Boyer_ Journal Assignment M4_Assessing Student Learning

Instructions for Journal Assignment

• Steps for Columns
o Observation Column: Make observation notes in this form related to a teaching
video uploaded in Edthena
§ Identify/describe 3 to 5 observations that relate to this week’s journal
topic
o Meaning Column: Review the observation notes and write your thoughts about
what you observed. In other words, what does what you saw and wrote make
you think of?
o Research Column: Note the research that confirms or refutes your thinking,
using APA in text citations for each thought comment and/or observation, e.g.
(Author, date, pg.)

Teaching video name: Boyer C SPED 875 Date: 03/03/2022

Assessing Student Learning
Observation Meaning
7:08 Having them create the I differentiated based on
words lets them be creative skills. Most of my students
and lets me assess need help with consonant
formatively. blends. I chose to group
these three students
together because of the
discrepancy between their
level of comprehension and
their level of decoding.
I tried to come up with an
3:49 Reviewing the activity that would be
consonant sounds in isolation engaging for the students.
They were engaged but got
off task occasionally. They
may not have completely
understood the task.
Research
“Teachers who differentiate
believe that every child is
unique, with differing
learning styles and
preferences” (Algozzine &
Anderson, 2007 ,p. 50).
“research revealed that most
lessons were largely
disconnected from content
and focused primarily on
engaging students in a
variety of activities”
(Ermeling, et al., 2015, p. 52)

1:53 This was a missed
opportunity to find out from
the students what they do
when they come to words
they are unfamiliar with.
3:49 Reviewing the
consonant sounds in isolation
1) If I would have asked Kendall shared goals of the
them what they do lesson with students
when they come including “use what they
across a word they already knew to make sense
are not sure how to of what they didn’t know”
read, it could have (Unger, 1994, p. 9)
helped my
instruction. I could
Boyer_ Journal Assignment M4_Assessing Student Learning

have reinforced the

effective strategies
and clarify any
strategies they may
not be applying well.
2) When reviewing the
sounds, I could have
made the connection
more clear that they
should be applying
what they already
know (the sounds in
isolation) to figure out
how to read new
words.

Summary:
In a 500 word summary, use the components of the above table to create 3 well written
paragraphs.
• Describe what you observed and your own thoughts about what you saw.
• Synthesize the research (articles and/or webinars) you’ve read on the topic this week by
comparing and contrasting it as it relates to your observations and your own thoughts.
• Finally, describe how your thinking has changed and what changes you will make in your
teaching because of what you have learned.
Boyer_ Journal Assignment M4_Assessing Student Learning

I intentionally grouped these students together based on their reading performance on

multiple assessments. I differentiated based on skills. Most of my students need help with

consonant blends. I chose to group these three students together because of the discrepancy

between their level of comprehension and their level of decoding. There are many ways to

differentiate the learning, but the key to differentiating is addressing the uniqueness of the

child. “Teachers who differentiate believe that every child is unique, with differing learning

styles and preferences” (Algozzine & Anderson, 2007, p. 50).

My students recognize that what they are learning in my group is different from what

other students in the class are learning. I know this because they have asked me why they are

doing an activity when other do not have to. Because of this, I want to make my lessons highly

engaging, so instead of feeling like they have to do this different activity, they could think that

they “get to do this activity that is different from others.” “Research revealed that most lessons

were largely disconnected from content and focused primarily on engaging students in a variety

of activities” (Ermeling, et al., 2015, p. 52) I feel this lesson fits that category. Although it was

not an exceptionally flashy lesson, I do think there was a disconnect from the intention of the

lesson. The students were engaged but got off task occasionally. They may not have completely

understood the task.

One reason my students may not have known what to is because I may not have conveyed the

goal of the lesson effectively. If I would have asked them what they do when they come across

a word, they are not sure how to read, it could have helped my instruction. I could have

reinforced the effective strategies and clarify any strategies they may not be applying well. Also,

when reviewing the sounds, I could have made the connection clearer that they should be
Boyer_ Journal Assignment M4_Assessing Student Learning

applying what they already know (the sounds in isolation) to figure out how to read new words.

Because the ultimate goal of this lesson is to have students “use what they already knew to

make sense of what they didn’t know” (Unger, 1994, p. 9).

Boyer_ Journal Assignment M4_Assessing Student Learning

References

Algozzine, B. and Anderson, K., (2007). Tips for teaching: Differentiating instruction to include

all students. Preventing school failure, 51 (3), p. 49-54.

Ermeling, B. A., Hiebert, J., & Gallimore, R. (2015) “Best practice”: The enemy of better

teaching. Educational leadership, 72(8), 48-53.

Unger, C. (1994). What teaching for understanding looks like. Educational Leadership, 51(5), 8.