assessment.journal1

I work in a 6th grade classroom on Friday mornings. I see mostly math with two different classes, (because they do switch, and usually do the same activities although they are very different students.) If the entire class finishes going over their math homework due that day then they have time available for their math games. The teacher has many games available but on certain Fridays, including this past week, the students all have to participate in the same game that helps them focus on what the class is working on. During this week, the teacher assigned two small groups of students who were struggling in this subject, each one to work with a student teacher, and the other kids broke down into their own groups. The kids played a board game that involved fractions, adding, subtracting, and finding the lowest common denominator. I specifically was working with a group of a few girls who were having a difficult time with fractions, and throughout the game they would have to do a problem on a worksheet, adding and subtracting fractions. The classroom teacher would walk around the classroom so he could observe how all of the students were doing. The teacher uses groups a lot for assessment because at this age the students are very concerned about what their peers think about them. It motivates them to do well when it involves their friends. Although they did not receive grades while playing the games, their friends could still see how they were performing with fractions. These games not only allowed students practice with fractions; however their peers would check to make sure they were doing the problems correctly as well. While I feel it is a good exercise for the students, I am not sure if it is the best way to assess them. However, it is almost a reward for the students and the teacher can still assess the students while they’re enjoying their math practice which is a positive experience. I think it is important to keep in mind that this is only one way the students are assessed in their fractions, this is not their test but more of a pre-test so the teacher knows where each of the students’ are at, and will know what to work on before they are tested. I do feel that the students work better together. From what I have seen in the semester because many of the students do not care about their own grades but do care about what others’ think. When they have to do math problems individually but with their friends, they seem to really try. I also think that while the teacher may not have seen every individual student try to do the math problems, however instead of having a worksheet to see what problems they did correctly, he can what the students are doing incorrectly or what they are having problems with. This will help with future lessons so that when they do have a test in fractions they will do better.

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