ASSIGNMENTS
Assignments are used as learning device
and tool for evaluation. There is no doubt that assignment is carefully planned
and regularly valued by the teachers to improve the student‘s attainment. The
assignment is one of the most important phases of teaching.
Purpose of Assignments
1.
To provide opportunities to students to
work and practice independently.
2.
To develop self-reliance and initiative.
3.
To develop habits of reading regularly
among the students.
4.
To provide opportunities to students to
utilize the leisure time profitably.
5.
To provide remedial measures for
backward students.
Kinds of Assignment
Page-by-Page Assignment
This type is sometimes called the textbook assignment. It designates the number of pages to be covered. Page-by-page assignment is unsatisfactory, but recent studies have revealed that this type is still widely used in the elementary grades.
Chapter Assignment
This is another form of traditional or textbook assignment.
Like the first type, it is still extensively used in secondary schools and in
colleges. Preparation for this type of assignment is left entirely to the
pupils.
Problem Assignment
This type of assignment gets away from
the basic textbook idea. It encourages the use of references and stimulates
reflective thinking. In this type the problem to be solved is the prime consideration.
Special directions and suggestions are
important in this type of assignment
Project
Assignment
This is a special type of assignment
which is best adapted to vocational
courses, to natural science
subjects, and in some measure to social science subjects and others content
subjects. In this type of assignment a project is considered a unit.
Syllabus Assignment
Syllabus assignment is often utilized in the college or university. In this type of assignment, questions and references are given to guide the students. Here again guide questions and other suggestions are given to insure attention to the important points of the lesson.
Drill Assignment
It is the purpose of this assignment to
strengthen the connections formed in the process of growth in mental motor
skills. Memorizing a poem or mastery of
facts or simple combination facts in Arithmetic are good examples of this type of
assignment. Drill assignment, like other type of assignment, should be
motivated.
Teachers need to
1. compile
assignments that are broken down into a series of tasks, building in
2. reviews
and feedback opportunities
3. prescribe
a completion date for each task and provide support to ensure that
4. learners
set individual targets to meet the required outcomes of the task.
5. provide
informal oral feedback when required as part of classroom monitoring activities
6. review
the progress against targets and provide feedback.
7. provide
opportunities for learners to reflect on feedback provided and act on advice
given.
8. provide
opportunity for consolidation work to be undertaken by less able learners.
9. make
sure that any remedial work is again reviewed and feedback provided before
10.
learners progress to the subsequent
task.
11.
create opportunities for learners to
participate in peer assessment and self assessment
12.
activities on completion of the overall
assignment.
13.
undertake formal assessment of learners
work and return assessed work with
14.
Written feedback within the agreed
period.
PRACTICAL WORK
Practical work is considered an integral
part of students experience in the discipline.
Practical work is a necessary part of
the learning experience of most students and especially those of science,
engineering and health related disciplines.
It serves many purposes it can develop
essential transferable skills, perhaps associated with information technology,
it can develop subject specific skills and it can serve to demonstrate and
reinforce material of lecture courses.
Practical work helps them to learn
team-working skills, safe working practices and self dependence.
Practical work refers to those activities in which students manipulate and observe real objects and materials in the laboratory and the field.
Practical work in the subjects sits
within thinking and working scientifically and is intrinsic to a full learning
experience for students; it is not an additional component of teaching and
learning.
There should be an expectation that on
completing the course students are able to perform a range of procedures with
due regard for accuracy and risk management.
They should have hands
on experience of conducting specific technical and manipulative tasks. Students
should be given the opportunity to undertake work in which they make their own
decisions, for example through an investigation of their choosing over an
extended period of time.
They should be assessed
on their ability to plan, observe, record, analyze, communicate and evaluate
through this activity. A range of practical activities should be incorporated
into the teaching of ideas to enable students to develop their understanding
through interacting with objects and observations.
It
is widely recognized that practical work is a vital element of school and there
are a number of high quality resources to support it. However, practical work
always impact sufficiently on pupil‘s engagement and learning.
a. Practical
work aims to improve
b. clarity
of learning outcomes associated with practical work
c. effectiveness
and impact of practical work on learning
d. quality
rather than quantity of practical work and
e. to
ensure that these developments are sustainable
WORKSHEET
Ø Worksheet
commonly refers to a sheet of paper with questions for students and places to record
answers.
Ø The term may
also refer to a single array of data in spreadsheet software or an informal
piece of paper that an accountant uses to record information.
Ø In the classroom
setting worksheets usually refer to a loose sheet of paper with questions or
exercises for students to complete and record answers.
Ø They are used,
to some degree, in most subjects, and have widespread use in the curriculum.
These are intended to help a student become proficient in a particular skill
that was taught to them in class.
Ø They are
commonly given to students as homework. They made up of a progressive set of
questions that leads to an understanding of the topic to be learned.
Performance Task Assessment
Performance task assessment lists are assessment tools that provide the structure
students need to work more independently and to encourage them to pay attention
to the quality of their work. Assessment also enables the teacher to
efficiently provide students with information on the strengths and weaknesses
of their work.
Peer Assessment
Ø It
is widely recognized that when learners are fully engaged in the learning
process, learning increases.
Ø A
fundamental requirement of Assessment for Learning is for learners to know what
they have to learn, why it is required and how it is to be assessed.
Ø When
learners are able to understand the assessment criteria, progress is often
maximized, especially when individuals have opportunities to apply the
assessment criteria to work produced by their peers as part of planned
classroom activities.
Ø Peer
assessment using the predefined assessment criteria is the next stage to
evaluate learner understanding and consolidating learning.
Benefits
of organizing peer assessment activities
Ø learners
clarifying their own ideas and understanding of the learning intention
Ø Checking
individuals‘ understanding of the assessment criteria and how it is to be applied
to learners‘ work.
Self-Assessment
Once
learners are able to use the assessment criteria appropriately and can actively
contribute to peer-assessment activities, the next step is to engage them in
self-assessment tasks.
Self-assessment
is a very powerful teaching tool and crucial to the Assessment for Learning process.
Once learners can engage in peer-assessment activities, they will be more able
to apply these new skills to undertaking objective‘assessment of their own
work. We all know it is easy to find fault in other people‘s work, but it is a
far more challenging process to judge one‘s own work.
Once
learners can assess their own work and their current knowledge base, they will
be able to identify the gap in their own learning; this will aid learning and
promote progress and contribute to the self-management of learning.
Teachers need
Ø provide
opportunities for learners to reflect on their own work
Ø ensure they provide individuals with the
necessary support so that they are able to acknowledge shortcomings in their
own work
Ø support
learners through the self-assessment process so that strengths in their work are
fully recognized and weaknesses are not exaggerated to the point that they damage
learners‘self-esteem.
Strategy
for Assessment for Learning
Ø Video
clips of good practice provided in the file were used in the first training session
Ø The
school believes that Hind sight it would have been better to use examples of good
achievability at their also its suitability for their learners.
