4. Assessment Using ICT

The world as we know it is changing! As hopefully you have read in a previous blog 'The Current Trends of IT' (if not I encourage you to read that first) our world is changing around us, the way we live, do business and function is changing with the introduction of IT and technology. Similarly our entire school system is changing as well. Teachers are facing an ever changing battle front in communication, teaching and most importantly assessment.

The traditional form of teaching involved the teacher having some lesson plan of which they would speak to students seated in rows, taking notes and remembering what the teacher would say. Usually following this either homework or an activity would be given out. Students were required to complete this and then return on the next day with questions on concepts that they didn't understand.
At the end of a term or semester students either had to then complete an assignment or an exam, one piece of assessment which would determine their overall grade and understanding of what was taught to them. The trouble with this teaching method is it is very hard to gauge a student's actually ability. Some students may excel in exams and not assignments, other may prosper in note taking and others in hands on activities, whilst other students might struggle with a concept and be left behind and others may excel in a concept and want to move on. All of these contrasting elements to the class leave the class divided and the teacher none the wiser to the divide. Why? That is because the teacher was unable to accurately tell which students struggled where and with what concept.

Traditional teaching method

(Sally Sutton, Warner College of Natural Resources,
teaching the class on the geosciences of natural gas, n.d.)

 

The new teaching method, also sometimes referred to as the flipped classroom model, is as its name suggests a flipped classroom. Students are potentially taught some basic concepts which can be studied at home to start, after which videos, online tutorials and other media on the Internet (set by the teacher) is to be viewed and understood all thanks to the availability of ICT. Miniature assessments are usually set (i.e. practice problems for various concepts) for students to practice online. The teacher with access to these assessment and results of students can see which students are falling behind, which are ahead and which are average. If the whole class falls behind on a concept the teacher can then choose to spend more time on it, and if the class understands it completely the teacher can quickly go through it or skip it entirely. Another benefit is that the student doesn't have to own up to falling behind, it is kept confidential and the teacher can pair students who are excelling with those struggling in a form of collaborative learning (see my other blog 'WIKI's and collaborative learning' for more) as students often understand a concept better coming from a person of the same mental level.
With this new form of assessment it also encourages more fun in the classroom, students attempt questions at home and can come back to class with different questions, say in science a student wonders what happens if a flower is put in liquid nitrogen, well then a teacher can plan an experiment for this and the class can have fun and the teacher is promoting a higher level of deep thought and understanding of a concept.
Below is a video of Salman Kahn and Kahn Academy's new advances hoping to change the way we think of traditional education.

(Cisco, 2013)
A flipped classroom is the new way of teaching. The popplet link below outlines some of the major differences between these two teaching types.

popplet link: http://popplet.com/app/#/1036782 (Libby, 2013)


The new method of teaching is not only beneficial for the students but also the teachers. Through this new form of teaching everyone learns, benefits and furthermore the fact that most of it is web-based means that is can be shared, forwarded, links and commented on by anyone allowing for further improvement. It is true then that our world is changing and faster than we would probably like to admit, but we are ready, with advances in technology there can only be advances in teaching, in assessment, in communication and in life. This is why I recommend that we as teachers, past, present and future rethink the way we think of education and change the way the tomorrows students think of the world.