Assessment Practices

Assessing students should not be as simple as creating a surface-scraping multiple choice quiz. (Although, after my first attempt at writing multiple choice questions, I'm not sure that it's so simple.) However, if this is true, why is it that many students are almost exclusively exposed to this type of assessment? Even during some of my level I observations, I noticed that many of the assessments being given to students were multiple choice, true false, and fill in the blank.

 Kelly Gallagher offers teachers insight into this classroom issue, writing about one of his own experiences during his first year of teaching in his book, Teaching Adolescent Writers. Gallagher describes an assessment that he designed for students in which they were required to create a portfolio including writing pieces from all of their other classes. Unfortunately, he found that students had done no writing in their other classes. After reading about Gallagher's experience, I took some time to reflect on my own. How much writing did I do outside of English class in high school? Though I seem to remember doing more writing than is described by the students in Gallagher's district, I realized that writing was largely missing in a few of my science and social studies classes. Considering Gallagher's conclusions and reflecting on some of my own experiences, it seems more clear as to why even students writing at the college level are not performing to the standards that one would expect.

Gallagher provides many ideas and solutions for creating an environment in which writing is central for students. This focus on writing is meant not only to help students find success in school, but also into their college years and/or adult lives. One of my favorite pieces of Gallagher's advice is one that he borrowed from Donald Murray, which is to "teach the writer, not the writing (29). This statement reminded me of an idea which we focused on in History and Structure about not falling victim to "red pen syndrome." Even assigning an essay and grading it is not enough for students. In order to help students become good writers, we have to instruct them. Gallagher adds to this idea in chapter 4, writing that the formula for better writing is "lots of reading + exposure to intensive hands-on writing instruction" (75). I agree with him and was able to connect many of his statements regarding frequent readers with the ideas he stressed in Readicide. 

In increasing the amount of writing that students do in a classroom, it is equally important to consider how to assess this type of assessment. In chapter 3, Gallagher advises teachers to be open with students about the grading policy and not to grade everything. As Gallagher writes, "Imagine being a painter and every time you try a new medium or new brush stroke technique someone looms over you with a grade book" (53).

             

Students do feel pressure when writing and knowing that they will be graded, especially during their first attempt. In an assignment for my Teaching Adolescent Literature course this semester, I interviewed my boyfriend's younger brother about his literacy habits. When we discussed his favorite and least favorite writing activities, he told me that he feels most confident during the drafting process because he does not have to fear judgment. Additionally, he shared with me that his favorite in-class writing activity is free writing for similar reasons. If students actually enjoy writing, why don't we let them? Though I believe that some writing does have to be formal and graded, I heartily agree with Gallagher in that students need an outlet to practice and perfect their writing skills before they are actually expected to perform.

Overall, I feel that I can really connect with many of Gallagher's ideas and that his methods are very usable. I do not want to be a teacher who assigns a pointless quiz, test, or activity just because I'm too lazy to grade it or create something meaningful. Writing definitely needs to be a part of this process, because in my mind there is no more efficient way to see what someone knows than to ask them to express it on paper in words.

Teaching Reading/Promoting Literacy

One of the tasks that I am both looking forward to and fearing the most as a future teacher is teaching reading. For me personally, there is rarely a time that getting cozy with a blanket and a good book does not sound appealing. Therefore, I would like to believe that this will also be the case for the majority of my future students, but I think that all of us know better than that.

In the introduction of his book, Readicide, Kelly Gallagher briefly discusses the decline of student enthusiasm toward reading as they reach higher grade levels. He writes that as kindergartners, students are enthused by reading time, but by fifth grade this enthusiasm begins to dwindle, and by twelfth grade the shift in attitude is completely negative. Gallagher explains, "This unfortunate shifting of reading attitudes--from enthusiasm to indifference to hostility--is a pattern I have witnessed firsthand during numerous visits to schools across the country. But I don't need to visit other schools to see this; I witness it firsthand in my own classroom" (3). After reading this information, my questions were simple: Why is this the case and how will I combat a negative connotation toward reading in my own classroom?

Gallagher provides much insight to the matter and also suggests several strategies for changing poor student attitudes toward reading. One of my favorite ideas for creating more interest in reading, establishing a book flood zone, was suggested in Chapter 2. Gallagher writes that students need to have authentic reading experiences in "large doses" (29). Establishing a book flood zone is a way to encourage students to have these types of experiences in that the teacher introduces a book to the students in a way that generates interest. This may include providing background information about the plot or author, and perhaps reading especially gripping excerpts from the book. In order to make the book flood zone successful, Gallagher writes that "instead of always taking students to the library, it is often much more effective to bring the library to the students" (53). This means that when introducing a book, teachers should have copies available to the students at that time. I really enjoyed this idea and can definitely see myself using it in my own classroom. Book flood zones could even be connected to other class reading and enhance the background information students build to help them with their regular coursework. For example, teachers could choose the book that they preview based on what type of unit students are currently studying in class. I think that even more important than the actual content of the book being of interest to students (while this is extremely helpful and important) is that the students can see how passionate their teacher is about them. If students can see how much I enjoy reading, maybe they will consider that it isn't so bad and that maybe they should try it.

Aside from these narrower details of the reading, Gallagher's larger conversation focused on the difference between teaching students to succeed in "shallow testing" versus encouraging them to become lifelong readers. He brings to light the importance of daily and substantial reading experiences to success in not only the standardized tests by which schools are judged, but in the students' lives in general. Gallagher's ideas about avid readers having a broader expanse of background information giving them much higher success in standardized testing makes a lot of sense. However, this brings us back to the question of how to get students to consider reading as a source of enjoyment or at least as an activity that is worth their time.

It is understandable that students may attach a negative or even possible a painful connotation to the idea of reading for pleasure. The mere sight of a thick literature textbook in our class this week reminded me of what it feels like to be sitting in a high school English classroom again. Though English was my favorite class in high school, I can understand why this may not be the case for many students. Perhaps what makes the thought of reading so daunting for students is that they do not get to choose what they read and therefore they make no plans to even try to enjoy it. Presenting students with heavy textbooks that contain even heavier coursework are probably not the best way to convince a student that reading can be fun.

Gallagher expresses the importance of SSR (sustained silent reading) in classrooms. While I do agree with him, the mention of SSR brought back memories of my own middle school reading class experiences. When teachers allowed for SSR time in my classes, it was often optional to work on homework as well. Gallagher notes that SSR fails if students are allowed to do other academic work during the time set aside to read (44). Of course this is true because many students opt to do their homework rather than read, and why wouldn't they? If students have not yet learned to enjoy reading, time will have to be provided and completely dedicated to SSR during school. Otherwise, students will likely drop the idea all together. Additionally, during my time in middle school, students were required to complete computerized multiple-choice quizzes upon the completion of any given SSR book. In my opinion, this assessment process completely diminishes the value of SSR. Sustained silent reading is intended to help students learn to enjoy reading for recreational purposes. By requiring that they glean certain surface information from the text for the pure purpose of regurgitating it on a quiz, students are engaged in a very similar exercise to the test preparation that they now complete in lieu of SSR.

After reading all of Gallagher's information in the first two chapters of his book, I am very interested in reading more about his practices and suggestions for promoting literacy and teaching reading. I feel that my own personal experiences reflect that his theories are correct about avid readers being more prepared for standardized testing than even the most "well-prepared" student.