Re:
http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=11093 Dan Meyer has a blog post about assessing with videos. In it there are three examples of how you'd assess a concept in physics, one of which is a rather thrilling video of a stunt man performing a stunt. Following the video, there is a question that asks students to explain the physics concept that was demonstrated in the video clip. I have always thought multimedia is a very good add-on to the everyday classroom to complement what is being taught. However, I had never though about it as an assessment tool. After reading this blog i realized that unknowingly I used video assessment during my long practicum in Science 10. We were studying the Ecology unit and everyday I would show the class a video (either a BBC documentary or clips from NatGeo etc) and ask the class questions as a review before we continue onto the lesson for that day. At the end of my practicum, I got the students to complete a survey form about my teaching in the classroom. The results showed that THE highlight of almost every student was the videos that I showed at the beginning of the class as either a hook or review. That got me thinking. In today's society, especially in North America, kids of all ages are bombarded with advertisements, shows, movies, music that stimulates all their senses to engage them and in a way "brainwash" them (long story). As teachers, we tend to stick to "boring" ways of teaching. Multimedia is no longer a complementary add-on. It is rather essential if we are to engage the students and actually have a chance at keeping their attention in the classroom.
2 Comments
A response to “Monya and Kishi” (http://fawnnguyen.com/2013/05/02/20130502.aspx)
Moein Ferdosian This blog post is interesting to me because, being from a foreign county I can connect with the cultural controversy that is being presented. It is obvious that the letter that this student has written mostly reflects the attitude of the teacher towards the names in the textbook. Several times the student mentions how “this is what Mrs.Win thinks.” If the teacher was one that appreciated and celebrated all the different names, then the attitude of the students would also reflect that. What is a “regular” name? Why does it matter what name is used in a math problem? I understand that sometimes students can lose focus due to the wording of math problems, however, after all, math students should be able to zero-in on the math aspect and not be confused by the names being used. I think using a diversity of names promotes multiculturalism even if the students don’t live in a multicultural environment. If they embrace it, they will get used to the names and perhaps use multicultural names for their kids once they have families. I think people who change their names to culturally common names are taking away from the diversity of society. I think, however, that more relevant examples can be used to help students connect with the content. I think examples that involve ethics are much more interesting to solve. That is, examples that engage students’ opinions. For example, a question involving the profit of a company when it is kept local and when it is outsourced. |