Student applies Biblical perspective to geography
16/03/10 18:59 Filed in: Assessment sample | Assessment data
Want your students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study? If so, ask good questions on assessments. For example, ask “Why is it important to study ___?”
An 8th grade social studies teacher put this question on a geography quiz. Here’s a student response to “Why is it important to study geography?”
An 8th grade social studies teacher put this question on a geography quiz. Here’s a student response to “Why is it important to study geography?”
Geography helps us to learn more about where we live, where people around us live, and opens our eyes to where God has placed us. I believe it is very important to study geography especially since we are in a culturally diverse school. Learning geography helps us to build bridges with those around us. It opens ways and opportunities to understand where those around us have come from. It also shows us there is a bigger world out there, not just our own that evolves around school. Studying geography helps us see God's power and helps us through our lives.
Students connect memoir, life, and Bibllical teaching
16/03/10 07:47 Filed in: Assessment data
The Holocaust memoir Night grabs my 10th graders. Maybe because the narrator is their age when he suffers such horrific cruelty. Maybe because it’s real—my students are face to face with the Fall, with how people can degrade one another.
Then they begin to make connections. To the way South Koreans view North Koreans. To the way laughing at another can make them feel better about themselves. To what the Bible teaches about who people are and how we are to treat them. Here are some of their connections:
- “Whether it is in the form of murder, bullying, or stealing, people are being treated with less dignity than they deserve....as Christians, we must honor one another as created in God's image and love both our neighbors and our oppressors.”
- “People always say that they want to make the world a better place, but they think too big or they don’t think at all or say that’s awful and sit and do nothing. But...one specific thing that I can do is to stop criticizing people...and…‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ (Mark 12.31, Matt. 22.39).”
What fun to see evidence of student learning!
08/03/10 09:51 Filed in: Assessment data | Assessment sample
I'm just reading 10th grade answers to the last question on the short story test: “What is something significant you learned this unit that you did not have an opportunity yet to demonstrate on this test?” If you're short on time, at least read the first quote.
(The big question for the unit was “How does fiction tell truth?” We explored it by reading Tolstoy’s “How Much Land Does a Man Need?”, Kafka’s “The Bucket Rider,” Camus’s “The Guest,” and Mori Ogai’s “Under Reconstruction.”)
Some student answers had to do with worldviews:
“I learned that it is important to understand others before trying to be understood. In a Christian community, we assume that everyone holds a Christian worldview, and we discuss topics according to that standard. Yet the world is full of nonChristians too. We study non-Christian worldviews so that we may understand people who do not believe in Christianity and may talk effectively to them. We can only give the right defense and impact others if we know what they are thinking.”
“I never knew the Bible actually said enjoy the present moment. That makes me happy that God created things for us to enjoy (without putting them before him). I hadn’t realized that till now. I look forward to better enjoying the moments that God gives me, but making sure I don’t turn it into an idol that I put before God.”
“Through this unit, I learned that all authors, despite their worldviews, show a part of truth (the Fall). Thus, even in a Christian school, it’s good to read stories written by other authors. It puts us into their shoes and can show how bleak the world may seem to them.”
“Through existentialism, I realized I was a bit like that and sometimes wondered about afterlife and life’s meaning. After reading stories like this, I figured out that we need to seek meaning through God and act to what we think is right.”
Empower others to use assessment to help students apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration
10/01/10 17:54 Filed in: Protocols
Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you use assessment to help your students better apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration?”
Define: Get the facts defined.
What excites/concerns you about assessing student application of creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.
Define: Get the facts defined.
- Which parts of creation-fall-redemption-restoration do you tend to assess?
- What are your student learning results?
What excites/concerns you about assessing student application of creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.
- How does assessment impact student learning?
- How does assessment impact student application of creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
- How does assessment of student application of creation-fall-redemption-restoration impact your teaching?
- What helps you assess student application of creation-fall-redemption-restoration? What hinders you?
- How can you use assessment to help your students better apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration?
- What will you do?
Students connect Holocaust memoir and Biblical teaching
19/11/09 03:30 Filed in: Assessment sample | Assessment data
Here are sample student answers to the final question on my English 10 test on Night, a Holocaust memoir by Elie Wiesel: What else did you learn this unit that you did not have a chance to show on the test?
- “Night changed my view of the sufferings of others and made me realize my sinful nature.”
- “I am blessed. I cannot repeat that enough even to realize it myself. Reading Night shocked me, and it made me realize God’s presence in my life. Now that I am more exposed to this realization, I feel like I want to do more for God and His people.”
- “God does try to help the suffering people by sending his people to help. He uses His people….That means that God could choose me or anybody to help the suffering. All we have to do is be ready to help.”
Students learn to value having "right" relationships
14/11/09 00:25 Filed in: Assessment data | Testimonial
It’s 8:20 on a Thursday morning, 10 minutes before class begins. Four 10th graders (an Indian, a Japanese, a Korean, and an American) are talking loudly. So loudly that I’m getting distracted from writing my lesson outline on the board. They are discussing (in Japanese) how to say “9:45 a.m.” (in Spanish). There must be a Spanish test today....
