Every teacher needs a good arsenal of assessment tools in order to be productive and effective. This collaborated site offers ideas highlighting four key assessment tools. Assessment tools are formed and chosen when the characteristics of the assessment tools and techniques best matches the characteristics of the learning goal and objective; important key factors considered is the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the learners themselves.
At the start of the assignment we were asked to pick a team mascot from Sesame Street. The first thing we questioned was the reason for having to pick a mascot, besides it obviously being a “cute” way to identify groups participation. However, in education we do not strive to be “cute,” we strive to find deeper meaning and to genuinely connect with others. Pondering on the character’s character longer, became highly relevant due to “the characteristics,” similar with students, we must take the time to get to know them; in this case knowing about our mascot Grover, and understanding how his characteristics represents us as a team. Similar when determining what learning material is delivered and what is the most effective way to deliver and assess it.
A couple of noteworthy facts about Grover; he always tries to be helpful unfortunately, due to his limited cognitive abilities, he often makes a big mess of things. This never seems to trouble Grover, as he always manages to see a positive outcome to every situation. Grover never uses contractions in his speech and he often refers to himself as, “your cute and furry pal, Grover!” (Live, 2016) After learning more about our mascot, we immediately asked...what type of Individualized Educational Program would work best for Grover, if he were our student? Who else do teachers need to collaborate with in order to accommodate the special needs of the student? Our answer; Team Grover allows insight and introspection to help us make informed decisions. This unique insight served as an important reminder when choosing assessment tools we must not forget to consider the student’s cognitive level, as well as any other impairments or limitations in order to assist our online students to the best of our ability, and to the best of theirs.