Statement of Initial Philosophy: I decided I wanted to be an educator back in secondary school. I always believed that I could disseminate information in a way that young people could understand. Attending a school, where I always felt that the teachers were just giving information, bothered me. My approach as an educator has changed drastically since the day, I began teaching. I firmly believe that my duty as an educator is to help bring students out of the dark. I try to meet them where they are, and bridge the gap between the known and the unknown. As such, I am a beacon when I am in the classroom. Being a beacon means that I am the shining light that can guide my students to a better tomorrow. It expands beyond my subject area. As a former …show more content…
A performance assessment offers several benefits to the students. These assessments allow for a deeper understanding of the topic being assessed. Students are encouraged to apply the knowledge they have learnt, not only for this lesson but also other connected lessons, to complete an assessment. The rubric allows for a lot of freedom for students to pair their academic knowledge with the skills they have developed throughout their lives and create a truly unique presentation. Another benefit that can be derived from the administration of the performance assessment is increased motivation and engagement in the lesson. Quite often students do not see the real-world application of the topic or subject as a whole. Often as teachers we may be faced with students asking, “When am I going to ever use this?” With this approach to assessment, it is quite likely that students can make the link between the topic and real-world experiences and possibilities, which may see motivation and engagement levels rise. Unfortunately, the use of this type of assessment is not always possible. There are several obstacles that may affect the implementation of performance assessments. Quite often, teachers are mandated to structure their assessments in a particular way. Administrators are not always receptive to change, and this type of assessment is the epitome of changing from the norm. Many times, those in authority do not have a full understanding of the subject and do not understand why performance assessments are tailor made for assessing what learning has taken place. In the past, we have inquired about alternative assessment methods and have been struck down. The common reason is they need to have proper documentation for assessments, which include rubrics, unit and lesson plans, as well as an explanation of how this approach will appropriately assess the knowledge gained by students. Another challenge in administering the rubric and performance assessments is eliminating the