Praxis Reflection

1. When do you plan to take the Praxis II exam for your subject area?

Just after Spring 2011 ends.


2. What is the minimum score that you must earn on the exam to qualify for you initial teaching license?

156


3. Look at the topics covered in your exam. What do you need to to do to fully prepare for the test?

I need to review just about all of my notes from my history classes. The problem History is that it is such a broad topic and there is so much to cover. I will need to review all of my notes and my textbooks that I have kept.

4. Look at the sample questions for your exam. Can you answer them?

Yes, for the most part I can. However when the time comes to take the actual test I will need to do a lot of review.


5. When do you plan to take the Praxis II PLT?

Around the same time as the content Praxis, shortly after it.


6. Look at the topics covered on the Praxis II PLT exam. Compare them with the Table of Contents in your textbook and your syllabi/textbooks for any other Education classes you have taken/are taking. What do you need to do as a student to prepare for this exam?

This is only the second education class that I have taken. I think that I will prepare for this exam much the same way I will prepare for the content area test. I plan on reviewing all my notes and reviewing the text book. One thing that has help me is during summaries of the chapters. This forces me to read and re-read the chapters and pull out the main points and stores the information in my long-term memory more easily.


7. Look at the sample essay and multiple choice questions for the PLT. How does this preview of the test change your perspective of your coursework and how you study?

It doesn't change my perspective. I have found that if I apply the theories on my own then I am more able to remember the theories and should be able to recall them when taking the Praxis.

Testing Reflection

List tests that will impact you and your students. Describe and concerns, fears, or other emotions you may have about these tests. Say anything you want to about them - it won't hurt my feelings! If you will not be teaching a subject that is covered by the tests, how might you support and help prepare the students for this test?

Currently Utah does not do standardized testing for History. I personally am and have always been against standardized testing. I feel that in preparing for a test like this the students are simple being taught how to take a test and not the relevance of concepts. I think this view comes from the fact that I have never been good at taking tests and I usually have had to rely on other projects to keep a passing grade no matter how hard I study. I didn't have to take a standardized test in high school and I have not seen the benefits of making this a requirement. These test are the same however, not all students learn the same. It doesn't mean that the student is not smart. Or that they don't understand the material. Should a student really not be allowed to graduate because the couldn't pass the test but are passing the class? Absolutely not!! I do understand that these test somewhat gauge where the students are as a group but I am not convinced that these tests benefit the students and help the prepare for the college and the real world!

Course Contract Review #2

1. What are you doing well?

Again the only thing that I seem to be doing well is showing up to class and participating. I do pay attention and take notes.

2. What are you not doing well?

This second test was brutal on me. I have never successfully passed a test in the testing center. I should have talked to yo about that sooner but I honestly thought that I would do alright. However after the test I realized that I had forgotten to do a very important study guide. I couldn't figure out why there was no mention of Vygotsky in the study guides. It was because I had mistakenly forgotten the Cognitive Development study guide. At least I know this now and can prepare for the final much better.

3. Are you making sufficient progress on you goals?

No, I feel that I have all but given up on my goals and am just trying to keep my head above water. For some reason this semester just isn't my semester. I usually get A's but this semester I am just trying to pass.

4. List specific things that you need to change in order to meet your goals.

1. I think that first and for most I need to work on my self-efficacy.
2. I need to make sure that all assignments are turned in.
3. I need to make sure that when studying for the final that all my study guides are done.

5. How is your motivation? Are you focusing on mastery or performance goals? Does anything need to change?

My motivation, like I have already mentioned in not doing good. I love being in class, and I do learn a lot, however, once I leave class my motivation goes down the toilet and I am overcome by the want to go play in the sun. I have moved towards focusing on performance goals. Yes, something does need to change and that is mainly my motivation.

Assessment

For each assessment type, explain whether you think it is informal, formal, or both; then explain if you think it is formative, summative or both; then criterion-referenced, norm-referenced, or both. (Hint: your answer will often be it depends, but you'll need to explain). Then, for each assessment type, explain how valid, reliable, fair, and practical it is.

