Twelfth Teaching Reflection

Phew, it sure has been an exhausting day in the great Northern tundra! Anyway, on to the teaching reflection.............

Soon enough Brett and I (mostly me) will be writing the final exam for IPC 102. Of course I'm not extremely excited about this, but I think that we have a great way of collaborating with the TAs. Building on the approach taken last year (that didn't work very well) and with our experience with writing the midterm, I think that we will be able to construct an assessment that will prevent grade inflation, allow everyone to feel as if they have contributed, and also provide for an originality/challenge that the students will benefit from.

So I thought that I should consider these types of tests more thoroughly. A popular question in a class of this nature where public speaking is supposed to be the focus is: "Why do we take tests?" As I have gained experience as a teacher, I have come to realize the importance of appropriate assessment as both a guide to instructional planning and a tool to improve instruction along the way. When planned properly, educational challenges begin with assessments, and then instruction is plotted to achieve the desired goals that are to be assessed; thus, students are constantly being prepared to succeed on the assessments, which are designed to reflect the knowledge and skills that are the basis of the concepts conveyed. Furthermore, when administered correctly, tests, exams and the like can provide teachers not only with a barometer of student success, but also of their own execution in teaching the desired material. When students fail to demonstrate mastery of certain skills or concepts, a teacher can then alter her/his instruction to better serve those deficiencies, ensuring a more complete education for the students.

Taking all of this into consideration, it is A MAJOR CHALLENGE (virtually impossible really) to write a test that will be administered to 28 sections of the same class and have it received properly by TAs and students alike. Some think it's too hard or too easy, yet it's important for teachers to refrain from “teaching to the test” in terms of creating assessments that reflect the target concepts and skills of a chapter. Our intent is to meet the course objectives while also challenging everyone involved to be more aware of the practical, applicable aspects of effective communication tactics as well as basic public speaking skills.

I think that writing a useful assessment like a test, quiz, or exam can be comparable to an art form if we contemplate the intricacies of the thought involved. Anyway, time to go find KWKE. He's the only one that can offer any intelligent conversation up in this piece. Clinkies drinkies!