Reflection Paper for Classroom Environmental management

Reflection Paper April 2018

The module began with assessing the current teaching approach deployed by

teachers in class. As such, I noted that teachers are using theory for grading the students

instead of evaluating their practical skills. The pre-assessment given at the inception of

this module showed that only 18% of the 26 students in my manufacturing class scored at

the proficiency level while 70% of the students score at a lower level between 59 percent

and Zero. Based on this data, I found it necessary to assess my students using Portfolio

Assessment rubrics. This assessment been used before solely focused on the theoretical

assumptions taught in class while neglecting the practical skills. In this regard, the

portfolio needs to be changed to incorporate the practical skills. Thus, the portfolio will

be structured to integrate practical assessment for grading the students’ performance.

Besides, the evaluation approach has to be changed from a system that solely assesses the

student’s knowledge to one that can evaluate the student’s competence and abilities. The

portfolio assessment is a collection of purposeful documents that gives the outlay on how

tasks are completed and competence amongst the learners is developed. Interest in using

portfolio assessment in the class is developed as part of moving away from the traditional

approach used by instructors on grading based on theory rather than ascertaining the

student’s practical skills. In the past, the students have been assessed through the class-

based teaching practice to prove that they had acquired the skills relayed by the

instructor. It is through this that I felt the teaching approach was not sufficient to enable

the learners to grasp the required competence and skills. To solve the issue of enhancing

teaching and learning, I think it is important for the teachers to practice the assessment

through the use of a portfolio with a different module, practicum. The integration of

practicum module for assessing the students is important as this enables the learner to

acquire specific techniques that are imperative for future success. Additionally, there are

some techniques that can be learned through actual experience. While theoretical

teaching might have been ideal in the past, the students should be assessed based on their

practical skills as it enhances a deeper understanding of concepts through personal

experience.

Notably, when I came in, the students had a problem with articulating what they

know with the actual practical application of concept taught in class to solving regular

daily problems. After this, I sought to create an assessment that would integrate the

practical skills of the learners during the evaluation. Primarily, I noted that using a

portfolio assessment rubric would be effective for grading the class as it justifies their

competence and abilities. To design an effective assessment that is in line with this goal, I

conducted research whereby I came across numerous sources about the use of portfolio

assessment rubric to evaluate student performance. I began with The Use of Portfolio to

Assess Student’s Performance by Osman Birgin and Adnan Baki. According to Birgin

and Baki, (2007), recent educational developments such as the advent of multiple

intelligence theories have heightened the rapid change in traditional approaches to

teaching and assessing. While the educational developments have been enhanced by

societal changes, it is imperative to acknowledge that the traditional learning approach

has been altered.

Outstandingly, theories such as constructivism have facilitated the radical change

in learning approaches, both in teaching and assessments. For instance, the main

objective of the earlier educational approach is enabling the learners to know about a

certain domain. In this instance, learning the basic knowledge was considered important

which is in line with the behaviorist approach. In the traditional instructional approach,

knowledge is abstracted whereby both learning and teaching are perceived as an

individual process. Besides, learning is perceived as the accumulation of the stimulus-

response association. Considerably, both drills and practice are important aspects of this

process. Significantly, the assessment practice is mainly based on the testing acquisition

of basic knowledge. Despite this, this traditional approach merely promotes memorizing

of the rules or algorithms by the learners rather than conceptual comprehension of

discrete components of the domain. Additionally, the assessments provide less

understanding of the student’s comprehension of high order cognitive skills such as

critical thinking, problem solving and reasoning.

Contrary, the constructivism theory that is based on Piaget’s and Vygotsky

presume that learners should acquire and socially construct their knowledge and

comprehension. Notably, this approach pays more attention to the student’s problem-

solving skills and collaborative learning. As such, the portfolio assessment rubric offers a

wide range of assessment tools for evaluating the student’s practical skills that are

imperative in the learning process. For example, the manufacturing class students will be

required to apply the knowledge gained in solving new problems. Furthermore, the

constructivist epistemology heightens the need for assessing the student’s individual

performance and group performance together to better their learning experience.

Nowadays, social trends have mounted pressure on the learners who are required to

possess more practical and cognitive skills. With the new trends, educational

improvements are focused on strengthening the learning environment. For this reason,

alternative and effective assessment approaches are required to evaluate the teaching

outcomes. Primarily, this was achieved by modifying the portfolio rubric used to assess

the learners. As such, new standards was used on modifying the portfolio by integrating

new approaches such as multiple pre and post assessment tools for the mathematics and

physics component was built in to including oral, written and demonstration formats. To

ensure that the assessment contributes to the student’s learning, they will be focused on

evaluating what the student’s know and what they fall short of. Therefore, the use of a

modified portfolio rubric is imperative as it provides clear information on the students’

progress to enable the teachers to plan their teaching approaches.

