Daniel,
Yes, feedback is wonderful for the reflective teacher as this improves practice. How do individual students benefit as a result of your assessment and feedback methods?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I assess knowledge and understanding by doing, since most of my students are visual learners.
I demonstrate exactly what the students can expect to make in the kitchen the next day. As they are watching me, I have them take small notes and ask many questions along the way. i also have the students touch, feel, smell and taste all items that are being produced so that it elimnates a great deal of unnecessary anxiety.
John,
Great "hands on" examples - do you use other technology to project and capture yoru demonstrations for students?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The results vary from student to student, but for the majority, there feedback allows me to adjust my presentation of the information to better fit the individual learning method and this increases their attention level and promotes curiosity of the subject. Once I have done this with several individuals I combine what I have learned and restructure my initial presentation for my next set of students. This has, as it did with each individual has increased overall participation in class and desire to learn more. My student satisfaction on post class surveys has improved dramatically, and continues to improve.
I assess knowledge by giving scenarios to students and having them explain their thinking process. I use closed ended questions for procedural information to assess their memory recall.
Dave,
This sounds like quite a holistic approach. Scenarios are a wonderful way to encourage critcal and applied thinking as well.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Sometimes the "Big Picture" is obscure to members of the next generation of auto techs. As a member of Generation Y, I can attest to the fact that we have been conditioned to wholeheartedly believe that there is a black and white answer for every problem and that once we "buy" a degree the World will be ours for the taking.
For the time being, most of us will never be able to see the "Big Picture" because we are looking at the World through painted windows.
Labs are very useful for many reasons. I, too, have found that when I use a hands-on lab, student scores are higher.
