Module 5: Chapters 12 & 15

 Concept 1: Formative Assessments

Summary: In chapter 15, Woolfolk takes a deep dive into assessments. She discusses the various forms of testing, from standardized tests to interim assessments. The text also covers the issue of how reliable or valid test scores can be. However, one assessment that is discussed where numeric scores are usually not as important is the formative assessment. According to Woolfolk, a formative assessment's purpose is "to guide the teacher in planning and adjusting instruction and to provide feedback to help the students improve learning" (Woolfolk, p. 593). It is also noted that formative assessments usually happen before a new concept is learned or while it is being learned (Woolfolk, p. 593). 

Reflection: During my time in the teacher certification program so far, I have begun to learn a lot about formative assessments and how useful they are in the classroom. A previous professor gave a great example of this. She discussed how each day, she gave an extremely informal formative assessment to her students in the form of a mood check-in. It was a simple Google Form that asked the students how they were feeling, with a supplemental question asking if they wanted to talk to the teacher privately. Only she saw the answers. When given at the very beginning of a day or even a class period, this helped her to gauge how students were doing emotionally, and to see if anything might be affecting their behavior, focus, or academic performance that day. But perhaps most important, it allowed her to develop a relationship with her students and provided them a safe place to share if they wanted or needed to. It built a connection in a simple way. 

I plan to implement formative assessments as much as I can in my future classroom. They will help me to figure out where each student stands in the knowledge of new concepts, and I can use the information I get from the formative assessment to inform my instruction. For example, if I see from a pre-test that my social studies students don't know very much about the Confederate states during the Civil War at all, I can plan to spend more time on this concept when we begin the topic. Formative assessments are useful in various ways, but the knowledge gleaned from them can tell a teacher as much as any numerical scores or percentages, in my opinion. 

Concept 2: Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic Motivation

Summary: In chapter 12, Woolfolk discusses motivation among both students and teachers. Various types of motivation are discussed as well as different challenges that students may have in relation to motivation. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation are highlighted as well. According to Woolfolk, extrinsic motivation is "created by external factors..." for example, "to earn a grade, avoid punishment, please the teacher, or for some other reason that has very little to do with the task itself." (Woolfolk, p. 463). On the other hand, intrinsic motivation is related to "activities that are their own reward." (Woolfolk, p. 463). 

Reflection: The variety of motivation problems discussed in this section, as well as the different categories, reminded me of the class I am currently working in as a paraprofessional. We had a small class of just 6 students in a Special Education classroom, and I realized that their motivation levels varied quite a lot from child to child. One student was clearly possessing intrinsic motivation, for example. He did his homework immediately after we ended each Zoom session - we could tell because the homework assignments were usually digital, through Google Classroom. The first few times the student displayed this, myself and the teacher I worked with were pleasantly surprised. We knew this student was hard-working and intelligent, but his proactivity was impressive, especially given the fact that he was a third-grader at the time! Eventually, after interacting with the student's parent, we realized that the student's parent was probably a big reason why he completed his homework so promptly. There was a lot of encouragement from this parent, but he was also strict. He had instructed my co-worker to inform him immediately if this student was misbehaving, even though behavior with this student was hardly ever an issue. In this case, the student's motivation may have been extrinsic as well as intrinsic - wanting to do well for the sake of succeeding, but also to please his parent, and possibly, not to get into trouble. Both were plausible based on the student's behavior and attitude in class and his work and test scores. Overall, it seems that extrinsic and intrinsic motivation can sometimes overlap, and that one does not necessarily preclude the other. 

Concept 3: The Important of a Growth Mindset

Summary: In chapter 12, the text also covers the difference between having a fixed versus a growth mindset. According to the text, a fixed mindset "assumes that abilities are stable, uncontrollable, set traits" while a growth mindset "suggests abilities are unstable, controllable, and improvable" (Woolfolk, p. 478). Woolfolk also offers advice for teachers to not only encourage students to embrace a growth mindset but to possess that attitude themselves (Woolfolk p. 479). 

Reflection: When the text talked about the importance of teachers having a growth mindset as well, it made me think of how I approached work as a student growing up. I loved school, and I was a well-behaved child who wanted to please the adults around her. This meant I usually had great relationships with my teachers. I was always supported and loved at home - that was never an issue. But I remember wanting praise and wanting confirmation that my work was good enough. Early teachers praised my writing, and I was excited to have a talent, something other people told me that I was good at. Looking back now, I think it caused me to have overly high standards for myself, which can be a positive thing, as long as those standards don't get to be unattainable. As I grew up, I realized that I was most likely afraid of failure as a young student. To me, "doing my best" got translated to "doing everything you could possibly do" or even "doing it perfectly." 

However, as I continue to learn and grow, I have acknowledged that I am a perfectionist. And especially when it comes to my writing, I will likely always be a perfectionist. However, now that I have the tools and knowledge of a growth mindset, I am learning to set limits and know the difference between "my best" and "perfection." I am excited to promote a growth mindset in my future classroom, both so all students know that they are capable of "growing" their brains and learning difficult concepts, and so that the students who may be more like me - the overachievers, the perfectionists - know that they can change their habits and acknowledge when their work is good enough by any standard.