The authors have highlighted the importance of using an alternative assessment

process to better the teaching and learning of the students in the class. An important

aspect of the use of the portfolio assessment rubric is determining the best criteria for

evaluating the student’s performance. As highlighted, the theoretical approach deployed

by the instructors does not provide an effective reflection about the student’s

comprehension of important concepts in the manufacturing class. With this, the portfolio

assessment will be focusing on the acquisition of practical skills by the students. This

assessment criterion was used to determine the quality of performance by the student

which is easy to understand. Besides, the rubric was also used to ascertain the quality of

the evidence presented in the portfolio relative to student performance. Significantly, this

makes the assessment not only reliable but also valid.

Similarly, I came across Using portfolio assessment as an innovation to assess

problem-based learning in Hong Kong schools by Sharon Lynne Bryant and Andrew

Anthony Timmins. The author's highlight on how Problem-Solving Learners in Hong

Kong were required to prove that they had grasped the content related to being a

successful teacher. By using the portfolio assessment rubric, the learners were assessed

on how well they understood information through the use of a practical module. Notably,

the lecturer sessions were guided through the use of these assessments by an agreed set of

rubrics. Through this, the portfolio assessment was used to improve the teaching practice

of the students. Besides, the instructors obtained feedback from the students through

which they use to modify their module content and instruction. Therefore, educational

work accomplished through teaching practical skills is deemed important to improve the

learning outcomes of the students. While the portfolio will be modified by integrating the

assessment of practical skills, it is imperative to take into consideration the student’s

feedback. It is through this that I intend to incorporate feedback from the learners to

better modify the portfolio assessment rubric feature the important aspects highlighted.

Therefore, using feedback to improve teaching and learning is vital as it dictates how to

modify better the portfolio. Additionally, obtaining continues feedback from the students

will enable them to reflect on their studies and review their progress. Primarily, this is

enhanced by the fact that it provides visual and dynamic proofs of the student’s skills

development, success, and weaknesses that need improvement. As such, not only does

the portfolio assessment rubric provide me the opportunity to have a different perspective

in the teaching process, but also enables students to reflect on their skills and offer

feedback for improving the teaching and learning outcomes.

While reading the professional texts, I came across the sociocultural theory that

focusses on key aspects of knowledge and learning that should be situated, mediated and

dependent on practical participation. Often, these learning aspects are perceived to be of

importance in the organizational setting rather than institutional settings. However, this is

not the case as a practical participation of the students improves both teaching and

learning outcomes. The use of portfolio assessment rubric is important as it will also

improve self-assessment skills of the students. This approach enables them to monitor

their learning progress, understand their strengths and weakness that can be used to better

inform the instructional design adopted by the teachers. By being aware of the learning

progress, the students will be required to provide feedback which will be used to design

the instructions in accordance with their needs.

Therefore, I will modify the portfolio rubric being used for student assessment in

my manufacturing class as continuous feedback is obtained from the students.

Additionally, the sociocultural perspective governs the understanding and practice of the

assessment. This means that the instructors and the students will be well-informed about

the teaching and learning outcomes expected in class. Through this, the portfolio can be

modified by integrating important aspects that are highlighted both from the feedback or

learned through its continuous practice. By modifying the portfolio, I will facilitate the

need to evaluate the practical skills of the learners rather than merely explaining

theoretical perspectives.

In addition to the professional texts that I have read regarding the importance of

portfolio assessment rubric, I intend to observe other teachers and see how I will learn

within their class to integrate physics, math, and marketing into the portfolio assessment

rubric. Often, instructors have different teaching approaches, all of which improve

learning outcomes for the students. Subsequently, it is important to acknowledge that

different subjects are characterized by different instructional designs. For example,

demonstration of formats is imperative in the mathematics and physics classes. These

approaches differ to that of the marketing class. As such, the portfolio should be

comprehensive enough by covering important teaching and learning approaches that can

be effective for the different subjects. Furthermore, this highlights the need for additional

modification of the portfolio to accommodate the different learning styles for the various

subjects. Further insights will be collected from attending these class sessions as I can

garner a physical approach for the different instruction designs. This escapade will enable

me to learn the important activities for the different classes and most importantly ideas

for use in modifying the portfolio.

The assessment of other teachers and how they teach in their class will enable me

to target the required modifications based on the grade-level expectations for the students.

