keri_journal2

Keri Abramowicz Dr. Pete Adamy EDC 452 Assessment Journal #2

Informal Assessment

In my practicum placement, my teacher does many informal assessments in her first grade class. This includes observing students while they read with partners as well as through discussion after they read. The students are usually partnered up based on their reading ability. The students who struggle with reading are usually partnered with a peer who is more advanced in reading so that they can serve as a model and provide encouragement and help. My teacher walks around, recording notes as she briefly listens to the students as they read. Not only does she do this, but she also has one-on-one reading with the students multiple times a week in which she listens to the students read as she probes them with questions and discusses the book with them. By observing the students and jotting down notes while they read, she can make mental notes as well as have concrete data written down for their personal folders. Reading is such a valuable skill to begin developing at this grade level and my cooperating teacher emphasizes the importance very often, and encourages her students to be actively engaged in the process. She incorporates topics that are fun and keep interested at a peak, and integrates fun activities to get the students excited to learn through reading. She tries to make everyone feel comfortable reading and always gives positive reinforcement for her students’ efforts.

Overall, I think it is very important to use informal assessment in the classroom. I will definitely incorporate it into all subject areas in my own classroom in the future. However, when it comes to reading, I think it deserves more attention. I think informal assessment is a good tool to use, but should be used in addition to deeper assessments as well. It is hard to get accurate and valid conclusions about what students know and can do by observing for such a brief period of time. With this said, my cooperating teacher does set up one-on-one time with her students in which they read to her directly, which I believe is a very good way to see where the students are in relation to their reading level.

<< Back to EDC 452 home page << Section 2 << Keri's Journals