Standard 5: Educators implement effective planning, instruction, assessment and reporting practices to create respectful, inclusive environments for student learning and development.
Definition: Standard 5 reinforces the importance of planning for instruction
For my practicum, I was placed in a kindergarten/Grade 1 French Immersion Class at Heather Park Elementary school. During my time in this class, I had the opportunity to do an assessment on the French combination sounds AU, OU, and IN. Before starting the assessment, I did a short engaging review that allowed students to move their bodies while still reflecting on what they already knew and learned. Once we finished our review, students were able to do their centres and I pulled each student one by one to assess them individually. I got students to say the sound when I point to each one, then I would say the sound and they would have to point to the correct sound, then I would add letters on either end of each sound to make a word and students would have to sound it out. Having the opportunity to assess was very beneficial for me as it allowed me to recognize what I liked and didn’t like about the process of recording of data. My process for recording data was having a class list printed out and using the columns and rows to check off if they were able to pronounce, identify, and combine the letter combinations. I found this process of recording data difficult to keep track of as the columns, rows, and names felt like they were too small and close together. I would often find myself getting confused what column to put my mark in and would make it obvious that I am assessing students. I think next time I would like to have a process that is not as obvious to the students and for me so that I can stay focused on the abilities of each student. This was an interesting experience for me as it allowed me to notice quickly what works for me and what doesn’t. I can now use this experience and reflection as information for the next assessment I do and adjust accordingly.