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Assessment and Science Education
A WebQuest
for Pre-Service Science Teachers
Designed
by
Brian Murfin brian.murfin@qc.cuny.edu
Introduction
| Task
| Process
| Evaluation
| Conclusion
| Credits
Introduction
Assessment and Science Education Web Quest
In
this activity you will work in small groups to explore assessment in
science education. By the end of this activity, you should have
some answers to the following question: - How
can I help my students succeed on standardized science tests, and at
the same time make sure that they are scientifically literate, develop
their science skills and knowledge to their full potential, and have
positive attitudes towards science?
Good luck!
The
Task
As a small group, answer the following questions: - Imagine
that you just started teaching a Regents science subject. You are
almost finished teaching a topic and now you have to design a test for
your students. Describe how you would go about constructing your
test.
- Construct a few sample questions of the following
types on your topic: multiple choice and constructed response
questions. You should include diagrams, charts, or graphs with
the constructed response questions.
- After your students take your exam, describe how you would analyze the results of your test.
- How would you ensure that your test is valid, reliable, and unbiased?
The
Process
- Use your web browser to connect to ScienceMOO
. You should have received your username and password in an email
to your gmail address. If you can't login with your account, you
can login as a guest. Guests do not need a password.
- Form a group of two to four people who all teach the same science subject.
- Your
group should pick a table in ScienceMOO and sit together. The
tables are named table1, table2, table3, table4, table5, table6,
table7, table8, table9, table10.
- To sit at a table in ScienceMOO, make sure the button next to normal is selected, then type sit table1 or sit table2
- While
you are at a table, you will only see what is being typed by the people
at your table. If you want to speak to the whole class you can
either stand, or use the speakup command.
- Discuss the questions as a group and then post your group's answers on the discussion board in BlackBoard and also in our Google group.
- I
will be moving around from table to table to answer questions.
You can divide up the tasks or work on them together. Use the
resources below and on our course outline under Week 10 to help you
accomplish the tasks.
RESOURCESListed below are some web sites that may help you accomplish your tasks. You can also consult our course outline for more information.
Evaluation
Now
that you have finished the tasks and are more familiar with the Regents
exams, think about how you might help the following students prepare
for the Regents exams: - This student has low reading ability and isn't really interested in science.
- This student is highly motivated and wants to learn science but English is her second language.
- This student is a visual learner and is very good at labs.
- This students loves the arts and music but isn't much interested in science.
- This
student is a sports fanatic and plays on the school basketball team but
really doesn't see the need to do well in science.
Please post your ideas on the discussion board in BlackBoard.
Conclusion
Once
you have finished posting your webquest on the Discussion Board in
BlackBoard and also in our Google group, take a look at the other's
groups responses.
You may want to continue and develop a
complete unit test now that you can include with your unit plan.
This is also a chance for you to develop quizzes and tests on topics
you might be teaching next semester during student teaching. You
should start thinking about the tools you will use to create
assessments and how you will keep them organized.
Credits
& References Elephant image courtesy of Classroom Clipart http://classroomclipart.com/
Last
updated on August 15, 1999.
Based
on a template from The
WebQuest Page
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