Types of assessment Essay Example for Free

Types of assessment Essay What is meant by assessment? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment types and methods you use? How would you involve your learner into the assessment process? Why do we need to keep records of assessment? Assessments are a critical part of the education system; highlighted by Black and Wiliams’(1998) who define assessments as activities providing â€Å"information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged†. There are two forms of assessment; formative and summative. Formative assessments are carried  out as the course progresses. These are an informal and simple way of gauging how and what your students are learning. This then allows teachers to amend their teaching to accommodate the results as evaluation and reflection takes place. Furthermore students can identify the areas of development and ‘ensure that objectives are being met’ (Minton,1991, p183). Feedback is therefore considered to be significant for the continued development and progression of learners (Petty, 2010). Summative assessment, however, refers to a more traditional approach for testing learners. see more:describe how to find out the history preferences wishes and needs of an individual It  involves assessing learners at the end of the course/year providing a final grade. Summative assessment can be very effective, however, it could be very demanding for an adult with learning disabilities as they may find it difficult to recollect information from the beginning of the course. Initial assessment should take place before a learner begins the course; these are ‘an evaluation of a learner’s skills, knowledge, strengths and areas for development. ’ (Gravells, 2012). This is effective when working with adults with learning disabilities as it will help establish the appropriate  pitch, pace and content/resources to be used. Furthermore, it will be a way of recognising prior learning and such experience/qualifications can be validated. Rules of assessment should be adhered to ensure equality and fair testing: they should be valid, reliable, authentic, current and sufficient. Teachers/Assessors should not discriminate against learners in their choice of assessment method and planning and should advance anti-discriminatory practice. There are many forms of assessment strategies in English; these include speaking and listening assessments, controlled assessments, quizzes/worksheets, essays etc. Speaking and listening assessments are means of measuring a learners’ communication skills. Individuals are assessed on their ability to project their ideas, viewpoints and their listening skills. This allows learners to work in a group, supporting each other by sharing ideas and improve their functional skills. Furthermore, it can be videoed as evidence. However, it is difficult to assess the level of understanding of the learners through this method alone. Furthermore, this is a subjective strategy and feedback can be limited. Worksheets and quizzes both can be set as individual or group work. They provide an objective mark at the end which can lead to informative feedback based on the learner’s strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. The tasks can be fun, engaging and interesting for learners. This strategy has reliability because worksheets/quizzes are consistent as similar results can be gained. Furthermore, they are valid because they measure understanding as the learners attempt to answer questions and the marks obtained shows the stage, progress and understanding of each learner. The benefits are highly valuable as the learners enjoy completing the activities. Mitchells (1997) recognised that games and quizzes can be motivating for those learners who struggle with formal teaching styles. Other assessments include observation, watching and evaluating the learners’ progress. Observations should reflect a learner’s daily performance and should be recorded fully on paper; audiotape or video, with an awareness of confidentiality issues, signed and dated by the teacher/assessor and learner. The more detailed and factual the record, the stronger the evidence may be in terms of validity and reliability. Such observations should be planned in advance with the 1 / 3  agreement of the learner’s manager and colleagues. However, teachers can take opportunities to record observations of unplanned events, if useful as evidence. Through observations, teacher/assessor can gather sufficient evidence and can then relate the observation back to many different units/elements of the qualification. Also, it allows teachers to see natural competence first hand in an authentic and reliable manner. Nevertheless, there are disadvantages of observations: A learner’s normal duties may not cover all assessment criteria; observations may be unnerving for learners and observations can take a lot of  an assessor’s time and expense. Brookfield’s (1998) model of reflection states that it is critical that one views themselves and their teaching through the perspective of their learners. In this lens there is a strong focus on the learner’s ‘voice’ and so value is placed on their viewpoints and also their articulation of work. Therefore, it is important to gain the learners’ thoughts on the assessment strategy. Learners should be informed of how they will be assessed from the onset, involved in feedback and evaluation at every level. Furthermore, prior to assessment, learners could be shown a model  answer and given success criterion to ensure they understand how to achieve the desired level/grade. Involving learners in the assessment process is a key way of helping them to manage and ‘take ownership’ of their learning, by reflecting on achievement and progress. Involving them in recording their own and each others’ progress and planning the next steps in learning can deepen their understanding and reinforce their sense of achievement. Therefore they should be briefed about expectations, purpose and benefits of becoming involved in assessment. Self-assessment will allow learners to reflect upon their own progress and assesses their own development and achievements. However, self-assessment is not always easy and teachers should guide learners in a step-by-step process so they learn how to evaluate their own work and learning style, perhaps by modelling. Reid (2011) suggests that you can use other learners if, for example, they observed your learner. This refers to peer assessment, where peers assess the learner’s developments and achievements through observation of their practice during an activity. Peer assessment and feedback activities give students opportunities to internalise the criteria, learn from examples, enables evaluation and reflection and allows development of responsibility for own learning. However there might be some drawbacks from this as some students may express concerns about showing their work to others that are not qualified to assess their work. Also, it needs to be reliable and accurate; therefore strategies need to be put into place to ensure objectivity. Records are an integral part of the teaching and learning process. Gravells (2012) argues that  records must be maintained, to support the teaching and learning process and to satisfy auditors, inspectors, regulators, verifiers, internal and external quality assurers and your own organisation’s requirements. Teachers should retain documents such as the syllabus, scheme of work, session plans, action plans, hand-outs/activities for the learner, and assessment records such as tracking sheets, marked assignments, portfolios etc. Holding records of the course and content would allow inspections on the manner in which the course is being taught and to ensure it is being delivered in accordance to  specifications. Teacher must also keep records of learners’ progression. This will identify whether the student is on task to complete course or having difficulty. Clear, concise information and evidence will lead to a greater understanding of learner needs and enable teachers to amend their teaching styles to accommodate the learner needs. Records must be kept for a length of time stipulated by your organisation in case of an auditing process. However under the Data Protection Act 1998, this information should be â€Å"kept secure with appropriate technical and organisational measures taken to  protect the information’ and confidentiality should be maintained. A very good explanation of why records must be kept in an institute. 2 / 3 Word count: 1102 (excluding references) References Benjamin S Bloom. (1980), All Our Children Learning, New York: McGraw-Hill. Black, P. , amp; Wiliam, D. (1998), Inside the Black Box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. King’s College London School of Education, pg 2 Brookfield, S. (1998) Critically reflective teacher. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions Data Protection Act (2008), Information Commissioners Office, lt; www.ico. gov. ukgt; Date accessed 21/02/14 Gravells, A. (2012) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (5th Edition) Learning Matters Ltd Exeter Minton, D. , (1991), Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education, Macmillan Press Ltd. Mitchell, C. (1997), Transforming Teaching; Selecting and evaluating teaching strategies. Further Education Matters. Petty, G. (2010) Teaching Today Home page, http://www. geoffpetty. com/, 201O Read, H, (2011) The Best Assessor’s Guide. Bideford: Read On Publications POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Formation of the Triple Alliance :: History

