Kranick 1

Personal Theory of Teaching, Learning, and Assessment I

Mike Kranick
Field Experience II
The University of Scranton

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Teaching, Learning, and Assessment are important factors of the classroom. Together,
these factors make up the entire education process. The teacher instructs, the students receive or
develop their knowledge, and finally are assessed upon their progress. Therefore, three elements
that influence teaching, learning, and assessment are self-efficacy, for students and teachers,
motivation, and formative assessment. These three elements are important factors contributing
to teaching, learning, and assessment in the classroom.
Beginning with self-efficacy, teachers must believe in their abilities if they want students
to believe in their own abilities to complete work. According to Derosier & Soslau from their
research concerning university students who were student teaching, they state: many studies
have linked teachers sense of efficacy to pupil achievement, pupil motivation, and pupils sense
of efficacy (Derosier, & Soslau, 2014, p. 489). A teachers self-efficacy affects their students in
positive and negative ways. If a teacher does not have confidence in their own abilities, how can
they expect students to have confidence to complete their work? Also, once again Derosier &
Soslau state: we found that teacher candidates concerns are person-specific, likely influenced
by contextual factors (Derosier, & Soslau, 2014, p. 491). This can translate into the teachers
having low self-efficacy when students are not succeeding. It can also be that student teachers as
amateurs and students have more external factors impact their own performances as educators.
These external factors can also affect the next element for students, motivation.
Teachers need to understand that students have many different factors impacting their
motivation. Between extracurricular activities, education during the day, other social activities,
and leisure, students may not want to perform work. They are tired, bored, and therefore
unmotivated. According to Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, when prompted with work unmotivated
students will begin the following whining: What are we learning this for anyway? Its got
nothing to do with me and my life (Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, 109). The authors suggest using

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portfolios to increase motivation for students as they explain: As opportunities are provided for
functional application in realistic situations, students comments and attitudes may change over
time to, Boy, I never realized how important this was going to be for getting a job in real life!
(Vacca, Vacca, & Mraz, 109). Motivating students to see the utility in the work they are
completing ensures that they will be excited about learning.
Finally, we shift to formative assessment. I prefer formative assessment over summative
because it allows the teacher to receive a read on students progress before their examinations.
This can be monitored through pre and post-tests, daily quizzes, reviews, questioning for
understanding, and much more. Summative assessment is more outcome associated rather than
progress oriented. Summative assessment wants the end result and does care about the
achievements students have attained to get there. This is why formative assessment is a better
solution.
Three elements that influence teaching, learning, and assessment are self-efficacy,
motivation, and formative assessment. Maintaining a high self-efficacy with the teacher
themselves and students will instill confidence in themselves. Achieving motivation within
students will keep for an active classroom. Finally, formative assessment will allow teachers to
track student progress over the year efficiently. Acknowledging these three elements with
students in the classroom is a great way to keep teachers focused and oriented to student
achievement.

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References:
Derosier, S., Soslau, E. (2014). Teacher candidates speak out: exploring concerns related to
pupil learning and efficacy when learning to teach Education 134, 4, 488-496.
http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=03305546-aea8-4f83-92cd8e7a34b9d8b5%40sessionmgr4001&vid=0&hid=4111
Vacca, R. T., Vacca, J. L. & Mraz, M. (2014). Content area reading: literacy and learning
across the curriculum. 11th Ed. New Jersey: Pearson.