Report of Experiences in Assessments in Matoska International School

Introduction At Matoska International School, assessment is one of the key elements of the teaching and learning process. Assessment is concerned with the gathering of valuable feedback from student in term of what the student know, what the students feel and what the students are able to do at various stages of the teaching learning process in response to what they have learned.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Report of Experiences in Assessments in Matoska International School specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The school has multi faceted assessment criteria that aim at evaluating different types of learning such as skills, knowledge and attitudes. It also means that students are an integral part of the assessment process and that the students are encouraged to develop critical thinking as well as a self evaluation mentality. Assessment at Matoska International School is not only for the purpose of gatherin g information for the sake of enriching the teaching and learning process but is intended to aid in the development of students’ learning and learned abilities. As such it is an ongoing process that also involves the environment, the community as well as the student’s family members. The student is continuously informed of the assessment criteria and adequately prepared before any assessment test is administered (Matoska n.d). Assessment is therefore a continuous process of varied activities intended to develop the student and involves various parties such as the parent community, and the family members while the student is the central figure in the entire process. Assessment methods At Matoska, teaching and learning is multifaceted and as such the assessment criteria is modeled along the Bloom concept of learning domains. It evaluates various aspects of learning such as knowledge skills and attitudes. Knowledge learned is assessed through summative tests at the end of every learning unit. The learner is required to define, describe, knows, lists, or recall knowledge learned. The learner is also expected to show the ability to analyze knowledge learned. Assessment also tests the learner’s attitudes. This involves testing whether the learner’s skills, concept and beliefs have been affected by what has been learned. As such the learner will be observed to identify how he/she cooperates, influences, questions and internalizes learned values. Furthermore, assessment is also intended to evaluate the learners ‘doing’ abilities. This includes testing the learner fro creating, constructing, composing designing and such other physical abilities. Assessment involves both qualitative and quantitative evaluation.Advertising Looking for term paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Quantitative assessment involves awarding of numerical score or grades while qualitat ive assessment appeals to a teachers emotion and responses such as good, satisfactory, excellent are involved. Qualitative assessment is used in assessing both written and unwritten tests. Furthermore, assessment also tests a learners psychomotor skills; the ability of the students to do what they have learned in class. Therefore, the assessment at Matoska involves a variety of methods (Matoska n.d). To begin with the teachers use the paper pencil methods. This involves written response where students will write tests that may either involve multiple choices, short answers or essays. Written assessment is done both as a continuous measurement method of a student learning. Therefore it is achieved through writing daily class room assignment as well as the end of every learning unit or semesters exams. Non paper and pencil assessment involves unwritten evaluation such oral tests and manual task. A student is required to give oral responses to questions as well as completing manual tas ks such as simple laboratory experiments while following simple procedures. Unwritten assessment is also part of co curricula activities such as debating, group discussions, music, as well as sports and physical education. The teacher will also observe the student developmental needs in communication skills, interpersonal skills and the way the student relates to the environment around them (Gredler1999). The purpose of assessment The methods mentioned above are student centered and as such the main purpose of using them is to make the student be part of teaching learning process. Thus the student becomes an active participant in the learning process. Students are encouraged to develop self evaluation mechanism and as such they reflect on what they have learned. They are therefore become aware of their own personal academic progress and as such the student will make self directed effort to improve their grade (Matsoka, n.d; Badders, 2000). The tools mentioned above are also very use ful in gathering information about the teaching learning process. This information is valuable as it will inform the teaching methods applied to the whole class in general as well as for specific learners. Diagnostic tests help the teacher to understand the student entry level knowledge and learning needs. Assessment is also part of the professional teacher’s duty. At Matoska, teachers are supposed to administer tests and examinations at predetermined times in fulfillment of their professional duties. Such include Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment, administered every spring to students to grades 3 to 5 (Matoska n.d.).