Formation of the Triple Alliance In 1871 two new major states of Europe had been formed—the German Empire and the kingdom of Italy. The new German Empire, under the hand of Otto von Bismarck, was steered carefully, always with an eye upon France, for the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71) had left France thirsting for revenge and for recovery of the lost provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. 2 Germany had allied itself with Russia and Austria-Hungary in the Three Emperors’ League, but Austria-Hungary and Russia were not the best of friends, partly because they were at odds over the Balkans and partly because Russia represented the Pan-Slavic movement, whose program threatened the very existence of Austria-Hungary. The Treaty of San Stefano (1878), following the Russo-Turkish War, furthered the cause of Pan-Slavism through the creation of a large Bulgarian state and offended Austria-Hungary as well as Great Britain. A European conference (1878; see Berlin, Congress of), called to revise the treaty, caused a sharp decline in the friendship between Russia on the one hand and Austria-Hungary and Germany on the other; Bismarck formed (1879) a secret defensive alliance—the Dual Alliance—with Austria-Hungary. 3 In 1882 Italy, angry at France chiefly because France had forestalled an Italian advance by occupying Tunis, signed another secret treaty, which bound it with Germany and Austria-Hungary. Thus was the Triple Alliance formed. It was periodically renewed until 1913. In 1882 Serbia joined the alliance, in effect, through a treaty with Austria-Hungary. Romania joined the group in 1883, and a powerful Central European bloc was created. Italy was from the first not so solidly bound to either of its allies as Germany and Austria-Hungary were to each other. Italy was in fact a rival of Austria-Hungary in the Balkans and particularly for control of the Adriatic; moreover, there remained unsettled territorial problems (see irredentism). The Triple Alliance, however, turned diplomatic history into new channels. 4 Formation of the Triple Entente The Three Emperors’ League died a slow death, but in 1890 its day was over: Germany refused to renew its reinsurance treaty with Russia, and Russia in consequence sought a rapprochement with France. At the same time France, face to face with an increasingly powerful Germany and a hostile Central European combination, felt great need of an ally, and French diplomats began to make overtures to Russia for an agreement to counterbalance the Triple Alliance. French capital aided Russian projects, especially the Trans-Siberian Railroad, and friendly diplomatic visits were exchanged.

