Discussion Responses:
You must write a 150 word response to each of the following discussion posts. Each response must be written at or above a master’s level quality and adhere to the current APA standards. The following discussion post to respond to are:
First Post:
“Samantha Brown
There is a discussion in the article, “The Teaching and Learning Cycle: Integrating Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment”, concerning the importance of incorporating assessment into the teaching and learning process in order to assess if a student has gained the knowledge necessary for them to take the next steps in their educational journey (Jones, 2008).) Additionally, this article discusses the historical steps and advancements made towards implementing assessments (Jones, 2008). According to Jones (2008),Jesus himself implemented the concept of assessment in His own teaching cycle. In the article “What Use is Educational Assessment?” the importance of assessments and its roles are also emphasized and examined (Berman et al., 2019). It is the authors’ intention to describe in this article how assessment is an important tool that can be used in making curriculum decisions, monitoring progress, making placement decisions for students, maintaining teacher and student accountability, and evaluating the effectiveness of educational systems at a national level (Berman et al., 2019). Student learning outcomes have been shown to improve through increased accountability provided by assessments (Berman et al., 2019). As well as discussing the history of assessments in the US education system, this article discusses the timeframe in which they became widely used. The article also emphasizes the importance of implementing this world view into our daily assessments as educators. When looking at the the two articles and the topic of assessments in educations I can see many similarities. Both articles discuss the importance of assessments in education. In the article “The Teaching and Learning Cycle: Integrating Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment” noted the biblical perspective on the assessment process. They noted that Jesus himself provided assessments in his own teaching styles when he used certain types of methods of testing in order to prepare His disciples for the challenges of the future (Jones, 2008)
The articles both share a common goal and theme as they focus on the assessment process and the educational purpose of assessments. Both of the articles argue that any type of assessment is always in the best interest of the student in order to determine what systems, learning styles, and/or opportunities are hindering a child or benefiting their educational journey. As educators, one of our most crucial roles is to be able to assess a child’s needs and progress during their short time with us. This can be incredibly important for children with disabilities and IEPs as their progress and data needs to be tracked in order to determine if they are meeting their goals and objectives developed by the IEP team.”
Second Post:
“Jennifer Torska
The two journal articles examined regarding assessment in education differ greatly. The first article, the Teaching and Learning Cycle, discuss three core elements that combine to make effective educational practices. Those core elements are instruction, assessment and curriculum. (Jones, 2008) The article goes on to describe how these elements make effective educators.(Jones, 2008)Additionally, a teacher’s educational theory plays an important role in this circular representation of the learning cycle.(Jones, 2008) The article continues by analyzing and applying the worldview of educators. This worldview was built throughout history by some of the greatest philosophers of all time.(Jones, 2008) Jesus Christ is the example used for what a perfect teacher is and the perfect learning cycle. It continued to explain the significance of a Christian worldview in teaching. The article concludes with stating the only true way to effectively teach and employ the learning cycle is by using Jesus’ example.
The second article, Assessment in Special Education Teacher preparation, examined the way to effectively use assessment in special education. (Simmons & Sharp, 2019) This article started with an overview of what of the requirements of a Special Education teacher. It continues with the methodology of collecting data from teachers across a wide geographic area. (Simmons & Sharp, 2019) Field experience or being in the classroom provided great value. (Simmons & Sharp, 2019) Accountability and assessment of Pre-k through 12th grade special education teachers was discussed in length. (Simmons & Sharp, 2019) The study also examined areas of growth including bias and feedback. The article concludes with reinforcing the importance of assessment in special education.
Although the two articles differed greatly, they both touched on an important topic, accountability and assessment. Teachers are held to a standard of accountability. As educators, we are held to the standards of the state and nation but also an ethical standard of accountability. Another important similarity was the use of assessment to provide an effective learning environment. Although the focus was different, the conclusion of the necessity of assessment was emphasized.
One of my favorite bible verses is Proverbs 31:8-9 which states, “Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Holy Bible, 2016) I believe this verse shows how God is instructing us to speak for those who can’t speak. This especially applies to the students with disabilities that we serve every day. We are their advocates and their voice. God has entrusted us to defend our students.”
