“What is the
best way to assess my students’ writing?”…This is a question I have struggled
to answer since I began teaching. It is
hard to decide on the appropriate assessment when there are so many to choose
from. My goal as a teacher is to always
be fair and support my students as growing learners. Therefore, I believe it is important to
utilize a variety of writing assessments in order to “…improve the reliability,
validity, and fairness of classroom assessment” (Tompkins, 2012). What is fitting for one writing piece may not
be fitting for another, which is why I have difficulty choosing which type of assessment
to use. However after reading chapter 4
in Tompkins, I have developed a better understanding of how to appropriately
assess my students’ writing.
As a student
myself, I also struggle with writing, and it is important to me to not turn or
scare my students away from it.
Currently, I am working towards finding a balance between correcting
students’ errors and letting them write freely.
I have come to the conclusion that it depends on the piece of writing as
to whether I should mark it up or let it be.
I no longer grade their journals based on writing conventions, but
rather on the development of their ideas; however, I do correct their published
writing pieces as a way to guide them in their writing. As a teacher I strongly believe that you have
to make mistakes in order to learn and grow.
I continuously stress this idea to my students in order to make them
feel comfortable to take risks in their writing.
Tompkins
(2012) discusses the importance of having students create a portfolio of their
writing pieces. I think they are a beneficial
tool for teachers because they clearly document each student’s progress. Portfolios also allow students to reflect on
their growth as writers and compare where they are now to where they started,
which I believe is a very rewarding experience.
I agree with Tompkins, that “reflection is part of the writing process
itself…” (p. 100). You cannot expect
your students to become successful writers if they do not take the time to
reflect on the mistakes they have made and learn what they need to work on. Therefore, it is essential to provide multiple
opportunities to conference with your students and discuss their writing
pieces.
There are
many assessment tools that I am taking away from this chapter and hope to
utilize in my future classroom. First
and foremost, I will informally monitor my students’ writing progress, by
observing them and keeping anecdotal records, as a way to guide my instruction
and provide effective teaching.
Secondly, I will differentiate my forms of assessment in order to give
my students clear expectations and support them in their writing. Lastly, I will make time to conference with
them in order to get to know them as individuals and guide them in their
writing. I strongly believe every person
is a writer inside, and it is my aim to bring that out in all of my
students.
References
Tompkins, G. E. (2012). Teaching writing: Balancing process and product (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill
