Reflection of PETA Subject about Assessment by Muhammad Ainul Muiz

Reflection of PETA Subject about Assessment

            That was an unusual class on PETA course. On that day, we did not have a usual class. We had a general class that held by guess lecturer who was Ms. Warih. She was a senior teacher in Madania School. On that day, the topic was about assessment and why we do it?. To begin the class, she has grouped us. Then, she asked us to divide our jobs (leader, logistic, reporter and recorder) and each group member has the right to contribute in each group. Then she began the class and delivered the material. From Ms. Warih’s class, I could understand about what assessment was and why did we had to do it. Based on my understanding, assessment was a way to measure our student’s skill, knowledge, abilities and understanding by using test or can be an observation. I also knew the function of assessment. The function is to provide any feedback from the student how were their understanding about our material that had been delivered before. One more that I got from that class was what effective assessment was. Based on Wiggin and McTighe, 2005. p. 152, 170 there were three criteria of an effective assessment. The first was more like scrapbook than a single snapshot (it meant that to assess our student we could not judge them that they are stupid from their failed or mistake in a certain topic. Our students are not same, we could not judge them. We have to be wise and fair to assess them). The second was along the way using variety of methods and formats (it will take long time to make an effective assessment. We need to do a lot of observation through our students in using our methods and formats to teach them). The last was match the type of assessment and the needed of evidence of achieving the desired result. (It is clear that as a teacher we have to match the type of assessment and have to push ourselves to achieve the goal of our teaching).

            In that class, Ms. Warih gave us the next activity. The activity was gallery walk. First, she delivered the material about summative and formative assessment. Then, in group we had to write what we understand about that material on a flip chart and did gallery walk. For me, that was an interesting activity. Though, I did not really understand about that. There were some different opinions with other groups. It made me a little confused about summative and formative assessment. We also could not finish dropping by in the groups’ entire stand. It made us did not really get the point. Ms. Warih also could not make clear about the material because the time was limited. She explained a brief about that material and skipped it to the next activity. After that, the next activity was we have to examine the specimen of two kinds of international test; ICAS and CAMBRIDGE. We also could not finish examining them. The time was up. To make clear, she asked us to do it by ourselves and she also gave us her email to make us easy to ask about anything that relate with the topic on that day.

            All of the things that I learned on that session were meaningful for me as a teacher candidate. I know that a teacher has to be able to do an effective assessment to their students. From that session, I also could know that to assess our students is not easy. We have to consider with the three criteria that proposed by Wiggin and McTighe. If we could understand them and be able to implement them in our assessment it was possible that we will be able to do an effective assessment. About the lesson in that day, it was match with my expectation before. I expect that in that lesson we would earn deeply about what assessment was and how to do an effective assessment. I was really happy about that. I know that assessment was very important for me as a teacher candidate. I also enjoy the class and felt comfort because that session was interesting for me. On that session there were some interesting activities such as; the roles during the class, gallery walk, group discussion etc. I hope, in the next session I could enjoy the class and get the point of the lesson. I also do hope that there will not be many activities which will spend a lot of time and make the lesson is not delivered fully.