Running head: Planning, Assessment & Instruction of Learners 1

Planning, Preparing, Assessment, and Instruction of Learners

Samantha Miller

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 496 Field Experience ePortfolio, Fall 2017

Planning, Assessment & Instruction of Learners 2

Introduction

Effective teaching and using the time we do have in the classroom is all wrapped up in

successful planning, preparation, instruction time, and assessments. To evaluate students

sometimes you must pre-assess to get a better understanding or a starting point to figure out to

the effectively teach a subject. As students transition from one grade level to another, teachers

are spending more time in the beginning re-evaluating students prior knowledge. While I was

student teaching, I had the opportunity to organize a pre-assessment, provide instruction, and

provide a post assessment to the class. The preparation and process was in the focus of factors

and multiples of the Virginia Standard 4.4 b), The students will add, subtract, and multiply

whole numbers ( VDOE). Teaching is a complex activity that involves careful preparation and

planning objectives and activities on an hourly, daily, and weekly basis (Stronge, James).

Rationale for Artifacts

The first artifact to represent a form of assessment would be a students post- assessment

test on addition facts. This was a 5-minuet timed drill of 100 addition math facts. I know this

might sound easy for a fourth-grade student, but somewhere between first, second, and third

grade there is a gap and students are not practicing their math facts. This is causing confusion

and issues when moving onto the appropriate grade level objectives. Addition, subtraction,

multiplication, and division are just a few of the math topic that will pop up in everyday life.

Students will only have math fact work sheets or practice at home math facts for home work

until one passes out of all four operations. So far, that is only one student who has passed

addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. To pass out and move on, a student must
Planning, Assessment & Instruction of Learners 3

receive a 95% or higher on the five-minuet time drill with 100 questions. The next artifact

represents the post assessment test score in a data chart showing the students growth and who

passed out of addition and is now working on subtraction. This data also shows the growth of

each individual student. After this evaluation, 13/16 passed and have moved on to practicing

subtraction math facts. These three students will continue to practice addition math facts and test

again next week when everyone else test for subtraction. The time span between both

assessments was a week. Along with practicing math facts the students have been moving along

with the curriculum in math such as, estimation, rounding, 2 or 3-digit addition and subtraction,

and moving into fractions. From seeing the pre-assessment scores and only having one student

test out, I immediately starting planning small group reinforcement activities and practice.

A third artifact is a small group worksheet of the same student. Along with the

worksheets for homework, or having a parent sign that their child practiced for 10 minuets small

group activities provide more guided instruction. Small group instruction provides more hands-

on approach for students. This provides variety and offers opportunity to adapt, change, and

personalize the task at hand ( Wiggins, McTighe p.195).

When assessing students, the test or form of assessment needs to be clear. Even though

the problems may change from the pre-assessment, the number of questions (100) and the time

limit of 5 minutes stays the same. For evidence of many desired results, especially discrete

knowledge and skill, objective quizzes, test, and observations with checklists often suffice. Too

often as teachers, we rely on only one or two types of assessments (Wiggins, McTighe p.168).

Reflection

I have heard that I am wasting time in the classroom by testing fourth-graders on simple

addition and subtraction and multiplication drills. To help bridge that gap and that students stop
Planning, Assessment & Instruction of Learners 4

fighting that struggle of counting on their fingers, or feeling left out or held back, I spend about

5-10 mins at the beginning of math or as a closure activity involving multiplication, subtraction,

and addition. Many times, the students ask question of why or I do not understand why there is a

zero that need to be brought down in a division problem, so the time is effectively being used to

explain and teach the student and answer their questions. Christenbury states, Good teaching

comes not from following a recipe, but from consistently putting student needs first

(Christenbury 2010/2011). The time spent planning down to ever detail, organizing binders and

supplies, preparing for an in-depth lesson, and preparing assessments is all for your students

success, not the teachers. Yes, teachers feel grateful and successful when we see a child connect

with a lesson and the light bulb goes off. For that ah-ha moment to occur, as a preservice teacher

I put all my needs aside and thought of the students. Jesus spoke about helping other frequently

in the Bible. Paul says in Philippians 2:4, not looking to your own interests but each of you to

the interests of the others (NIV). During instructional time after the lesson on the grade

appropriate lesson the class breaks up into their math partners for centers. The centers are

designed to differentiate and challenge ever student in some way, but also practice basic math.

While students were in the centers with their partner I pulled small group to the back table 3-4

students at a time and we either do math fact flash cards, personal white board math facts where

students make up their own problems and switch to solve, or a worksheet. The worksheet would

also be a timed drill but a shorter version such as three minutes for 60 problems.

Collecting and recording data on students is required more now than ever before. There

are so many methods of collecting data of students, to putting check marks in boxes of the

standard masters to more details like percentages and growth rates. To be an excellent teacher

using and building lessons based on students data is an effectively differentiate as much as
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possible for each student. Have high expectations of performance and expect their students to

reach or exceed those high expectations (Bloom, 1985).

Every student learning differently, and with would data to set goals, students will never

reach those milestones and achieve the goals. Once we more fully integrate our efforts to

improve teaching with school context and student need, we can look more confidently to a future

in which all students experience success (Christenbury 2010/1011). I believe effective teachers

should sit down with students on an individual basis to discuss their goals and how to achieve

them. A teachers goal is to see each student achieve their goal and to continue to grow and

learn.

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References

Lelia, Christianbury (n.d.). The Flexible Teacher. Retrieved October 05, 2017, from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec10/vol68/num04/The-Flexible-

Teacher.aspx

Stronge, J. H. (n.d.). Chapter 4. Planning and Organizing for Instruction. Retrieved October 04,

2017, from http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/105156/chapters/Planning-and-Organizing-

for-Instruction.aspx

"VDOE :: Mathematics Standards of Learning Resources."VDOE :: Virginia Department of

Education Home. N.p., 2009. Web. 4 Oct. 2017

Wiggins, G. P., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River,

NJ: Pearson Education.