Lesson 1 – Your Teaching Philosophy and Assessments
Your Teaching Philosophy and Assessments
Let us begin by exploring your own perspectives on teaching and learning: by understanding the interplay between personal teaching philosophies and assessments, you can design engaging and motivating learning experiences. This reflective practice does not only clarify your goals as an educator but also ensures intentionality in assessment that supports student learning.
Pause and Reflect
First, think about one assessment that you have excelled at as a student. Then, reflect on the kind of assessments you include in every course you teach. Is there an overlap between these two assessment types? Why or why not?
You may have a go-to assessment because your preferred way of learning influences your teaching, because the norms and the culture of your discipline place more emphasis on a specific type of assessment, because they reflect your teaching values, or all of the above. Reflecting on these influences is a crucial first step for understanding why certain approaches may feel more natural to you and why they might support or provide additional challenges to your students.
For the following activity, start with an assessment you have recently prepared for your students, or a draft of an assessment you are currently refining.
Activity
Read the assessment instructions carefully and try to understand them from the students’ perspective. Annotate it while you ask yourself the following questions. We will return to this activity later in the module, so please save your work.
- What does the type of assessment and the way it is presented tell your students about learning?
- What does your assessment communicate about what is valued in your course?
- How might students describe this assessment?
- What opportunities do students have to shape or personalize how they show their learning in this particular assessment?
- Does this assessment help students see their progress and adjust their approach as they proceed to a different part of the assessment?
- Does your assessment reflect the diversity of knowledge and experiences in your classroom?
By becoming more aware of the underlying influences on your assessments, you can make intentional choices that both align with your teaching philosophy while also providing an opportunity for all of your students to demonstrate their learning.