Simplify Your Assessments

Tom Winiecki

Depending on how you have your "units" set up, assessing for all that you teach can be a huge task to do thoroughly. Have you considered streamlining your approach to assessments; and what and how you teach your subject matter?

Remember, to simplify doesn't necessarily mean eliminating things. It does mean streamlining your approach. For example, think of all of the skills/units that you cover at the elementary level that involve your students properly executing a "throwing" motion?

• Stand sideways.
• Step with their front foot.
• Throw with their back hand.
• Follow through to the target.

Probable there are a lot of them. They may include skills in football, soccer, volleyball, bowling, basketball, hockey, tennis, lacrosse and baseball. You may be able to come up with more of them as well.

Instead of teaching the skills in "isolation," teach them through those common traits we just listed. It will make it easier on you because you are looking for the same things regardless of the object that they use. Your students will develop a better understanding of the skills, because they will see that the underlying basics of all these skills are all the same. They don't have to learn a different thing every time a unit changes in class!

The elementary level is all about introducing our students to physical activity. We certainly don't want to overwhelm them with a ton of information. We do want them to begin to see similarities between activities. This can only serve to make them more eager and able to try something new. The kids may think that they are playing football, volleyball, or hockey... You know better. You know that they are practicing some basic skills that they will be able to plug into a wide range of activities as they grow older and more confident in their own abilities.

As you move to your assessments, this setup allows you to gather information on each student as an individual. It will allow you to see who starts to show the ability , or lack of the ability on a specific part of the throwing motion. You can now tailor your teaching to hit everyone's individual area of need. Statements like "As I've been watching you this year, Billy, I see that you have been using your back hand really well. You sometimes step with your front foot. I want you to concentrate on stepping with your front foot when you practice your volleyball serve." Your student now knows that you are interested in what they do each day. They aren't just there to "bomb around" unnoticed. They are now more likely to take some responsibility for their own skills. Isn't that what we are all working for anyway?