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Report of Experiences in Assessments in Matoska International School specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Assessment generates valuable information As mentioned earlier, the methods of assessment are used to generate valuable information about the entire tea ching and learning process. The tools for assessment thus have been able to yield valuable information to the teacher as follows. Over a given period of learning a student takes a series of tests of which an average score is calculated. Continuous tests measures learning abilities on given topics. These tests are used by the teacher as to gauge the student’s immediate needs per topic which are addressed before progress to the next topic. Therefore the tests help in gathering information about a student’s continuous progress and needs. The averaging of tests scored is very useful in giving an accurate measure of a student’s academic performance over a given period of time, such a school semester. The series of assessment test a variety of knowledge, skills and talents. This reveals students’ strength, weaknesses and development needs (Marzano 2006). The assessment has also been very valuable in yielding information on teaching methods that will aid a stude nt’s improved learning. It is through assessment that teachers identify weak areas and thus have to vary teaching methods to address those areas (Matoska n.d.). If students score poorly in communication skills or have poor written skills, the teacher will vary the teaching methods, to incorporate teaching communication, both verbal and written. Rating assessment methods The assessment methods applicable at Matoska have been rated very highly and proved satisfactory. The purposes of using these particular methods have had a very significant impact on the curriculum at Matoska International School. These methods are very valid as have allowed students to exhibit what they know and are able to do. Such assessment includes writing down grammatically correct sentences, ability to identify herbivore from carnivores among other activities. The scores for these assessments are recorded, analyzed and used for future reference as well as improving the learning process at the school. Th e assessments are reliably useful as they can be applied to all students at all time not only in Matoska but in other schools in the district. These assessments have been able to produce similar results if applied to various schools and students at different times. They also produce data reliable data that that accurately reflects individual student’s knowledge, attitudes and skills learned.Advertising Looking for term paper on education? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Assessment methods are also upgraded periodically to reflect the current thinking in classroom assessment. Furthermore, the methods have been structured in such a way that they address the time available. This reflects the efficiency of the methods in use (Badders 2000). Insight and problems encountered The assessment process has yielded useful insights. Credible assessment is an interactive process between teaching and the learning process where the student is the central figures in the whole process. It therefore means that communication is valuable in the whole process as goals and intentions have to be clearly communicated to the student. To facilitate this mean that the relationship between the student and teacher has to be right for any effective communication to occur. Traditional assessment only involved the teacher as the only one who would develop assessment tools. However modern methods are also encouraging the student to do a self evaluation that will help in student dir ected studying. There are also some problems encountered in using the assessment methods identified in this essay. Assessment is a much more complicated affair especially when it comes to qualitative assessment. The use of adjective such a s good, excellent and such other words that express the quality of learning do not have a universal application because of their subjective nature. What is satisfactory performance to one student may be poor performance from another. Therefore qualitative assessment becomes difficult when assessing student with varying abilities using the same criteria (Black Dylan, 1998). Conclusion Teaching, learning and assessment have symbiotic relationship. Teaching and learning are directed towards assessment while assessment is directed towards further learning which may result in further assessment. As such none can exist without the other. Traditional assessment was content oriented but with changes in the education system, a more student approach has be en adopted. This has resulted in better assessment methods being