keri_journal1

Journal 1

Keri Abramowicz Dr. Pete Adamy EDC 452 Assessment Journal #1

Pre-assessment

In my first grade practicum placement, I have observed my cooperating teacher’s use of pre-assessment before a unit on geometric shapes. Pre-assessment is a good tool for teachers because it enables them to get an idea of the students prior knowledge. It helps them see what has been retained, what needs to be reviewed, emphasized, or be taught. The pre-assessment was given to the students and it was a worksheet that had pictures of different geometric shapes (trapezoid, circle, triangle, rectangle, rhombus, parallelogram, etc.) and a word bank at the top to help with the terms and spelling. My cooperating teacher informed the students that the pre-assessment worksheet was not a test, however that they should try their best. The worksheet contained approximately ten different geometric shapes for the students to label.

After the implementation of the assessment, it was found that the pre-assessment was very effective in determining students prior knowledge regarding geometric shapes. I sat down with my cooperating teacher and went over the pre-assessment worksheets and we concluded that most of the students had some basic knowledge on the shapes, that they knew the terminology of the basic shapes and how to label them. The shapes that they could easily identify were triangles, squares, and circles. However, when the worksheet got more complex with trapezoids, rhombuses, and parallelograms, the students seemed to have more difficulty identifying them correctly. In general, many of the students got squares and rhombuses mixed up, rectangles and parallelograms, etc. This showed my cooperating teacher that most of the students have never been exposed to the terminology of the more complex geometric shapes which informed her that the geometry unit should introduce them for the first time. Moreover, my teacher would need to emphasize and focus more on those geometric shapes and the differences between them. It was also noted that some of the students would mix up squares, rectangles, and rhombuses because they are all somewhat similar, so she would emphasize the important differences between them. The pre-assessment tool helped my teacher design the geometry unit so that it accurately reflected the students knowledge and where she needs to focus and build more knowledge. After the pre-assessment, my teacher introduced the unit by having the students sit in a circle on the floor with a bucket of geometric shapes. She would review each shape individually, having all the students repeat the name of the shape after her. After the review, she would say the name of a shape and have the students pick out the corresponding shape and hold it up in the air and say the name. She also gave each student a small whiteboard to draw out the shapes. Overall, the pre-assessment tool was helpful in identifying what the students already knew, what she needs to introduce for the first time, and what needs to be emphasized. It helps my cooperating teacher know what is appropriate for the students and helps her to create a unit that accurately reflects the students level. Also, I think ongoing assessment during the unit is critical so that the teacher knows where to go next, where she needs to spend more time, and if the students are grasping the material, which my cooperating teacher does very well.

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