Clinical Field Experience A: Observation and Interview
Clinical Field Experience A: Observation and Interview
Authentic assessment is the process of assessing what children know and can do in their most natural environments. Because science focuses heavily on processes, the presence of certain indicators helps teachers gauge students’ mastery of scientific processes (i.e., a student that selects a measuring cup to determine how much water is in a particular container has indicated that he or she is able to perform one aspect of the measuring process).
Allocate at least 4 hours in the field to support this field experience.
For this field experience, observe and interview your mentor teacher to develop a better understanding of various assessment techniques.
With your mentor teacher, plan to observe at least two hands-on science lessons, one implemented by your mentor teacher and one by another teacher. Before observing the lessons, ask if you may review the following:
The lesson plan, including the content standards, objectives, and assessment methods outlined for each lesson
Any pre-assessment data collected and used to inform the observed lessons
After the observations, discuss with your mentor teacher the use of authentic assessments and the data gathered from them, including pre-assessments, formal and informal formative assessments, and summative assessments, and how he or she uses that data to plan, modify, or differentiate instruction.
In 250-500 words, summarize your observations and interview, focusing on authentic assessment and how the data from those assessments were used to plan, modify, or differentiate instruction. Discuss how you plan to apply this to your future professional practice.
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
Clinical Field Experience A: Observation and Interview Example
Demonstrations are vital components of science education, which not only promote learner understanding but also make learning more interesting. Experiments, particularly, are an effective mode of transmitting knowledge at all levels of learning (Pérez, 2016). At the First grade level, learners tend to learn better through observation. For this lesson, the mentor teacher and I planned to observe a weight measuring activity and how magnets and repel. For the first activity, we observed that the weight of an object is not dependent on its size, shape, or color. Some very small objects weighed more than large objects. The weight of the different objects was determined by the material. For the second activity, we observed that magnets have the ability to attract and repel other magnets as well as other objects. The like poles of magnets repelled whereas the unlike poles attracted. Magnets attracted metallic objects made up of iron, nickel, and cobalt. They repelled the objects made up of plastic, wood, and glass materials, as well as some metallic objects made of copper, gold, and silver.
The data from the observation was very vital for planning and modifying the instruction to make it more understandable and realistic to the learners. During the interview, the mentor teacher outlined that the data from the observation aids a teacher in remembering what the learners can do. It provides evidence to support instructional evaluations (Hart, 2000). From the observations made during the experiments, a teacher can easily determine what the learners already know and the areas that still need to be emphasized. In my future professional practice, I intend to use as many hands-on activities as possible. I will always plan my lessons effectively to ensure that the learners have time to experience nature as it improves their understanding. I will make sure that all the learners take part in the activities for uniformed learning to take place.
References
Hart, C. (2000). What is the Purpose of this Experiment? Or Can Students Learn Something from Doing Experiments? Journal Of Research In Science Teaching, 37(7), 655-675. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098-2736(200009)37:7<655::AID-TEA3>3.0.CO;2-E
Pérez, M. d. (2016). What is a Scientific Experiment? The Impact of a Professional Development Course on Teachers’ Ability to Design an Inquiry-Based Science Curriculum. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 11(6), 1387-1401.