adopted which have lead to improvement of educational standards. Matoska International School values assessment as an integral part of its teaching and learning process. It is also student centered and as such other than assessing knowledge, the student’s attitudes and physical abilities are also part of assessment the intention of which is to produce an all rounded individual. Reference List Badders, W. ( 2000). Methods of assessment. Web. Black, P., Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy Practice5 (1). Web. Gredler, M. (1999). Classroom assessment and learning. New York: Addison Wesley Longman. Marzano, R. (2006). Classroom assessment and grading that work. Virginia: ASCD. Matoska International PYP assessment policy. Web. This term paper on Report of Experiences in Assessments in Matoska International School was written and submitted by user Sage Durham to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Principals Vision

To support an environment that recognizes the potential of all students to excel emotionally, academically and physically in order to become responsible and productive citizens in a multicultural society. That is the mission statement for Nansemond River High School in Suffolk Virginia. A lot of things are to be taken in to account when developing and implementing a mission statement. I picked this schools’ mission statement, because I thought it was well written. There were three steps that were taken to develop this mission statement. The first step was to organize a steering committee of five to ten people who represented various branches of the school community. The next step was to collect information on the things people wanted to continue and the things people wanted to change. Also things that were currently occurring in the school were included in step two. The last step was to reconcile those areas where there are opposing views. Develop a more refined draft to be presented to and discussed with all groups in the school community. After the principal took all of this into consideration he shared with me the actual day that he and his staff developed the mission statement: We had a half-day conference day. Having collected some examples of mission statements, we gave them to people ahead of time so they could get an idea of what we would be doing. When we assembled in the library (whole middle school staff) an overhead was used to look at some examples. We discussed the different types, such as one line or more complex. We also looked at the sorts of things that were important and then brainstormed the things we thought were important for our middle school. The faculty was divided into groups of two. Each group wrote a mission statement. Groups of two were then combined into groups of four. This group came to consensus on one statement. This was repeated, with groups joining until there was only one left. As... Free Essays on Principal's Vision Free Essays on Principal's Vision To support an environment that recognizes the potential of all students to excel emotionally, academically and physically in order to become responsible and productive citizens in a multicultural society. That is the mission statement for Nansemond River High School in Suffolk Virginia. A lot of things are to be taken in to account when developing and implementing a mission statement. I picked this schools’ mission statement, because I thought it was well written. There were three steps that were taken to develop this mission statement. The first step was to organize a steering committee of five to ten people who represented various branches of the school community. The next step was to collect information on the things people wanted to continue and the things people wanted to change. Also things that were currently occurring in the school were included in step two. The last step was to reconcile those areas where there are opposing views. Develop a more refined draft to be presented to and discussed with all groups in the school community. After the principal took all of this into consideration he shared with me the actual day that he and his staff developed the mission statement: We had a half-day conference day. Having collected some examples of mission statements, we gave them to people ahead of time so they could get an idea of what we would be doing. When we assembled in the library (whole middle school staff) an overhead was used to look at some examples. We discussed the different types, such as one line or more complex. We also looked at the sorts of things that were important and then brainstormed the things we thought were important for our middle school. The faculty was divided into groups of two. Each group wrote a mission statement. Groups of two were then combined into groups of four. This group came to consensus on one statement. This was repeated, with groups joining until there was only one left. As...

Create a counseling theory that is compatible with a Christian Essay