The in-class observations will form the basis of informing me on instructional strategies

that can be adopted to improve my instructional methodology. Notably, evidence will be

garnered from this assessment to evaluate the learning outcomes of the different teaching

strategies and instruction designs. The data from this assessment will be used to identify

areas of success and parts that need improvement before modifying the portfolio. If

students do not master mathematical equations, for instance, such as algebra, this will

highlight the need for a better instructional approach for the given subject. As such, the

classroom assessment of other teachers will provide necessary feedback that can be used

in modifying the portfolio to better integrate effective teaching approaches. The results

from the assessments will dictate on whether I will be required to change my teaching

strategies. As highlighted earlier, I noted that most students had a problem in articulating

what they knew with an actual practical application of the concept to daily real-life

problems. Notably, a similar outcome can be garnered from these assessments which will

highlight the need to alter the instructional strategies and incorporate a more practical

approach. Assessing their practical skills will be used to reinforce the concepts learned in

class. For instance, the instructional design for the math class will be required to integrate

the SMART board technology and require the students to work in groups to enrich their

learning process. It is through this that their practical skills can be ascertained.

Observing how other teachers teach in their class for the different subjects will be

important as this will form the basis of identifying students struggling with the

instructional approach. Notably, while instructional approaches can be favorable to some

students, particularly the quick learners, some learners struggle as they often require

additional reinforcement or need other forms of engagement to improve their learning

outcomes. This highlights that there are two groups of learners in the class. With this, the

observation will form a basis for identifying individualistic needs of the learners and

areas of improvement for the instructional designs. As such, the observation

demonstrated the teaching activities that are effective and those that require

improvement. Such information cannot be collected without practical observation thereby

highlighting the importance of this activity. The primary objective of the observation

process is to probe how better the students can apply the learned concepts in real-world

settings. Thus, the information garnered from the observation was used to form the basis

for differentiating the portfolio rubric lesson materials, lesson approaches and assessment

of the students, all of which will be integrated into the portfolio assessment rubric. I

attribute that student growth and improved performance outcomes are enhanced by

continuous data collection to determine the effectiveness of the teaching approaches

which will be integral when modifying the portfolio.

The assessment will fully capture how I and my students operate in the learning

environment. The daily interactions afforded by the teachers to the students demonstrated

their comprehension of the learning materials and practical skills garnered. This

information will be used to improve both the teaching and learning of the students by

modifying the portfolio. The world is a natural part of the classrooms which differs from

the formal examinations. With this, it can be acknowledged that the acquisition of

practical skills is vital for use in the real world setting. The assessment information of

both the teachers and the students will provide conclusions on the desirable modifications

of the portfolio. Therefore, I intend to conduct these activities to improve the overall

academic of the students by bringing the teaching and learning outcomes to a higher

level. As at the reporting period that will end in April, there has been a dramatic

improvement the assessment report of my students at least the post rubric report had

shown an improvement of about 15% bringing the number of students that scored on the

proficiency level to 29% and still counting.

As I reflect on the information garnered during this module, I drew several

conclusions on the usefulness of the portfolio assessment rubric to improve student

performance. First, my understanding of their use is that it enables the learner to acquire

specific techniques that are imperative for future success. Additionally, there are some

techniques that can be learned through actual experience. I noted that using a portfolio

assessment rubric would be effective for grading the class as it justifies their competence

and abilities. The different professional texts have highlighted the importance of this

approach based on theoretical backgrounds such as the social construct theory. Moreover,

a modified portfolio will guide the lessons enabling the instructor to identify areas that

need improvement. Furthermore, the student’s self-assessment skills will be enhanced in

that they can identify their learning progress, strengths and weaknesses. From this, the

provided feedback will be used to justify the appropriate modifications to be enacted on

the portfolio. Besides, the rubric will be used to ascertain the quality of the evidence

presented in the portfolio.

Secondly, the physic class observation on other teachers will form the basis of

informing me instructional strategies that can be adopted to improve my instructional

methodology. The data from this assessment showed that my student’s grade improved

by 18% more after taken the post rubric assessment and this data will be used to identify

areas of success and parts that need improvement before modifying the portfolio. This

will be enhanced further by reading the textbook on portfolio assessment and classroom

differentiation for different students to address their needs. As such, these activities are

meant to raise the student’s performance to a higher level by improving both the teaching

and learning outcomes and my teaching and learning process was drastically improved

doing this process.

Regular reflection about the portfolio assessment of the students will enabled me

to garner insight on high order cognitive skills such as creative thinking and problem-

solving which are imperative in the real world setting learning and teaching situations. I

also realized the use of the portfolio assessment rubric had guided my instruction design

is important as it can be aligned with the learning objectives and created in a manner that

the students can demonstrate ways through which they learn the best. No longer will I

consider the traditional instructional approach as an effective teaching and learning

methodology as it solely focuses on formal examinations and mastery of content. As

such, continuous reflection is important as it enables me to identify the current

educational developments and the focus of new theoretical perspectives. Therefore, the

portfolio will be modified by adopting effective instructional strategies such as

integration of practicum module and feedback from learners to improve their learning

outcomes.