Assessment Types:

Observations:
Informative because the teacher should be observing the students individually. Not all students may grasp each concept. This type of assessment is a formative assessment due to the fact that the teacher should be observing her/his students on a regular basis. This type of assessment will help the teacher tailor the next lesson to what the students have learned and what they still need work on. Not only that, but as mentioned earlier this ongoing assessment will help the teacher to see which of the concepts individual students are comprehending. As far as to whether this type of assessment is a criterion-referenced or norm-referenced assessments I think that the Observation assessment could fall under both categories of reference assessments. On one hand the Criterion-Reference assessment is relevant because not all students learn at the same speed and its important for the teacher to know where each of her/his students are at and what can be done to help them improve. Yet on the other hand the Norm-Referenced assessment can show the teacher where the student is at compared to the other students in the class and what needs to be done to helps the students catch up if they are behind and if they are so far ahead the teacher can do whatever is necessary to help the student keep that momentum and maybe move the student to a more advanced class. Observation is a very important tool that teacher need to be using all throughout the semesters.

• Reliability: This assessment will give the teacher a good idea of where each student is. However the results may not be consistent because the teacher may not be able to see the progress a student is making or has made when the teacher was not observing them.
• Fairness: This is where the teacher can assess each students individual. However, this kind of assessment leaves a lot of room for bias. The teacher could give a student a good grade, even if the student didn't meet all the requirements, simple because the teacher liked the student.
• Validity: This assessment should be aligned with what is being taught in the unit.
• Practicality: This kind of assessment doesn't take extra time after school and grading is minimal since it is an observation.

Self-assessments:
I think that that the Self-assessment is an example of both informal and formal assessments depending on when it is used in a unit. For example, a teacher can use this as an informal assessment periodically throughout the semester to gage where the student is at, what they feel there strengths and weaknesses are and what they can do to improve throughout the remainder of the semester. This is also helpful for the teacher because it is feedback and can help the teacher better tailor his/her lesson plans more appropriately. Then on the other hand it can be used as a formal assessment after a test or a project. This can further show what the student feels they have learned in the unit. This a great way for the student to explain why they feel they should have been graded differently. Sometimes a student can better explain themselves rather then answer multiple-answer test questions. This kind of assessment can be used as both a formative and a summative assessment for the same reasons it can be used as an informal and formal assessment, in my opinion. This type of assessment would work best as a criterion-referenced assessment. This is where the student has the opportunity to explain themselves. There is not really a comparison that is necessary.

• Reliability: The self assessment provides an inner-observer reliability between the teacher and the student. The student will critically evaluate their progress and the teacher can combine that evaluation with their own observance. However, this kind of assessment may not track the students' actual progress. It simply shows where the student feels they are.
• Fairness: Each student will have the same opportunity to assess themselves concerning their own progress. They will have a voice in their grade.
• Validity: This activity may have content validity. It will help students measure their knowledge of a unit, including what areas they understand. However, students may be dishonest by not providing an accurate self-assessment of what they have done thus far in the unit and how hard they are actually working.
• Practicality: This assessment is very easy to grade since there is a right or wrong answer to person's self assessment.

Peer-assessments:
I think that this type of assessment can be both a formal and an informal assessment. For example this can be used as a formal assessment at the end of a group project to assess the participation of each member in a group. It can also be used as an informal assessment throughout the unit when students are writing research papers or working on other papers or projects that the students are working on, they can pass it to their peers for peer-review/peer-assessment. I think that this type of assessment would be best used as a summative assessment. This is the place that the students can describe, from their perspective what went on during group projects preparation and who did what work. The students are usually given guidelines of what to assess their peers on and they are given space to express concern if a student in their group was not participating. The teacher is not able to be around every time a group meets for a group project.

• Reliability: The rubric that will be given is clear and consistent with the subject. Each student's rubric is the same format and has the same questions. However, the results may not be consistent because the teacher may not be able to see the true progress of a student's work. This form of assessment is based on what the other students in the group feel. Rubrics given to the students may be consistent but the responses from the students will vary and there could be some inaccuracies due to biases.
• Fairness: Students have an opportunity to rate each other fairly by sticking to a grading rubric given to them. They will grade each other on a controlled grading chart. This type of assessment may not be very fair because there can be biases involved. If a student does not like another then that student can simply give the other student a zero.
• Validity: The peer assessment is intended to assess whether each student is actively participating in the project. It helps the teacher see what and who is really participating when the teacher is not actually able to be with every group at all times.
• Practicality: This gives the student free reign to express where they felt actual participation lies. There may have been a student that was not willing to help with the project and with this form of assessment it is a practical way for the other students in the group their concerns about who deserves what grade.

