Resources #26-#28/Reflection

Here are just a few of the articles that I researched for our newest Wiki Chapter:

Price, M., O'Donovan, B., & Rust, C. (2007). Putting a Social-Constructivist Assessment Process Model into Practice: Building the Feedback Loop into the Assessment Process through Peer Review. Innovations in Education & Teaching International, 44 (2), p143-152 .Retrieved on March 17, 2009 from ERIC data base.

Reeveves, T.C & Okey J.R. (2004). Alternative Assessments for Constructivist Learning Environments. In B.G. Wilson (Ed.). Constructivist Learning Environments: Cases in Instructional Design. (Pgs. 191-202). Retrieved from: https://www.fdi.vt.edu/summer/2004/Content/TrackG/Unit4/PDF/reeves.pdf Retrieved on March 15, 2009 from https://worldclassroom.webster.edu/webct/urw/lc2039116011.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct

Wolf, P. J. (2007). Academic Improvement through Regular Assessment. Peabody Journal of Education, 82 (4), p 690-702. Retrieved on March 17, 2009 from ERIC database.

I have to admit, the more I read, the more confused I became. I think I realized, although I might be wrong, there is kind of a blurry line between constructivist assessment and traditional assessment. I know that standardized testing is definately traditional and I don't believe it falls into constructivist practices, but at times when researching, I again thought about where the line really stands. I think traditional is more black and white, either the student knows the information or they do not. With constructivist, they will look for any sort of knowledge that is gained or transformed or modified OR maybe the learner just has more questions. That would be the catagory that I am currently in: MORE QUESTIONS. I again started to wonder if I practice more constructivism than I realize. I then have to answer NO. There is much more to constructivism in a classroom than I understand, I am aware of that. I am pretty much a black and white thinker, either it is or it is not. With some of my students I look for progress, I look for understanding, mastery, etc. I am sure I will learn more, I think that is the point. The one theme that I understood from all of my readings over and over was that constructivist believe that learning is never-ending and cyclicle. I am finding that to be true.