Create a counseling theory that is compatible with a Christian Worldview - Essay Example The human quest for knowledge has at times placed reason and science at odds with theology and faith. Of course, this conflict is ultimately illusory, as all truth is God’s truth. But that hasn’t prevented champions from both side from sparring with each other. The most cited instance of this phenomenon was the dispute between Galileo and the medieval Catholic church. The Italian scientist was right, as even the Roman pontiff has admitted in recent years. That was hardly the last round in the centuries-long controversy, however. The nineteenth century was a time of both great discovery and tremendous turmoil. Charles Darwin turned the world upside down with the publication of his volumes The Origin of Species and Descent of Man. The higher critics in Germany questioned the veracity of Scripture. Across Christendom, the fundamentals of the faith seemed to be crumbling under the ferocity of an all-out intellectual assault. The new discipline known as psychology wasn’t exempt from this battle. Sigmund Freud pioneered the study of human personality and the causes of mental illness. While much of his writings reveal keen insights into human nature, their overall theme was stridently materialistic. As the century developed other theorists such as Jung constructed their own theories. In his case his views were far from atheistic. However, they display an openness to eastern thoughts forms similar to those common in Buddhist and Hindu thought. In these ways it foreshadowed so-called New Age counseling methods. For every action there is an opposite reaction. The emphasis on reason and objectivity that emerged from the Enlightenment found a formidable challenge in the writings of Soren Kierkegaard in the 1800s. Widely regarded as the father of existentialism, the Dutch thinker emphasized the roles of subjective answers and of human freedom in discovering one’s meaning in life. His views were later given a nihilistic

Is increasing knowledge making life more worrying and uncertain in Essay

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Mahatma Gandhi Worldview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mahatma Gandhi Worldview - Essay Example This paper, therefore, compares and contrasts Gandhi’s worldview about the nature of God, social issues and family with my own experience and worldview in the same. Gandhi became a role model to many people through his faith, in truth and justice, for all humankind. His faith, in religion, made him love those who opposed his ideals to bring about peace with non-violence (Damm, January 2011). His teachings on religion were transparent as most of it can be attested to those of the Bible despite his focusing on meekness and humility, which is rather a rare case for any society. Gandhi emphasize on making peace† an eye for an eye would cost us all our eyes† as he stated (Damm, January 2011), but through my worldview, I feel that conflict is brought about by self-interest, proving the point that there exist no ideal human society where everyone thinks and acts the same level for each other. According to Gandhi, people should take the responsibility to care about the poo r, and not refuse to take part, in oppressive practices, but also to fight domination whenever we see it (Damm, January 2011). Gandhi was a moral path of action since he believed in national independence, political and economic freedom of individuals and self-rule. Gandhi tries to explain the nature of God, in the human soul or life, and how God and man relate to explain the nature of God and family experiences. For instance, he believes that human suffering can be explained through assessing their relationships with God. He also believed that one should serve humanity, especially the poor and the downtrodden (Jahanbegloo, 1996). In this context, I agree with Gandhi that we should always care about the poor, in the society, just as nurses do. As an atheist, I strongly believe that humankind do not have any relationship with God. Therefore, it is every person’s duty to take care of one another, including the poor, without perceiving that their suffering is linked to some super natural being. Gandhi also shows how God should be intellectualized and linked with one dense theory of man. It is the basic contention of the present research endeavor that Gandhi’s greatest political ideas were like echo, and their reflections were simple and characterized by western positioning, which fail to some extent to escalate the true essence of Gandhi’s political ideas (Jahanbegloo, 1996). His ideas are firmly rooted, in the traditions, but are so modern in the spirit. According to my perception, Gandhi is not a meager theorist, but he an applied experimentalist, who tried to apply his ideas in the political arena. I also feel that those regarding Gandhi as their role models are those people who strongly believe in some supernatural power. This is because Gandhi’s greatness lies not only in his saintly and holy living, but also in his epic brawls and actions (Jahanbegloo, 1996). The success of every step of his struggle was attributed to God. In most cases, politicians and atheists, like I, are not generally reputed to take religion and God seriously, for the values, to which they are committed such as the political control of one individual or another, the economic exploitation and economic liberty of the poorer and weaker human being. These values are clearly incompatible with the value of religion that the latter could not be taken too seriously or

