Nancy Cavillones's Bookmarks

We must work backwards:

• We start with: “What is the purpose of this discipline?” and “What is it important that students know (understanding) and can do (application) as a result of this course?” These are difficult, complex, and evolving questions with implications far beyond the classroom. Moving too quickly here weakens everything else.


• Then to: “How can I assess whether or not students are gaining this understanding and acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills in the most authentic manner?”


• Then, we should ask the question: “How can I prepare students for that assessment?” In that sense, we are teaching to the test–but a test that has been carefully designed to fit what is being taught. And we certainly are not teaching to the same kind of test for every discipline and every situati

We must work backwards:

• We start with: “What is the purpose of this discipline?” and “What is it important that students know (understanding) and can do (application) as a result of this course?” These are difficult, complex, and evolving questions with implications far beyond the classroom. Moving too quickly here weakens everything else.


• Then to: “How can I assess whether or not students are gaining this understanding and acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills in the most authentic manner?”


• Then, we should ask the question: “How can I prepare students for that assessment?” In that sense, we are teaching to the test–but a test that has been carefully designed to fit what is being taught. And we certainly are not teaching to the same kind of test for every discipline and every situation.