Designing, implementing, and analyzing an alternative assessment Essay

Designing, implementing, and analyzing an alternative assessment - Essay Example Students' can contribute and share their learning experience in discussion board and homework submitting where individual attention is least possible. But, students differ from one to another in terms of their qualities and skills. Moreover, a single method of evaluation is no longer found successful and hence the need for alternative assessment was seriously felt. The need is further compounded in the present circumstances of varied subjects and multi-cultural class rooms. Many developments have been taken place in this regard to find an alternative assessment methodology that can overcome the discrepancies of traditional system. As a result, a new method was evolved, which became popular by virtue of its superiorities over other methods. This new method is known as Journal Based Method. This paper examines the methodology of journal based method in the context of secondary students. The paper tries to illustrate journal based assessment methodology for mathematics secondary 4 expre ss stream students on their understanding on speed-time graph after being taught by their teacher on the topic - Graphs and Graphs Applied to Kinematics. The scheme of journal based assessment methodology revolves around the preparation and submission of a journal in which students proves their understanding and mastery over a specific subject. ... Journal based methodology can be applied across all disciplines including mathematics. At this juncture, it is worthwhile to know what a journal is in the context of students' formative assessment. Journals are a written record of what students do in their classes and what they learn. Mr. Alvin White, a mathematics teacher of Harvey Mudd College opines out of his teaching experience that "A journal is a personal record of occurrences, experiences and reflections kept on a regular basis. In my mathematics classes students keep a journal of their mathematical experiences inside and outside of class. The purpose of journals is not to assign a grade for each entry but to help students find their own voices and to be reflective about the subject. Allowing more informal tentative writing into the classroom encourages students to think for themselves as opposed to only knowing second hand what others have thought before them" (White). In common, journal based assessment has become the most popular among teachers and students. In the words of Shavelson J.Richard, Stanford University, "student assessment according to this methodology involves two stages, namely at individual level and class room level. At the individual level, journals are considered a source of evidence bearing on student's performance over a course of instruction and at the class room level; journals are a source of evidence of opportunities students had to learn science" (Shavelson, 2001,9). In the context of mathematics, journal based assessment has much importance as seen in the various studies so far undertaken in various countries of the world. The science of mathematics is the most elegant among all other