Assessment is a common aspect of each and every classroom.  In the twenty-first century classroom, assessment for learning is essential to ensure that students are mastering key skills. The video, Assessment for Learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , points out key strategies that can be employed in the classroom in order to ensure student success.  After watching the video, share your thoughts on the structures and strategies a teacher needs to put into place in order to ensure that an effective classroom environment is created to foster twenty first century learning.  Choose one of the following digital tools to enhance your written response ( Smore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , Prezi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , PowToon (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , Sliderocket (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , Screencast-O-matic (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. , or other presentation software).  Utilizing technology in this discussion will further prepare you for the Final Project in Week 6. Address and include the following: Key strategies from the      video Your own ideas about      both formative and summative assessments How both sets of ideas      could be implemented to create an effective classroom environment Be sure to include      examples to illustrate and support your ideas. Professor: We speak a great deal about assessment and accountability and how each has an integral role in student achievement. Yet, many are still left with the feeling our current level of testing is too rigid, too demanding, not differentiated.........basically a whole bunch of phrases which leaves many with the feeling the current assessments used in schools do not provide the "whole picture". The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2007) suggests, "While the current assessment landscape is replete with assessments that measure knowledge of core content areas such as language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, there are a comparative lack of assessments and analyses focused on 21st century skills" (p. 1). Using either the article or your own thoughts and reflections, how should teachers assess 21st Century Learning Skills? 21st Century Skills Assessment (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. Reference: Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2007). 21st century skills assessment. Retrieved by http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/21st_Century_Skills_Assessment_e-paper.pdf Designing effective lessons Without question, one of the key points that make a class successful is having lessons that are engaging and effective. Creating these types of lessons does not happen overnight; planning requires time, focus and a careful eye to ensuring that the needs of each student are met. So, how does a teacher create a rigorous curriculum plan that leads to improved student perfo ...

1. Assessment is a common aspect of each and every classroom.
In the twenty-first century classroom, assessment for learning
is essential to ensure that students are mastering key skills. The
video,
Assessment for Learning (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.
, points out key strategies that can be employed in the
classroom in order to ensure student success. After watching
the video, share your thoughts on the structures and strategies a
teacher needs to put into place in order to ensure that an
effective classroom environment is created to foster twenty first
century learning.
Choose one of the following digital tools to enhance your
written response (
Smore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
,
Prezi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
,
PowToon (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
,
Sliderocket (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
,
Screencast-O-matic (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.
, or other presentation software). Utilizing technology in this
discussion will further prepare you for the Final Project in
Week 6.
Address and include the following:
Key strategies from the video

2. Your own ideas about both formative and summative
assessments
How both sets of ideas could be implemented to create an
effective classroom environment
Be sure to include examples to illustrate and support your
ideas.
Professor: We speak a great deal about assessment and
accountability and how each has an integral role in student
achievement. Yet, many are still left with the feeling our
current level of testing is too rigid, too demanding, not
differentiated.........basically a whole bunch of phrases which
leaves many with the feeling the current assessments used in
schools do not provide the "whole picture". The Partnership for
21st Century Skills (2007) suggests, "While the current
assessment landscape is replete with assessments that measure
knowledge of core content areas such as language arts,
mathematics, science and social studies, there are a comparative
lack of assessments and analyses focused on 21st century skills"
(p. 1).
Using either the article or your own thoughts and reflections,
how should teachers assess 21st Century Learning Skills?
21st Century Skills Assessment (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site.
Reference:

3. Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2007). 21st century skills
assessment. Retrieved by
http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/21st_Century_Skills_As
sessment_e-paper.pdf
Designing effective lessons
Without question, one of the key points that make a class
successful is having lessons that are engaging and effective.
Creating these types of lessons does not happen overnight;
planning requires time, focus and a careful eye to ensuring that
the needs of each student are met. So, how does a teacher create
a rigorous curriculum plan that leads to improved student
performance and yet allows them to balance other teacher
responsibilities? Where should a teacher begin when thinking
about all the parts of a successful instructional plan?
Newman (2013) discussed various pitfalls teachers face when
developing plans. One is referred to “accidental learning” where
emphasis is placed on the activity itself, and less on the concept
and/or purpose behind the activity: “students may be fully
engaged in and enjoy these activities, but learning occurs only
accidentally because the activity focuses on the engagement
rather than the meaning” (Newman, 2013, “Accidental
Learning”). Another issue that occurs to the best of us is the
need to cover a breadth of information, as opposed to focusing
on the key concepts students will need to know. Putting in long
hours of planning does not equate or always result in solid
lesson plans.
We organized a table of Kizlik’s (2017) article, “
Six Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site.
” to include common mistakes and how to address them.