Projects:
Projects are informal way to assess that the students are grasping the concepts that they are learning in class and are able to apply them. This type of assessment can be used as either a formative or a summative assessment. I think that a project is more of an example of a summative assessment since projects are usually on a larger scale and require more work and time and encompasses more then one concept. The project can be used as both criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessment. For example the projects that are done individually should be judge individually based on the predetermined criteria yet on the other hand projects that are done in groups, having the final group presentations compared to the other groups presentations may be necessary to judge whether the students as a whole are grasping the concepts that are being taught.

• Reliability: If the project is done consistently what the unit and is clearly stated and laided out for what is expected for each student and/or group then this would be a reliable assessments. However, if some specifics are left up to the students to create presentations with no limits on what they can put in there presentations, some groups may go off on tangents and not cover the subjected asked to cover.
• Fairness: This kind of assessment is a different way for students to express what they have learned. Not all students can take tests well and some can not write papers well but they have the opportunity to express their creative side.
• Validity: Each student is being graded on how well they know the information they are presenting.
• Practicality: When projects are done in groups it cuts down on the amount of projects the teacher has to grade. However, groups might not take advantage of the time given in class and student will spend a lot of tine researching and writing and/or preparing and presenting oral presentations.

Performances:
I think that Performance assessments are more informal and are given throughout the until so they would be formative assessments. This is because the purpose of the performance assessment is to get the students to use the skills they are learning in somewhat of a real life setting. This assessment is a criterion-referenced assessment. It is important that the teacher knows that the students individually are grasping the concepts that are being taught. This is something that, for the most part should be judged/graded on an individual bases.

• Reliability: What is being expected of the students will be stated and laid out clearly.
• Fairness: Every student will have the same access to he school materials and library. Students may be allowed class time to work on this project. However, not all students will have the same access to materials at home.
• Validity: This type of assessment is aligned with the information student will be learning in class. The students will take the information that they have learned in class and apply it.
• Practicality: Students will not only work on this performance assessment during class, but also at home, giving the teacher more time to lecture. However, this assignment could take some students longer then others to finish.

Portfolios:
This is a formal assessment and should be a summative assessment as well. This is where the teacher as well as the student can see first hand what progress has been made. The teacher can also assign reflections, where the student can have a chance to explain why maybe they did bad or good on some assignments. But in all it's a chance to take a look at the over-all progress, whether good or bad, that the student had made. This could be both a criterion-referenced and norm-referenced assessment. The student should be judged individual for hi/her progress based on the assignments that are required to be turned in. It is also a good teacher tool to get the students to take responsibility for saving assignments that are of significant. This assessment can be a norm-referenced assessment because assignments can be compared to others in the class and maybe all students did poorly on a particular assignment and the teacher can either make that assignment worth less points and then raising everyone's score in the class but also its an opportunity for the teacher to be able to modify his/her lesson plans for future classes.

• Reliability: Each student is in charge of their own reflections, so they are able to reflect on their own work.
• Fairness: Students have and equal opportunity to reflect on how they feel about the content, what they have learned and also have the opportunity to redo assignments that they did poorly on in the past concerning the unit. However, some students my have done what they think is their best, but the teacher does not believe it is their best work.
• Validity: The portfolio is valid because it is aligned with the core standards and the assessments they have done throughout the unit.
• Practicality: The portfolio will be easy o implement into a unit and parts of the portfolio will not take the student a long time to complete. However, the portfolios may take a long time to grade.

Tests:
"Test" is such a broad term. There are so many different kinds of tests that can be administered. They can be both formal and informal, formative an summative. The purpose f the test is to determine what the students are learning and what they still need hep leaning. The different kinds of tests throughout the unit will not only benefit the student but the teacher as well. It will give the teacher the knowledge he/she will need to know to better accommodate his/her student's learning patterns and to help try his/her very best to help all the students succeed. This type of assessment can be both criterion-referenced and norm referenced assessments. Its important to see where each student is individually but its also imperative that the teacher knows where his/her students are as a whole, that way he/she can go back and review things/concepts that the students need extra work on.

