Testing Testing 1...2...3...

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Testing has become a hot bed issue in education.  These student tests affect the way, districts, cities, states, and countries make decisions about schools.  Teachers are told that there are many ways to assess students, but testing has become the only way that assessments are done for more than mere classroom use.  The main reason given for this is that testing is the only "objective" way to assess students.  That may be so.  Most other forms of assessment do rely upon judgement even with the use of a rubric.  The main problem is that these objective forms of assessment miss so much.

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Students can be taught test taking skills that will make them skilled at taking multiple choice tests.  Other students will struggle to show their deep knowledge of a subject due to their inability to sit and take a test for long periods of time.  Others will lack the reading ability to complete a written math test.  

New forms of testing, including those done online for common core standards, require students to do more than fill in a bubble for each question.  This can lead to even more difficulties.  Many students have not had access to these levels of technology in the classroom.  They may be able to do the math, but they have never graphed a linear equation on a computer.  This causes two different things to be assessed at once students knowledge of the subject matter and students abilities in taking technology based tests.  This is not especially objective either.  

One of the goals of testing is to get an objective baseline for student knowledge.  Testing is the easiest way to gather data, but it does not assess everything a student needs to be successful.  Testing creates problems for some students that accommodations cannot overcome.  More authentic assessments such as project, portfolio or performance based may be less objective, but they are more likely to show to skills and knowledge of the whole child.  

So, how do we use these more effective methods of assessment to compare schools and judge teacher effectiveness and the many other things that standardized testing does now?  No one seems to have a good idea about that.  Hopefully as assessment technology improves and the dialogue opens between test creators and educators a solution can be found.

Technology-Infused Classrooms

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Twenty years ago, most classrooms contained at best one teacher computer and a television. Forty years ago, there might have been a movie projector.  Today, the kinds of technology found in an average classroom are varied and numerous.  There is specialized technology designed to help those with special needs, technology designed to help the teacher present knowledge, technology to help monitor behavior and more.  The level of technology is every growing and changing and will likely only increase in the future.                                    

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As any good teacher can explain, simply having technology is not the same as having a technology infused classroom.  Just as having a classroom library does not make students literate, teachers must use the technology as a regular part of classroom learning.  Technology can add flavor and excitement to a variety of classroom experiences.  It can support and enliven nearly any learning topic while also providing students with the skills they need to be prepared for their futures.  

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In order to infuse technology in my classroom, I started by adding technology to every lesson plan.  This often started by having a Smartboard component to every lesson.  This is a great place to start because teachers already use their dry erase or chalk board, so this is not too much of a stretch.  The Smartboard can be used as a simple writing board, but as a teachers skill level grows, they find that the interactive components will smoothly add to any lesson.  From there, I grew frustrated with only having one student interactive at a time.  That is where the individual student computers come into place.  Using the student computers, 6 students, or 12 working in pairs could interact with the technology at once.  Technology can be used in small groups, by individuals, or whole group.  It can be a main component of any portion of a lesson plan.  The point is that it must be used, and students must be actively engaged in its use

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Visual Literacy and the Internet

The internet is a loud, colorful, vivid and exciting visual tool for learning.  As any Google user can verify, the internet can also be a confusing muddled source of misinformation and troubling facts.  For teachers, the internet can be a wonderful teaching tool or a digital minefield.  The truth is that the internet is not longer an optional teaching tool nor is it a passing fad.  If nothing else, students need to learn to use the internet wisely.

 Using Visuals

Students have multiple intelligences when it comes to learning.  Visual learners learn best when the information is presented using photographs, illustrations, graphics or other visual media. At my school, one of the first ways we were taught to engage those visual learners was through picture word walls.  Nearly every word on the word wall also contains an image that suggests the word's meaning.  The pictures have the added benefit of creating a visually stimulating environment.  

Visuals can also be used to engage the students' imagination.  In our writers workshop, students use visuals to stimulate a variety of free writing activities including short stories, news articles, and vivid descriptions.  One place that visuals are absolutely essential is in science.  In science, students are asked to study many subjects that could not possibly be brought into the classroom.  Visuals including animation and video allow teachers to bring the world to their students.

The Internet

Teachers want to prepare students for their futures.  The problem is that the future is changing so rapidly it is nearly impossible to predict the skills and knowledge that they will need.  The internet allows teachers to help students become self guided learners.  I want my students to learn how to learn.  Students need to learn digital citizenship, research skills, and the ability to communicate their thoughts to a variety of audiences.  In my classroom, the internet gives me the ability of differentiate learning to meet the needs of my students.  I know longer have a single text book with which to reach 32 different minds.  I can now find the resources and tools needed to meet students on their level and help them to grow.

Instructional Strategies in the 21st Century

Anyone who has taught a classroom of students quickly realizes one very basic fact.  All students are not the same.  Student approach learning in a variety of ways.  They have varying interests, attention spans, and learning styles.  Because of this, teachers need to be prepared to use a variety of instructional strategies in the classroom.  View the video below for more information about Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences.

A New Kind of Learner

21st century students are not content to sit as sponges and absorb information from the teacher.  Students as young as kindergarten are used to gaining knowledge for themselves through exploration, discussion, problem solving, and yes, even through technology.  

By utilizing a variety of instructional strategies, teachers can reach all of the students in the classroom.  Technology allows teachers to differentiate the instruction to meet the needs of many types of learners at once.  Technology can be utilized to improve teaching no matter the instructor's personal educational philosophy.  Lectures can be improved with Powerpoints and videos.  Demonstrations become more easily viewed when witnessed through a document camera or projector.  Even practice and drill can become a fun part of the day when computer games are the method rather than flashcards.  

Technology itself it extremely adaptable; which makes it the perfect tool for adaptable teaching.  Technology allows teaching to become more student centered rather than teacher centered.  The most important piece of developing this differentiated classroom is having a team of teachers.  This style of teaching cannot be done alone as the planning requires more preparation.  Teams of teachers sharing ideas will be more effective in reaching every one of our 21st century learners.