chapter 5

This chapter focuses on assessing students throughout the project. Formative assessments are important for student progress and teacher monitoring. This informs the teacher where each of his/her students are and if they need extra support in their work. Teachers will be able to help students adjust projects, clear up and misunderstandings. It is important that teachers know where their students are before the final assessment. I think I would use individual discussion and project journals as a formative assessment. Students will have to write in their journals each day about the progress of their project. Once a week they will meet with the teacher to discuss progress and problems they have encountered. When I hear summative assessment I think about rubrics I was given in school to evaluate my work. Telling students what is expected of them before they start an assignment guides them in the right direction and it can help them form ideas. I think it is important to think through your lessons with an end in mind also. In the book they list ideas for summative assessments: • Create something new • Model real-world assessment (critiqued by experts) • Enter a contest or submit for publication • Ask students “what did you learn?” The above assessment ideas are creative and are appropriate for project-based learning. I like the idea of asking student “what did you learn?” it puts the evaluation of the project in the student’s hands. Which they will eventually have to do when they get professional jobs. Formative assessments are supposed to be a quick check-in point for the teacher. I like the idea of milestones because it helps the students manage their time on their projects. They will be on a set schedule that will keep them on track and help the teacher understand where each student is in their project.