Scrotal PNET in an Adult Patient

Scrotal PNET in an Adult Patient TITLE: Scrotal PNET in an Adult Patient: Radiologic-Pathologic Correlation. AUTHORS: M ª Gabriela Tirapu-de-Sagrario, Sandra Baleato-Gonzà ¡lez, Elena Pintos-Martà ­nez and Roberto Garcà ­a-Figueiras KEY WORDS: Neuroectodermal Tumors, Scrotum, Sarcoma, Groin, Inguinal Canal INTRODUCTION We report a, histologically confirmed, rare case of a peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor (pPNET) originating from the scrotal sac in an adult patient. This report emphasizes the important role of pathology examination to reach final diagnosis on the basis of immunohistochemistry and electronic microscopy findings. Outcome depends upon the localization and staging of the tumour, age of the patient, histologic classification, extent of surgical resection and time to treatment. CASE REPORT An 84-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with an inguinoscrotal, irreducible, painless mass with a hard consistency, which had progressed over the last six months. There was no presence of urinary or intestinal symptoms. Alpha-Fetoprotein, beta-HCG and LDH values were found to be normal. The patient was subsequently referred to the Urology Departament and he underwent a pelvic MRI. It confirmed a 12x11x19 cm solid mass, which demonstrated central areas of necrosis and subtle amounts of haemorrhage (Figure 1). This mass demonstrated marked and heterogeneous enhancement after intravenous gadolinium administration as well as evidence of internal vascular flow. Both testes showed a normal morphology and signal on T2-weighted sequences (Figure 1). Surgical excision was performed by the Urology Service and they reported that the spermatic cord, femoral vessels and testes were displaced but not infiltrated by the mass (Figure 2A). Despite the fact that a sarcoma was the suggested dia gnosis on imaging, this case exhibited microscopic pathology features of a rare pPNET tumor in an unexpected location. The presence of neurosecretory granules in the electron microscopy (Figure 3) and the EWS-FLI1 traslocation confirmed the diagnosis. DISCUSSION pPNET is an uncommon tumor that belongs to the Ewing’s Sarcoma family of tumors (1-4). It is an aggressive neoplasm, with large size at presentation, which metastasizes rapidly and predominantly affects children and adolescents (1,3,5).The most common locations are: the chest wall, paraspinal area in the chest, abdomen and pelvis (7,8). Ellinger J, et al (1), performed a MEDLINE search identifying renal, bladder, prostate, ureter and seminal cord PNETs, Hari S et al (3) and Kim MS et al (9) also described kidney and retroperitoneum cases and even an uterus case was described by Peres E et al (10) but, to our knowledge, this is the first pPNET case which originated in the scrotal sac, independent of any organ. This tumor is extremely rare in adults and the clinical findings (large painful mass) do not help to distinguish a benign from a malignant tumor (11). At the presentation most of them grow as scrotal masses rather than inguinal masses because they usually originate just b elow the external inguinal ring (12). PNET tumor shows no specific imaging features, but radiological studies are useful to rule out other possible etiologies, to define the location of the tumor and its morphological characteristics as well as its distance extension (1,3,4). In order to diagnose PNET, and differentiate it from other tumors of the Ewing family, we need to demonstrate the expression of some neural markers on the inmunohistochemical stains, including neurofilament, NSE, Leu-7, vimentin, S-100, CD-56, chromogranin and synaptophysin (2). A definitive finding is the EWS-FLI1 traslocation and the presence of neurosecretory granules in electron microscopy (7,8). In conclusion, we present a histologically confirmed case of an extratesticular peripheral scrotal PNET, which possibly originated from a remnant of neuroectodermic cells of the neural crest. In a case like this one, with a huge genital mass, ultrasound and MRI are very useful modalities to assess the location of the mass, its dependency on any other organ and the tumoral internal structure. These will help us to suggest a possible differential diagnosis however the definitive diagnosis requires histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. REFERENCES Ellinger J, Bastian PJ, Hauser S, et al. Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor: Rare, highly aggressive differential diagnosis in Urologic Malignancies. J Urol 2006; 68(2):257-262 Gurung P,Attar K andPeters J. Primitive neuroectodermal tumorof thespermatic cord. Int J Urol.2010 Jul;17(7):679-80. Hari S,Jain TP,Thulkar S, et al. Imagingfeaturesofperipheral primitive neuroectodermal tumours. Br J Radiol.2008 Dec;81(972):975-83. Javery O,Krajewski K,ORegan K,el al. A to Z of extraskeletal Ewing sarcoma family of tumors in adults: imaging features of primary disease, metastatic patterns, and treatment responses. AJR Am J Roentgenol.2011 Dec;197(6):W1015-22. Ibarburen C, Haberman JJ, Zerhouni EA. Peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumors. CT and MRI evaluation. Eur J Radiol. 