ImagineIT: Phase Four - Problematizing

One of the  goals of my ImagineIT project is to develop a disciplinary mindset in my students. In support of this, assessments will need to be aligned to these instructional goals. Richert states in her book What Should I Do?, “Sociocultural learning theorists explain that learning happens, not when students memorize what their teachers or their textbooks say, but when students participate with peers and their teachers in “communities of practice” to develop understanding and the ability to use knowledge flexibly in new and different ways.” To achieve this, assessments will need to be focused primarily on cognitive skills demonstrated through culminating projects, and not simply on content knowledge. Oaks and Lipton (2003) distinguish assessment from evaluation, defining assessment as “gathering all the relevant information that can inform decisions about teaching, including information about the student and conditions for learning”, and evaluation as, “... judgement of the student’s performance and… whether the performance is good”.  In order for students to improve their cognitive skills, opportunities for formative assessment and feedback will need to be built in to each unit.