• Reliability: Test students on the knowledge they actually learned. However, some students may have missed lectures and were not able to get the notes necessary to properly study for tests.
• Fairness: Covers so many different areas and different models of testing (i.e. matching, multiple choice, essay) which will give the student a better chance of doing well in some areas as opposed to others. However, not all students respond to tests the same way.
• Validity: Each student is given the same tests and graded the same.
• Practicality: Tests can be easy to grade if the answer key is already made. However, essay questions can be hard to grade it can be so objective based on how the students retain information.

Field Reponse Journal

Question #5:

Look for examples of inclusion in the classroom. Are there children with special needs that the teacher is accommodation? If so, what special needs do these children have and how are they being addressed? Do you believe the accommodations are appropriate and adequate? Explain.

The majority of the students in the class had IEP and 504s. Most of the students had ADD and other learning disabilities. Because of this there was a lot that the teacher had to do to accommodate these students. He would talk slower and spend more time on topics. He would also make sure that the students all understood the vocabulary. The tests that he would make up would be shorter then the tests for other classes. He would also spend time with the students going over what they missed on the tests and why they missed what they did. Then he would allow the students to fix the mistakes that they made and then turn the test back in and get some extra points. For the learning disabilities that were present. I think that the accommodations were appropriate and adequate because the teacher, in a way forced the students to take responsibility for what they know and what they simply aren't trying to fix.



Question #6:

Look for cultural differences in the classroom. Describe the areas of diversity and explain what is being done to help these students feel accepted and be successful in school. Make connections to suggestions in the textbook.

There were definite cultural differences in the classroom. There were a group of Hispanic children that would typically sit together on the right side of the classroom. They would often speak Spanish to each other. The teacher was both the History teacher and the Spanish teacher so that is my why many of the Spanish speakers were put in his classroom that why if there was something that the students don't understand the teacher could explain it in Spanish. The good thing about having so many with similar cultures in the same classroom is that there was a sense of comfort for the students. I think that if there was only one or two Spanish speaker the students may be less likely to participate so to not having that necessary comfort level. They would often chose to be in the same groups when asked to get into small groups for activities.

Multiple Intelligences Test

Do you feel that they are accurate? Why or why not?
I absolutely think that this is accurate. Music has always been something that has been a big part of me. This is why it is one my minors and I look forward to teaching it. When I was in high school, music was something that I was really good at and I loved it. My second highest was body smart. I love getting up and moving. I didn't really start getting into sports until I was in college. But when I am teaching I love doing things that make the kids get up and move around.

How might you use your results to better study for this and other courses?
I think that this kind of test is good because it shows me what areas I learn best. Even though I already know, it's good to see all different sides of my learning.

Would you use a test like this with your future students? Why or why not?
I would defiantly test my students to see how they learn. I think that it would be good to be able to see how they learn so that I can tailor my lessons appropriately. That way I would be able to incorporate all the different leaning styles.

Course Contract Review #1

1. What are you doing well?

I think that the only real thing that I'm doing well on is making to every class. I can say that I have made it a priority to make it class every class period this semester and that I have achieved so far.

2. What are you not doing well?

For some reason I am struggling with the work load. I thought that since I didn't have work to bother me and I could focus on my studies. However, I find that I am falling behind. I struggle with taking tests usually so it was no wonder that I only scored a 77 on the first test. I find that I never test well and I have to rely on other projects to raise my grade.

3. Are you making sufficient progress on your goals?

I would have to say that No, I am not making sufficient progress on my goals. But it's good to take a look at my current progress and see where I need to go from here.

4. List specific things you need to change in order to meet your goals.

• I need to better manage my time
• I need to really make school a priority for the next 5 weeks
• I need to make sure that I get everything done
• I need to spend more time studying!

5. How is you motivation? Are you focusing on master or performance goals? Does anything need to change?

I'm afraid I ave no motivation this semester. I think it has something to do with the fact that I am tired of school and would very much like a break. However I need to realize that choose this and it's important for my success and I need to make school these next 5 weeks a priority.