1996 Feb;21(3):225-32. Fontaine C,Schots R,Braeckman J, et al. Long-term survival in an adult metastatic renal peripheral primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PPNET) with multimodality treatment including high-dose chemotherapy. Ann Oncol.1997 Jul;8(7):691-4. Khong P.L, Chan G.C.F, Shek T.W.H, et al. Imaging of Peripheral PNET: Common and uncommon locations. Clinical Radiology. 2002;57:272-277 Hoffer FA, Gianturco LE, Fletcher JA, et al. Percutaneous Biopsy of Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumors and Ewing’s Sarcomas for Cytogenetic Analysis. AJR. 1994;162:1141-1142 Kim MS, Kim B, Park CS, et al. Radiologic Findings of Peripheral Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor Arising in the Retroperitoneum. AJR. 2006; 186:1125-1132. Peres E, Mattoo TK, Poulik J, et al. Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor (PNET) of the Uterus in a Renal Allograft Patient: A Case Report. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2005;44:283-285. Lioe TF and Biggart JD. Tumours of the Spermatic Cord and Paratesticular Tissue. A Clinicopathological Study. British Journal of Urology. 1993; 71:600-606 Rodrà ­guez D and Olumi AF. Management of spermatic cord tumors: a rare urologic malignancy. Ther Av Urol. 2012: 4(6): 325-334 FIGURE LEGENDS Figure 1 A) Axial T2 TSE shows a large heterogenous inguinoscrotal mass that displaces the penis (void arrows) but apparently not infiltrates it. B) Axial T1 after intravenous contrast Maximum relative enhancement. It shows central hypoperfusion (black arrows), which is hyperintense on T2 sequences, probably due to necrosis or hemorrhage, and a solid hypervascularized periphery (white arrows). Figure 2 A) Surgical photograph shows the spermatic cord (white arrows), which is displaced but not affected by the large mass. B) A long axis section of the mass. Its observed an heterogenous tumor of mottled appearance with partially embossed, clear brownish areas, which are the solid ones (black asterisks). It also has extensive necrotic and hemorrhagic component (white asterisks). Figure 3 Electronic Microscopy. The presence of neuroendocrine granules (white circles) of various sizes (from 80 to 120 nm) in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells is confirmed. This finding demonstrates the neuroendocrine differentiation of the neuroectodermal tumor.

Jim Henson: The Mind Behind the Muppets :: Puppetry The Muppets Jim Henson Essays

Jim Henson: The Mind Behind the Muppets "Sure, Jim the creator was a genius. Yet I see Jim foremost as an appreciator. He appreciated the Muppet family and his own family. He appreciated flying kites with his children. He appreciated beauty and he appreciated fun." -Frank Oz (Readers Digest, 126) There is no doubt in Frank Oz's mind that Jim Henson was a creative genius. According to the model of creativity proposed by Howard Gardner, Henson can be considered creative in five of the seven intelligences: interpersonal, spatial, music, verbal, kinesthetic. He became a master at combining these intelligences to create Muppet productions full of wit, music, sight gags, bright colors, and meaningful messages. He also had the ability to coordinate all of the people who worked with him. Before, discussing how Henson's life fits into Gardner's model, I will present some influential events in Henson's life and his major creative works. James Maury Henson was born September 2, 1936 in Leland, Mississippi as the second son in the Henson family. During his childhood, Jim's maternal grandmother, a prolific painter and master of needlework, encouraged Henson to appreciate imagination, visual imagery, and creativity. She was a steady emotional support for him, constantly listening to his adventures and dreams. When Jim was fourteen, his parents finally acquiesced and bought a television set, after years of badgering from Jim. He always knew that he wanted to work in television; watching Burr Tillstrom, Bil Baird, Ernie Kovac, Spike Jones, and Walt Kelly influenced him greatly during his adolescence. In 1954, while Jim was still in high school, he began working for WTOP television station doing puppet performances on the "Junior Good Morning Show". "It was interesting and kind of fun to do -- but I wasn't really interested in puppetry then. It was just a means to an end," Henson later recalled about his first job (Finch, 9). At the University of Maryland, he studied art and continued doing puppetry for TV with a fellow student, Jane Nebel, whom he later married. Their show, "Sam and Friends", debuted as a five minute piece aired twice a day, right before the Huntley-Brinkley Report and the Tonight Show. Jane recollected, "We were just college students amusing ourselves, and we did all these wild things with puppets...I guess it had a quality of abandon and nonsense and of being somewhat experimental." (Finch, 15) Their show became very popular, partly because of its widely-viewed time slots, and it won a local Emmy in 1958.