Week 12

There is always room for alternatives! The vocab and chapter were helpful to me this week. I learned about evaluating students learning and different ways to test. There is always an alternative! Students modifications are available and ready for teachers to use and apply, a lot of time it is totally trial and error until we find something that they can succeed in and demonstrate their learning and understanding. In my ESCE 421 class there was a presentation done by a student that chose to do his presentation on Dyslexia, he talked about the many ways that teachers can accommodate for children that have a hard time reading, one that stood out to me was an app or website that takes grade 12 reading and simplifies it to a seventh grade, fifth grade, and third grade reading level. I think sometimes we need to look at accommodations in this way. We can always find things to help, it doesn’t mean that we have to bend the rules or not reach common core, we can still teach the material, but the way that it is portrayed can be changed and modified.

Different criteria is important as well, we can still motivate and push the special needs students but we also need to be realistic in our goals as we help them achieve. I struggle with being a fan of the letter and number grade system that our school system uses. I feel that there are limited options, yet I feel that school should be more process based than product and perfection based. I love the idea that projects and applications are a demonstration of understanding rather than multiple choice tests.

I feel that this is the way Christ “grades” us, on effort and on our heart rather than our “checked boxes”. Christ recognizes when we put our all into something, because it is important to us and we have passion for doing what’s right than being perfect the first time around, and isn’t that what education is?? We learn best through our mistakes and experiences, we don’t become disciples of Christ through checking boxes or memorizing scriptures, we become disciples by action and application. I truly believe education is meant to shape us, and help us grow. Testing and memorizing facts rarely changes and shapes us. What truly shapes us are projects that have a lasting impact because they were helpful and they help us learn more about ourselves and the world around us.