Module 3

 Module was a really good refresher and reminder for me as I worked through it. Especially the part where we went back over the differences of Assessment As, For and Of learning. This is an area in my teaching practices that I am still learning to properly implement in my classroom. I find that assessment OF learning is the easiest to understand as it is simply put, the physical product of the students achievements and work. I do get assessment AS learning and FOR learning backwards sometimes, so it was really helpful to look back over the guidelines again and re-familiarize myself with the information and the importance of including both in my practices. I find that this is particularly helpful when looking at the discussion on triangulating assessment and student work.

I really enjoyed going back over the Fundamental Principles in the Classroom. Putting self-reflection into my teaching practices, both for me and for my students, is a large part of my practices. I found it really refreshing that, since it is a part of my practice that I am working really hard to make sure I 'perfect' and consider to integral to the students learning. I was talking to a friend the other day who was a bit closed off to the idea of self-reflection, but once I was able to explain the importance to her her whole mindset around it had shifted, which is what my goal is within my classroom.

One of the main things that I remember from teachers college is the concept of backwards design. I am someone who tends to struggle with finding the direction for where I want to go with my thinking and planning, and the design down planning has actually really helped me to be able to put a direction to my planning and teaching. It helps me to plan out my lessons and to structure the way that I want to scaffold my lessons on top of each other to guide the students to the end product that I am hoping for them to be able to combine all the information together to create a final product of their learning. My unit break down of the lessons that I use in order to guide the students into being able to create their own workout routine. I have found that providing the tools and the guidance will allow the students to make their own decisions and use their own problem solving skills to put the information together and come up with their own interpretation of the material.

I find that differentiated instruction can sometimes be tricky to fully and properly implement within a class, especially to make sure the students don't feel as though they are being treated differently or that you are not being taken advantage of by students abusing their IEP. However, once I have figured out that balance, I do recognize and understand the purpose of DI and I liked that we looked at it from a point where assessment for and as learning can possibly be used as a formal assessment in order to meet the needs of a student. My biggest takeaway with this activity was the understanding that students don't need to fully create and/or design an assessment of learning if they are able to express their learning through other methods. The important part of this is that I need to remember at the end of the day it is about the students ability to demonstrate and show their learning in the best manner that is appropriate to them.

I also really found the work we did on closing the achievement gap really interesting. There is an unfortunate trend in the education system that Health and Physical Education classes are being put on the back burner in an effort to push more 'academic' classes. So I think that through focusing on various ways to help our students to become more engaged in the material and to take on a more active role with their learning, we can look to bridge the gap and bring about a change in the numbers that are seen in HPE classes and ideally an increase in sections needed because more of our students are taking an interest in their health and well-being. I really enjoyed learning about how to bridge the gap but increasing the involvement of parents/guardians and community stakeholders. Creating my infographic on the advantages of parental/guardian engagement in education really opened my eyes to how much their involvement can help their students. I especially enjoyed reading about how the reason why there is a gap is because the parents/guardians themselves are not education in the language of learning, and it is through the collaborative efforts between the school and the home can help to show and teach the students that education is not a 'bad' thing and that it can be enjoyable.

As per the example I used, the unit culminating assignment asking the students to create a Bill Nye the Science Guy style video, I have shown that I take into account the various strengths and weaknesses of the students within my class and include different components within my assessment tools when evaluating their learning in the unit. It has also shown me that there are still some areas that I can work on developing, such as using the achievement chart terminology and double checking to ensure that all my ducks align with the achievement chart and Growing Success, but it was really good welcomed feedback. I ask for feedback quite frequently and when it comes to my assessments, I do like to ensure that I am being fair and equitable with what I am asking of the students and it has been really helpful to look back over what I am doing to evaluate whether or not it aligns with the expectations within Growing Success.