Time to Switch It Up Bit: Authentic Assessment
The whole point behind teaching social studies to elementary students is to open their eyes to the world around them, to mold them into being the best little citizens they can be. However, this will not happen by just simply reading texts from decades ago or reviewing the same content they hear year after year. Do you want to know how they become great little citizens? Through authentic assessment, that’s how.
Authentic assessment is a form of assessing through “engaging and worthy problems or questions of importance, in which students must use knowledge to fashion performances effectively and creatively” (Wiggins, 1993). In simpler terms, it is a way of assessing our students by asking them to perform real-world tasks that showcase their knowledge in a creative format. Authentic assessment will only fully work if it is played out correctly in the classroom. Here is a helpful guide to make sure your authentic assessment experience in your classroom is nothing less than super successful!
Let it be known that this guide was inspired by the NCSS article “Little by Little: Global Citizenship through Local Action Inspired by Wangari Maathai”.
1. Make the assessment a performing task.
Authentic assessment is all about allowing the students to be hands on with their topic. You must allow them to dive in fully into the subject and create their own connections, passions, and beliefs with it. This type of assessment is not one that is just given out on a sheet of paper asking to fill in a multiple choice question. Allow them to apply their learning to something more meaningful, like a poster, a video or even better, allow them to visit a site where their new knowledge is actually applied!
2. Allow the assessment to be developed enough that it will create a transfer impact on your students.
“I only memorize information for tests and then forget all about it”. I know you heard this comment come from students’ time after time. This is a large flaw when it comes to traditional assessment. The good thing is that the famous comment should not happen during the authentic assessment process. Authentic assessment is supposed to allow the students to engage with it so intensively, that they are able to connect their new knowledge and skills to even different subjects that is not just social studies. Even better, they will be able to walk out of your classroom with the ability and confidence to connect their new information with events in their present and future life events.
3. Connect it to real-life situations, or events in the community around your students.
Students always have more interest to certain topics when they can relate to them. For an authentic assessment experience to reach the level of success in your classroom, its topic should be based on an issue that impacts your students. Also, to have a better insight on what they care about, ask them about what they wish they could change about their community, neighborhood, or even the world. It should never be assumed that your students are not aware of what is happening around them. In connection with a student-focused topic, it is time for the last tip to creating a great authentic assessment.
4. Make the assessment student-structured.
Like how I said in helpful tip number one, you must allow the students to dive in fully into the topic. Allow your students to choose the topic and what should be their next step once the research and learning process has been completed. Give them the opportunity to choose how they want to apply their knowledge. When students feel that they have a say in what and how they will learn, great things can happen. Now, this does not mean to allow the students to do whatever they please. As a teacher, scaffolding will be necessary, but do not block their path of knowledge. You must guide them to the correct route.
Now you know what I think are the four most important aspects behind authentic assessment. Have a great time with your students, and make a step forward into changing the way we want to assess them. We want less “I only memorize for the test” and more “wow, that actually connects with so many other things!” Authentic assessment will allow your students to realize that they hold a large importance in our world, and any small thing they can do, is a step closer to creating an immense difference around us.