4. A few mistakes to avoid when lesson planning
Accidental learning - don't get caught focusing your energies
on "cool" activities. Just because students are engaged does
not mean they are learning. Don;t mistake the two!
Breadth of coverage - often times teachers focus on covering
the entire unit or textbook. In the rush to coverage
everything the breadth of material is covered often with
little depth.
Poor planning and management - putting in long hours of
planning does not always equate with solid plans.
Remember, to focus on quality of the time planning and not
the quantity of time.
Five Common Mistakes in Writing Lesson Plans
1. The objective
of the lesson does not specify what the student will actually do
that can be observed. Remember, an objective is a description
of what a student does that forms the basis for making an
inference about learning. Poorly written objectives lead to
faulty inferences.
2. The lesson assessment
is disconnected from the behavior indicated in the objective.
An assessment in a lesson plan is simply a description of how
the teacher will determine whether the objective has been
accomplished. It must be based on the same behavior that is
incorporated in the objective. Anything else is flawed.

5. 3. The materials
specified in the lesson are extraneous to the actual described
learning activities. This means keep the list of materials in line
with what you actually plan to do. Overkilling with materials is
not a virtue!
4. The instruction
in which the teacher will engage is not efficient for the level of
intended student learning. Efficiency is a measure that means
getting more done with the same amount of effort or the same
amount with less effort. With so much to be learned, it should
be obvious that instructional efficiency is paramount.
5. The student activities
described in the lesson plan do not contribute in a direct and
effective way to the lesson objective. Don't have your students
engaged in activities just to keep them busy. Whatever you have
your students do should contribute in a direct way to their
accomplishing the lesson objective.
This article further details the Five Common Mistakes in
Writing Lesson Plans (and how to avoid them).
http://www.educationoasis.com/instruction/bt/five_common_mis
takes.htm (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Understanding how students organize knowledge
As you think about how teaching and learning SHOULD best
occur consider the following questions?
* What is the role of the teacher in the classroom?
* Should the teacher be the "expert" in the classroom?
* What does it mean for students to be actively engaged in the

6. classroom?
* How should a teacher reconcile their own values with
different teaching philosophies?
The answers to these questions will certainly help guide how
your classroom runs and the way in which teaching and learning
occurs.
Constructivism
Constructivism is a theory that helps us connect the dots
between how students learn, and what strategies a teacher might
employ in the classroom to engage and access their students'
current and prior knowledge.
Check out the video (see Video Section) on constructivism.
Building on students' prior knowledge
Students enter the classroom with a range of experiences and
knowledge. Being able to access this information is critical to
engaging students and connecting learning to their real lives.
Check out this article; “
Are You Tapping into Prior Knowledge Often Enough in Your
Classroom
?” for excellent advice on tapping into the prior knowledge of
your students:
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/prior-knowledge-tapping-into-
often-classroom-rebecca-alber (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site.

7. Reference: Kizlik, B. (2017). Six common mistakes in w riting
lesson plans (and what to do about them). Adprima. Retrieved
from http://www.adprima.com/mistakes.htm
Newman, R. (2013). Teaching and learning in the 21st century:
Connecting the dots. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education,
Inc.
Required Resources
Text
Newman, R. (2013).
Teaching and learning in the 21st century: Connecting the dots
(2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
Chapter 9: Designing Effective Lessons
This chapter focuses on the specific ways to design and plan
effective lesson plans. It introduces the understanding by
design lesson planning strategy and examines how a teacher
can craft an instructional plan using the backward mapping
approach.
Chapter 10: Engaging and Connecting Students to the
Learning
This chapter examines how individuals organize

8. information in their brains and how they make meaning of
situations and events. It also focuses on the theory of
learning called constructivism and looks at the works of
Vygotsky and Piaget.
Multimedia
Michael Pershan. (2012, July 6).
What if Khan Academy was made in Japan?
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
[Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHoXRvGTtAQ
Rystad, M. (2013, April 7).
Assessment for learning
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
[Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcLMlY6R7RM
This video explains multiple strategies for assessment
for
learning, or formative assessments, to inform instructional
decisions.
TED Talks. (2011, March).
Salman Khan: Let’s use video to reinvent education
(Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
[Video file]. Retrieved from
http://www.ted.com/talks/salman_khan_let_s_use_video_to_rein
vent_education.html

9. Websites
Common Core State Standards Initiative (Links to an external
site.)Links to an external site.
(http://www.corestandards.org/)
Official Common Core State Standards website.
Recommended Resources
Article
Darling-Hammond, L., & Adamson, F. (2010).
Beyond basic skills: The role of performance assessment in
achieving 21st century standards of learning (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site.
.
Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education
. Retrieved from https://scale.stanford.edu/system/files/beyond-
basic-skills-role-performance-assessment-achieving-21st-
century-standards-learning.pdf
This article discusses the key role of accountability
measures in education and the role of performance
assessments in twenty-first century learning.
International Society for Technology in Education.
ISTE Standards Teachers. (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.
Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-
14_ISTE_Standards-T_PDF.pdf

10. Text
Popham, W. J. (2010).
Classroom assessment: What teachers need to know
(6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
This text discusses the range of topics teachers need to know
about assessment.
Websites
Jing (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
(http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html)
Khan Academy (Links to an external site.)Links to an external
site.
(http://www.khanacademy.org)
PowToon (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
(http://www.powtoon.com)
Prezi (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
(http://prezi.com)
Screencast-o-matic (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.
(http://www.screencast-o-matic.com)
Sliderocket (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
(http://www.sliderocket.com)
Smore (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
(https://www.smore.com)

11. YouTube (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
(http://www.youtube.com)