Blog 3

In my food technology classes i complete an informal form of assessment during all practical lessons. At the beginning of the term i explained the way in which they will be assessed during practical lessons. Assessing students during practical classes insures that they follow safe procedures and take pride in the presentation of their food products and creates a purpose for the lesson. Students are assessed on hygiene, safety, skills and presentation. At the beginning of each practical lesson i remind the students that they are being assessed by those four areas. During the practical lesson i take anecdotal records through observation.  Geraldine McBurney-Fry explained that “ anecdotal recordings comprise a note or series of notes regarding a student’s behaviour or learning in the playground and in activity or classrooms”. During the practical lesson i have a sheet of paper with each students’ name on it, as i walk around and observe the students i take notes regarding the four areas that i am assessing. During my observations i note down things such as students using correct chopping boards for correct food products, hair tied up, washing hands as well as the way they present the final product that they create. These experiences of anecdotal assessments allows me to show how i meet an area of element 3 “ Teachers plan, assess and report for effective learning” New South Wales Institute of Teaching Professional Standards.

Critical Reflection:

I feel that by assessing students during practical lessons using anecdotal recording i am able to monitor students progress and observe how they follow rules and incorporate theory into practical situations such as hygienic practices. Students are interested to know what marks they achieve during the lesson and how they can improve in their next practical lesson. If students ask questions about how they got the mark that i gave them i refer back to my notes that i wrote and explain where they lost or gained marks depending on what i observed.

Improvement:

To improve teaching practice i create a formal table which list all the different areas and explains in detail what types of behaviours and actions i am looking for when marking. This would allow for a more formal form of assessment, as the marks given are being written into their reports but a not a formal form of assessment the method is working well at the moment but could be improved for future formal assessments.

References:

McBurney-Fry, G. (2002). Improving your practicum. 2nd Ed. Katoomba, NSW: Social Science Press.

New South Wales Institute of Teaching Professional Standards. http://www.nswteachers.nsw.edu.au/Main-Professional-Teaching-Standards.html