Different Forms of Fdi

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) is an investment that is made to acquire a lasting interest in an enterprise operating in an economic other than that of the investor. In addition foreign direct investment (FDI) refers to long term participation by country A into country B. It usually involves participation in management, joint-venture, transfer of technology and â€Å"know-how†. FDI has many forms and theses can be categorized depending on the investors perspective and host country’s perspective. Investor’s perspective Controlling a foreign investment is such a big concern for an investor investing huge amounts of capital in a foreign market where it cannot be certain of success. The investor needs to control his resources such as patents, trademarks, management know-how, which when transferred can be used to determine the competitiveness position of the original holder. Horizontal Vs Vertical FDI Horizontal FDI takes place when a firm invests in the same industry as it has been operating in at home. This would be for example a soft drink company in UK investing in Uganda in the making of soft drinks like Pepsi. Vertical FDI is divided into Forward and Backward FDI. Forward Vertical; takes place when a firm invests in facilities that will consume the output of the mother company in the home country. Different economic factors encourage inward FDIs. These include interest loans, tax breaks, grants, subsidies, and the removal of restrictions and limitations. This is usually done in search for markets . Usually the company invests in distribution and market facilities that absorb and market the products of the company in Uganda . Backward Vertical FDI is the kind of FDI where a company invests in facilities that provide inputs or raw materials to the parent company. Most FDIs in the less developing countries such as Uganda are backward investments. They provide inputs for the firms industry in foreign country. Typical examples are Extraction investments in the mining industry. Host country perspective Governments always endeavor to control FDI because they feel that national interests of the host country may not well be served by the decision of a foreign investor. For example; the government of Uganda regulates the number of foreign staff that companies like MTN, Zain have to employ otherwise positions could be given to foreign employees. The concern of Government of Uganda would be to ensure investments create jobs for the local populace. The government might also need to control the level of profits repatriated or else it could cause a BOP problem. Import substitution FDIs. these are companies that are established to produce goods that have been previously imported for example Bidcos oil for cooking. Export promotion FDI. These are established to enhance and promote exportation of products to the international market, Government initiated FDIs these are established by governments to spur economic growth and development for instance the Tri-Star project between the government of Uganda and USA Greed-field investment: establishing a wholly new operation in a foreign country. The majority of investments is in the form of mergers &acquisitions: Represents about 77%of all flows in developing countries and represent about 33%of all flows in less developing countries. Fewer target firms. The preference for mergers &acquisitions is because it becomes quicker to execute. And foreign firms have valuable strategic assets which increase the efficiency FDIs inform of Joint ventures An equity joint venture is established according to the Law on Joint Ventures Using Ugandan and Foreign Investment Both profits and risks are distributed between the foreign partner and Ugandan partner according to the share of capital they contribute to the joint venture. Foreign contribution usually takes t form of â€Å"machinery and equipment, technology, cash (in convertible currencies), industrial property rights, and managerial experience†, and the Ugandan partner provides â€Å"land, factory buildings and facilities, raw materials, and cash in local currency†. A contractual joint venture, which involves no equity stake, does not necessarily lead to the creation of a new legal entity. A third party can be appointed by the foreign partner and the Ugandan partner to manage the venture, or the foreign partner can entrust the Ugandan partner to manage the venture. Profits and risks are distributed between the two partners not according to capital contribution, but predetermined by the terms and conditions laid down in the venture agreement

The Classroom Is A Critical Locus For Student...

â€Å"The classroom is a critical locus for student interpersonal and educational development† (Hudgins et al, 37, 1994). When a student walks into a classroom their first impression is the physical classroom environment. A student either sees the classroom as a positive place to learn or a negative space they are forced to attend every day. Research has shown that students subject matter, achievement and attitudes improve when the teacher creates a physical classroom environment that is more conducive to learning. (Hudgins et al, 37, 1994). â€Å"Well-run classrooms begin with the room’s physical layout† (Shalaway). First things first, a classroom s physical layout should reflect the teaching style of the teacher. As a future teacher, the style of teaching that I value the most is partner collaboration. I find that students learn to the best of their ability when they can bounce ideas off each other and corporate in table groups. 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