Stressful game and Self-assessment

EDUC 350:

In class on Monday we played a life simulation game. We each had a profile of a character and we had to make life decisions. My character had little money which ended up limiting the decisions I could make. I ended up with about 12 illnesses and it seemed like nothing good was going to happen after that but then I finally got one bonus point, in the end it did not end up worth anything but it was something. Pretty much making life decisions is difficult and may sometimes have bad consequences. The first choice we had to make was what neighborhood we lived in and the school we attended. Those 2 choices was what pretty set the game for us and I chose wrong one in which to live in. I lost the game clearly but it was a good lesson to learn. On Wednesday In class we read an article about multicultural education. It mentioned how important including multicultural content in a curriculum is, such as using examples and data from a variety if cultures. We learned that this has to be throughout the whole year not just once or twice. We also need to keep in mind that the information is actually aiding in student learning and that we are not just giving it out to make students "feel good". This directly relates to the NCTCS 2b which states that "Teachers embrace divirsity in school community and in the world". As teachers we must make our students feel wanted and accepted just for who they are. For my outside research I read an article that kind of expanded on what we learned in class. It mentioned how making learning meaningful could make learning easier and increase engagement in the classroom. This is the link to the article; http://oureverydaylife.com/importance-multicultural-education-american-schools-3425.html. I will apply this to my future classroom by making sure I always include examples and information from different cultures. If I am talking about different scientists who have contributed to research I will include those who are from different cultures. I will make sure that my students feel represented in the curriculum. 

EDUC 410:
In class we talked about student self-assessment. We talked about the importance of summative and formative assessments and the difference between the two. we also discussed which one was better and I think we all kind of agreed that formative assessment is a bit better because you can assess before putting a grade on it. It gives you a chance to work on things that students are not comprehending.We also talked about feedback and how it is more beneficial if students receive immediate feedback and understand why it is that they receive that feedback. Feedback should also be purposeful instead of saying "great job" you could tell them exactly what they did correctly. We had a conversation about when we should start teaching students how to assess themselves and came to the consensus that they should start learning how to as young as kindergarten. Of course we have to make it appropriate for their age but we can make it possible. When students assess themselves they can also come up with solutions on how to improve or give us suggestions on how we can help. It is always said that we are our own biggest critic and it is very true. What we learned in class relates back to the NCTCS 4h which states that "Teachers use a variety of methods to assess what each student has learned". With what we learned this week we know that we can give effective feedback and not only can we assess students but they can assess themselves. I will use this in my future classroom to make sure that the feedback I am giving students means something to them. I will use the questioning technique Dr. Clark loves to help them think critically about what it is they might be missing. I will help use self-assessment to critique their own learning and ensure that they are getting the best out of my lessons.