19/Jan/2011 09:30 PM
One of the activities we had to complete for the Assessment in E-Learning course was to complete an interactive survey of our understanding of teacher-centered or learner-centered assessment. After completing the survey, I wasn’t surprised that most of my responses matched with the learner-centered style of assessment. My undergraduate teacher education courses in science were centered on the constructivist model for learning. That was way back in the mid-80’s, right after the influential study, A Nation at Risk, was released. The study basically said that education in America was broken and that to stay competitive with the world, it must change.
One of the reforms it ushered in at my university was a “paradigm shift” in how science should be taught. The jargon that we used at the time was, “hands-on,” “experimental,” and “student exploration.” From that experience, I put those ideas into action in my own teaching. I soon realized how powerful the constructivist model of learning can be for students. I even structured student assessments to be learner-centered through lab practicals and products.
One area in the survey that didn’t match up was, “Assessment is used to monitor learning.” Monitoring student learning is absolutely critical to drive instruction. I also didn’t select, “Emphasis is on generating better questions and learning from errors.” While I tend to be more learner-centered with my assessments, they don’t always match up with the national drive for high-stakes tests that have become so prevalent. Tags: assessment, teacher-centered, learner-centered
