Chapter 8: Expanded Performance Assessment Laura Friesen March 12, 2014 Jamie-Dee EDPY 303
I don’t know if I ever experienced an expanded performance task in my schooling, but I think it would be a valuable experience. I found that the topic of expanded performance assessment is almost identical to performance assessment except that expanded performance requires more time and deeper thinking as it is a process of many parts. Performance assessment may only focus on one performance; whereas, expanded performance may focus on many to achieve a greater understanding. Our team, freedom five, or, better known as, Kyle and the getter’ done girls, work really well together. We all have different strengths and weaknesses, but we accommodate each other to present our best. We meet twice a week to work on projects such as our team teaching for chapter eight. This means that we do not divide and conquer; rather, we all work together, bounce ideas off of each other, and learn from each other. As for our actual presentation, I felt that we were very well prepared and rehearsed. We had done a run through of our presentation twice before we actually came to class. Even though that Wednesday was exceptionally busy as we had our math teaching assignment at Westpark we still presented with energy and enthusiasm. Our team had also sent our homework questions to you in order to receive formative feedback, and with that feedback we made the necessary changes.
We chose to do ‘dragons den’ as our expanded performance assessment to give a taste of what this could look like. Although, a con would be that it could not be a true replica, as we did not have the time to choose a problem or build the criteria with the class. In a ‘real’ classroom setting a lot more time would be taken on the project, it would be a lot deeper and clearer. Another con for the dragon’s den formative assessment was that when Kyle was explaining the activity he gave an example of global warming, but did not clarify that it was just an example. This made the activity a little confusing right from the beginning. As well as there was some confusion of the actual guidelines of the activity and what we were looking for. The pros to using dragon’s den as a formative assessment are that it is an active and engaging activity. It also can be seen as a real life activity as students have to present their ideas to a panel of judges, just as in dragon’s den, or to a teacher, or even in an interview later on in life. If it is executed well, dragon’s den is an excellent assessment tool. There are definitely benefits to having students become the ‘expert’ and teach as it increases their learning and confidence in front of peers. When students are asked to present, it is of upmost importance that they are given the chance and trust to complete their presentation without being interrupted. If material is missed, that can be covered afterwards, or it becomes the students’ problem for not reading the chapter. If material is confusing, it is up to the presenters to make it clear and understandable. This was a learning experience as any teaching experience is, as that is really how I learn, by experience. Furthermore, assessment is not an easy feat, and by creating two assessment pieces for chapter eight really shows that. It also gave practice for the creation and thought that has to go into them as well as the feedback portion. I am glad that I have such a supportive and hard-working team, it made the project that much easier and smooth.