Week 7: The Future of ID in Instructional Technology

I have to say that this was my favourite week for the readings and online discussions.  Thinking about the movement of education in the future is exciting and at the same time very daunting.

Paradigm Shift.  Digital Image.  Davinci Institute.  Web.  June 25, 2013

The readings for the week revolved around assessment, in particular assessment for constructivist outcomes.  Due to the nature of constructivism, the assessment becomes a lot less measurable.  The important questions asked were whether there is a difference between constructivist and non-constructivist outcomes and how we feel about implementing these in our classrooms.

My first response is that assessing constructivist outcomes is extremely difficult.  Constructivist learning is based on experiential learning and therefore the assessment needs to be based on the process and show a deeper understanding.  Traditional outcomes are based on fact and show an understanding on a superficial level.  Due to the system that is currently in place in our schools, I feel that these types of outcomes and assessments have no place.  Because we are required to produce a mark that is a measurement of what students know about very specific out the school boards and department of education, I am not comfortable assessing constructivist learning and having to produce a single number about what the students know.

In theory I love the idea of constructivist learning.  In principle, it would be amazing if we didn't even have to give marks.  Students would focus on learning instead of the mark and I assure you that more learning would take place.  One type of assessment that I focused on in the readings was the idea of a portfolio.  It would be great for students to create a portfolio to track what exactly they have learned.  You could assess student learning on an ongoing basis and at the end have a product that would demonstrate student knowledge.

My only issue with this concept is that it doesn't lend itself to producing a grade.  I have yet to find a way to do such a project and produce a grade that is truly measurable of student knowledge.  When I have done these projects in the past (or even group work for that fact), I always get the feeling that the marks are not indicative what the students really know.

Because of my indecisiveness about these two different outcomes and assessments, I went on a rant in the discussion forums.  I feel as though we are constantly push towards professional growth, but are not  giving the resources or even the structure to do so.  The boards constantly want data collected to support student learning and the growth of the teachers, but new learning theories, such as constructivism, don't support data collection.  We must be trusted as professionals to do our job, which involves improving student learning and professional growth.