according to them, has shown

me that I know what and how to teach based on how the students do in their assessment. It shows

me exactly what their needs on and what I need to focus on more or do better as a teacher as I

teach.

2. List all the assessments you administered during this practicum.

I administered the Spelling Inventory formally to my students, and also had an informal

assessment at the end of almost every lesson so I could evaluate as the teacher how much the

students comprehended and remembered form the lesson. These informal assessments included

having the students giving me a prefix or suffix as they walked out the door and writing short

stories or poems using the words or concepts we went over.

3. What did each of those assessments tell you? (What was the purpose?)

Each of the assessments I administered I felt was very beneficial because by looking at

each of them, it broke it down for me as the teacher exactly which level of learning the student

was in. It was especially nice with the spelling inventory because it had specific stages showing

where the student was it depending on how they scored, which was nice for me as the teacher, to

see specifically if they had progressed or stayed the same.

4. What instructional methods did you see that you thought were effective?
 The most important lesson I learned is that doing an activity, and more than worksheets,

seemed to be the most effective. I noticed that the more the students were involved in doing

something in the lesson rather than just listening to me talk, the better behaved the students

seemed to be, and the more excited about learning they were. Also, doing more switching what

we were doing throughout the lesson at least one or two times seemed to be effective as the

students didnt have time to get bored or wonder what was coming next.

5. Tell about the progress of the students during your time. Was there progress? Why or why not?

Although I didnt have the students in my group very long (we switched groups a couple

times through the block), I did notice there was progress! Some was more significant than others,

and some showed it on their spelling inventory while I could discern others more while I was

teaching. I think that where students are concerning grade level is where they will stay until they

feel motivated and excited to learn. I saw progress of just being excited about coming to class and

learning that I feel is very critical as it is the first step in learning. I can how a teacher plays an

important role in the students lives though, as the teacher should notice progress not only in the

students formal assessments, but just in class as they teach that student.

6. What did you learn about assessments and their relationship to instruction? How do you plan to

use assessments in your future classroom?

Assessments should drive instruction! If a teacher can visibly a students mistakes and correct

answers according to a formal inventory, then the teacher will know EXACTLY what to teach.

What teacher wouldnt want this? As a teacher, I like having a focus, and being able to know

where the students are in their level of learning, and assessments provide this. Thus, I want to

continue to use both formal and informal assessments in the future as I teach.
7. Explain the student learning you saw happening (ah ha moments, the light bulb came on).

I saw the most student-learning during activities when I asked the students to ponder and

think. I could see them all wondering in their minds, and then as they answered, I would have

them record their answers, hopefully connecting the knowledge they had learned or gained in

their brain. I believe the students also felt smart and happy when I allowed them to think and then

answer, because it was about their ideas, and what they found that matched or answered what we

were talking about.

8. How have you improved as a teacher because of this experience?

I would most definitely say that I have improved as a teacher because of this experience!

It has allowed me to consistently teach the same students, using assessments to drive my constant

instruction, and also learn the importance of classroom management with establishing and then

re-establishing my expectations as the teacher. I feel that I am a better classroom manager, better

at writing lesson plans, and better at implementing them. I also feel that I have learned to use

effective tools and activities to teach, and not just worksheets, but engaging things that involve

them each.

9. Do you feel your cooperative teacher(s) was an effective mentor? Do you have any concerns or

suggestions for future students in this experience?

I do feel that both of my cooperating teachers were effective mentors (Brother Whittier

and Sister Clark)! They were very supportive, and good at communicating with us about our

lessons, how we were doing, and any concerns we had. Sister Clark gave great feedback from

both of my observations, and Brother Whittier always made me feel good about the lessons I was

teaching as he talked to me about what I was doing. I dont have any concerns or suggestions at

this time.