Our discussion on "Assessments in Inclusive and Special Education: What, How and Why?" @ Kiss 99.9 Fm last night was impactful.
I kicked off by reading out two definitions that in my opinion best drive the message home on the issue of assessments. The first definition was "assessment is the process of collecting data for the purpose of:
a. Specifying and verifying problems
b. Making decisions about students".
I further explained the various ways of collecting data which are: medical record, professional judgements, formal and informal observations, tests, recollection (quantitative and qualitative) and interviews.
The second definition was "assessment is a critical practice that serves the purpose of matching instruction to the level of students' skill, monitoring student progress, modifying instruction, and working hard to enhance students' competence".
We also talked about formative and summative assessments and the importance of carrying out formative assessments effectively in order to achieve positive outcomes from summative assessments. Furthermore, we discussed the negative effects of "the Wait-to-Fail-System" and its effect on formative and summative assessments and misdiagnosing of students. We also expantiated on Response-To-Intervention (RTI), a practice in the United States which has helped to improve the academic performances of "at risk" students.
Additionally, we touched on different segments of a good lesson plan, especially the learning intention, also known as the "objective". We explained the 3 major components of learning intention: Knowledge, Understanding and Skill and their importance in helping students engage in active learning. And we talked about the positive effect of considering the learning style of each student in our classroom.
Mrs. Tayo Mowo-Oni who is an early year teacher at the Nigerian Tulip International School Abuja shared her experiences in relation to the various points noted above and urged teachers to be actively involved in various Professional learning communities and take advantage of different scheduled teacher trainings in order to sharpen their teaching and assessment skills.
Join us next week, same time same station as we discuss psycho-educational, medical and audiological assessments in inclusive and special education.
For sponsorship, please call: 0705 763 0825 or send email to: admin@dewdropscc.org
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