MAMAY P's Pinoy Halu-Halo: Maggi Mae "Magz" Santos

Friday, November 22, 2013

Almost Perfect Educational Assessments...Then What?

After learning and constructing alternative and traditional educational assessments to measure students' learning outcomes in line with strategic instructional methods and students' self regulation, I find it doubtful that learning shall be enhanced.

To give some insights on the significant of good assessment practice on scarce learning materials and infrastructure in Philippine setting, I posted the following in the Open Forum of our Module 8-9 discussion board:

DOES a well-designed traditional assessment method that measures students' learning fairly and consistently MATTER if the school, students and teachers lack the necessary learning and teaching materials and conducive learning environment like most of the Philippines schools are experiencing now? In other words, can good assessment practice enhance learning if we do not have the resources to acquire good learning?

The question elicited some interest from some of my classmates and here below are their responses:

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by Maggi Mae "Magz" Santos - Monday, 18 November 2013, 08:25 AM

Hey there Pons!

It is indeed and is going to be a challenge. Despite good intentions of well-crafted assessment and good assessment practices, these intentions may not be met due to lack of resources.

But then, this is where resourcefulness and industriousness come in. Like what we say in Filipino, "kung gusto, maraming paraan." If we really want our students to learn, we will try our best to give them the what they deserve. Hmm... MacGyver moves I guess... Hehehe.

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by Reynaldo Jr. (Rhed) Flores - Monday, 18 November 2013, 09:00 AM

Hi Pons!

I believe the quality of assessment tools MATTER at ALL TIMES regardless of how equipped or not the classrooms are. Admittedly, most schools here in the Philippines do experience lack of learning materials- books, supplemental workbooks and manuals, computer and speech laboratory, etc.

However, would it be prudent if we capitalize on what we currently have to maximize learning processes? Most especially that assessment methods largely depend on the skills of the educators in preparing and carefully implementing them and not necessarily on the type of materials to be used, effectiveness can still be ensured.

Considering that many private schools out there can afford advanced learning materials, does it mean that they would always be better than public schools? Hmmm… Not really, as assessment skill isn’t commercially sold: it is something to be gained and mastered. Me think. :D

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by Rommel Daz - Monday, 18 November 2013, 12:32 PM

Hi PONS,

If you would look closely, resources has very little impact on crafting assessment, this is because we assess our student base on what we have supposedly "taught', am I right? However, resources have big impact in DELIVERY and CRAFTING of curriculum.

It is really a challenge teaching Computer Science without actual computers or teaching Chemistry without laboratory equipment. As we know, each learner is unique. We all have learning styles, some are visual learners, other maybe actual and few might be bookish or something else. I suppose covering range of learners, good resources are needed required - In short students with resources experience better learning.

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With the above comments, future teachers and instructors are still optimistic and hopeful that in spite of limited resources plaguing the Philippines educational arena, they could teach curriculum contents to affected students in the best of their abilities. Good assessment methods can be means to improve students' understanding and skills and future educators are ready to revise and devise instructional methods and strategies to face the challenge.

With the enthusiasm of my classmates, I think I am also ready to fill the gap of scarce learning materials with innovative learning tools and styles to ensure that what we ought to teach are learned and measured fairly and appropriately using either traditional or alternative method and/or combination of both. However, the challenge is exacerbated with the destruction of schools, learning materials and equipment in Leyte, Samar, Cebu, Panay and other Western and Central Visayan provinces. With this scenario, future teachers need to be more patient, inventive and novel to address this reality in line with their mission to educate, diagnose, correct, enhance and assess students' learning. At this point in time, it is appropriate to acknowledge and congratulate every teacher for his/her importance and sacrifices by saying ---