Lesson 17

Assessment in a Constructivist, Technology-Supported Learning Constructivism

Constructivism is a theory of knowledge that argues that humans generate knowledge and meaning from an interaction between their experiences and their ideas. During infancy, it was an interaction between human experiences and their reflexes or behavior-patterns.

CONSTRUCTIVIST CLASSROOM

In a constructivist classroom, learning transcends memorization of facts. It is putting these isolated facts together, form concepts and makes meaning out of them. It is connecting the integration of these facts and concepts to daily life. It is seeing the relevance of these facts and concepts to what we value and treasure in life.

ASSESSMENT

The term ‘assessment’ refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by their students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged

ASSESSMENT PRACTICE

Higher level form of assessment that will require the display of the basic skills of writing and speaking, computing and the more complex skills of applying concepts learned, analyzing, critiquing and evaluating, integrating and creating, and the social skills of working with others. Such higher level form of assessment will call for alternative forms of assessment.

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT

Authentic assessment measures collective abilities, written and oral expression skills, analytical skills, manipulative skills, (like computer skills) integration, creativity, and ability to work collaboratively.

TECHNOLOGY-SUPPORTED ASSESSMENT

Includes display of skillful and creative use of technologies, old and recent, because that is what is naturally expected of us in the real world, a technology-dominated world. In the 21*' century, we need to be computer literate and fluent or we get lost or become helpless.

TECHNOLOGY-SUPPORTED ASSESSMENT

We do not test their computer and creative skills, their analytical and integrative skills by way of a multiple-choice -type of test nor test their computer skills alone. Instead, we measure their computer skills directly in an authentic or real-life setting.