What can I do?
What can I do?
What can I do?
Page 231 "Anecdotal records..." (-) Contradicts what you thought - I never considered anecdotal records to be a form of authentic assessment. I believe that anecdotal records can be influenced by prejudice (unless you only write pure observations) and they do not contain any direct student feedback (speaking to, reading, etc.). As a result, I believe that anecdotal records are beneficial, but they I am hesitant to consider them as an authentic assessment.
Page 231 "A fundamental..." (check) Confirms what you already knew - This quote reassured my beliefs that anecdotal records are beneficial for communicating what a child knows and is able to do.
Page 232 "In much the same way..." (+) Something new - Teachers must focus on unbiased observations, and avoid being distracted by personality differences and unusual behaviors.
Page 232 Graphic (+) Something new - I really enjoyed Table 1, which gave a list of meaningful verbs to use while writing anecdotes.
Page 233 "Write observable data..." (?) Confuses you - I know that you are only supposed to record observable data, but how can I as the teacher make use of observations without making judgments? And what is significant? How do I interpret data accurately?
Page 234 "Don't use the C-word..."(+) Something new - I never considered that using "can't" would be inappropriate. After considering what it means, I do realize that this word is self-limiting, since it assumes that the student will be unable to do something indefinitely.
Page 235 "Anecdotal record..." (check) Confirms what you already knew - I believe that having a time-stamped list of anecdotes for a student could be extremely beneficial when teaching and understanding a student. Anecdotes allow a teacher to capture many instances of a student's life and interaction, which can later be compiled for a greater understanding.
Matt-
ReplyDeleteI understand your thinking about objectivity regarding anecdotal notes. You are correct that they could become something biased. Consider how you plan to use the notes. If you only plan to use them to guide and plan lessons then it's okay for you to add your thinking. For example, if your notes stated, "Matt R. struggled with our science experiment steps. He struggled to complete the battery task in the time allotted," you could use this to reflect on your teaching later. Did you give Matt enough time to complete the task? Did you explain the steps well? Did you perhaps need to model the steps more accurately? However, now imagine that you wrote something purely observational, "6th grade students were given 15 minutes to build their battery pack. Matt had not completed his at the end of the 15 minutes," you have only made an observational comment. One is you merely commenting on the activity. One is you giving feedback that is, admittedly, one-sided. I think each has a purpose, but as you stated we must be careful how they are interpreted.
--Amy