Reflection on Formative Assessment Activity

On last week's exercise we were asked to apply the Backward Design framework to create a unit on formative assessment. Later, we were asked to post in our blogs how, if at all, did this activity change and/or deepen our understanding of formative assessment, and how would we describe to one of your science colleagues what the most salient features of formative assessment are.

The exercise simply showed me how it is always easier to speak, than to act. We only had fifty minutes to design the learning unit; as much as we tried to use the Backward Design, always thinking first on what the students, our clients, needed to learn and how the would learn it, it was complicated. From my point of view, it is complicated because you have a definite, specific objective given to you by your superiors. Sometimes we forget the most important objective, which is for the student to truly understand the concept.

The activity did not change my understanding on formative assessment; for me, it is crucial to keep verifying if your students are getting the concept; you need to build on a solid base, and for that you have to make sure constantly. It is also important to notice the difference with an evaluation. I would let my colleagues know that the formative assessment need to be continous during the teaching and learning process; it also needs to serve as a practice. Even though you can evaluate during your assessment activity, this is not the main goal. It is also important to notice that, the amount and quality of assessments will depend in the teacher. I believe that the most concerned teachers, those who actually care about their students, will assess better and more often.

Practice Interview Reflection

My practice interview from last week went simply as the comments published on this blog regarding the pertinent questions anticipated. As expected, the questions were too narrow and focused on single facts of carbohydrate chemistry. I believe the single thing that went well was the interest my interviewee showed to the functionality of different carbohydrates in the food industry.

The outcome of this practice interview is a complete change of my interview questions and protocol. I believe I have to introduce my interview with a scenario. Given that the interview is on carbohydrate chemistry, this scenario can be that the interviewee is the Manager of R&D for a multi-national food company; the interviewee will be presented with a real-life problem on carbohydrate functionality and presented with possibilities to solve the problem. It is really important to guide your interviewee through this process. The example that would most likely end in my interview is the uses of brown algae cell wall polysaccharides in th food industry (for example, in pimento-stuffed olives).

The trick I learned and that I liked the most was on what to do when your interviewee responds to the question with a: "I don't know". This could represent the end of the interview. By giving the person a package of hints you can trigger the response (correct or incorrect) to your questions. Also, giving different scenarios or examples help in the process.

In the end, it is how the interviewee applies the concept what matters the most, and not only if she or he can write down the fact as it is given in the textbook.

Interview Tentative Questions

Questions on Carbohydrate Chemistry:

1.- Mention common sources of starch
2.- What is the difference between amylose and amylopectin
3.- What is the difference between starch and cellulose
4.- Mention two applications of corn starch
5.- Which are the most important hydrolytic enzymes in cereal chemistry?
6.- Are all starch granules the same?
7.- What is a reducing sugar?
8.- What is the difference between an aldose and a ketose?
9.- Draw the basic structure of an arabinoxylan.
10.- Other than food, explain other applications of carbohydrates