I love seeing these diverse students working together. It reminds me that God calls us to have right relationships with Him, others, ourselves, and creation.
Such “right” relationships, of course, don’t always happen. For example, my students sometimes fragment into groups based on language (English, Japanese, or Korean). To encourage my students to value and to have “right” relationships, I had them read Cry, the Beloved Country and focus on God’s peace (shalom). Here’s what they learned:
- “From now on, I will be quick to forgive....”
- “In Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country there are characters from all walks of life—rich, poor, important, and unknown. However, they each do what is in their power to help restore the brokenness around them, and this is a powerful message for us today.”
- “Each person’s actions lay a brick in the bridge we’re trying to build, the bridge we call shalom.”
- “God is the ultimate source of shalom and without Him, nothing can be restored.... Jesus was crucified…to restore shalom, and He is the first Restorer. After He ascended to heaven, who was going to carry on His mission to restore shalom?…Christians.”
Teacher encouraged by assessment results
13/09/09 18:51 Filed in: Assessment data | Assessment sample
What assessment did you give your students?
Kim: I gave them an essay (750-1000 words) on “Who are you spiritually, temperamentally, and culturally, and why is this a significant question to consider?”
What were your assessment results?
Kim: My students did a good job of responding to the prompt. I was encouraged by their essays. They wrote things like:
"Jesus, my model, influences which cultural values I adopt."
“I thank God for His allowing me to live overseas; I see it as a blessing. I think it was His plan all along to reduce the shyness in me by thrusting me out into the unknown so many times.”
"As a human, I am a reflection of God and therefore have value (Gen. 1.27, Matt. 10.31). As a Christian, I am a child of God (Eph. 5.1). These truths are liberating because they mean that I do not need to focus on obtaining value and love—I already have them. Instead, I can work on making others feel valued and loved (I Cor. 10.24)."
"I have a bad habit of comparing myself with others and feeling insecure, but now I realize that God gives each person a precious gift. Knowing this, I began to gain confidence in what I like and am good at doing, such as music and making people feel welcomed."
"Being a student at Christian Academy in Japan has transformed me spiritually. Although my family is not Christian, being in a Christian environment has led me to become a Christian....”
Student apply Biblical perspective on introductory unit test
09/09/09 01:41 Filed in: Assessment data | Assessment sample
I just finished marking my introductory unit tests. I’m pleased with the results. Students understood the unit’s central idea—that as God’s image bearers, human beings are creative, communicative truth-seekers.
I included a 25-point essay question about the central idea on the 100-point unit test: Discuss the Cultural Mandate and its significance to this unit. Since it was the first test of the year and since I wanted to test their understanding of the central point (and not their writing and thinking skills), I decided to break the essay into 4 short-answer questions:
- What is the Cultural Mandate? (2 points)
- How is it rooted in who humans are as being made in the image of God? (4 points)
- How is it connected to literature as part of creation? (4 points)
- Give 3 examples of authors we read carrying out the Cultural Mandate (15 points).
(1) What is the Cultural Mandate? (2 points)
The Cultural Mandate says, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it.” We are to develop the social world (schools, governments, families, law, etc.) and use what we can from God’s creation to create culture and civilization.
(2) How is it rooted in who humans are as being made in the image of God? (4 points)
Like God, we are creative beings—because we are in His image. Therefore, it is in our nature to desire to create things using our imaginations—and thus develop the various cultures in the world
(3) How is it connected to literature as part of creation? (4 points)
God gave us the gift of language and the ability to read and write. So when authors write, they are doing what God intended—using language to spread their thoughts and ideas throughout the world.
(4) Give 3 examples of authors we read carrying out the Cultural Mandate (15 points).
Confucius’ ideas became a very big part of Chinese culture and have shaped it for 2,000 years. His teachings guide people in how they should live. Confucius used the ability of speaking and sharing his knowledge to influence mass numbers of people.
Allende said she wrote so people would love each other more. This shows her desire to improve the relationships between mankind. Through writing about experiences people may have in common, she hopes to bring people together.
Marquez was called the master of magical realism because he was the first author to use it a lot. In this way, he used his ability to imagine and create something which added to the world’s literature and language.
To get started with using assessment, take this self-assessment
27/07/09 22:29 Filed in: Self-assessment | Assessment data | Assessment for learning | Assessment types | Vision | Rubrics | Practice | Good assessment | Biblical perspective proficiency
You want your students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. You’ve heard that assessment can help. So, you want to use assessment.
Question: How can you get started?
Answer: By taking the following self-assessment. Rate each item, using the following scale:
4: Strongly agree • 3: Agree • 2: Disagree • 1: Strongly disagree
___ I understand how assessment impacts student application of a Biblical perspective.
___ I know what type of assessment to use to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I know what makes a good assessment good.
___ The assessments I give my students are good.
___ I work to make my assessments even better.
___ My students proficiently apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.
___ My students apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration to what they study.
___ My students get sufficient practice in applying a Biblical perspective to what they study.
___ The rubrics I use to score my assessments are good.
___ I use my rubrics effectively.
___ I use my assessment data to modify instruction.
___ I use assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I have a clear vision for using assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I want to learn more about using assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I am committed to helping my students apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.
Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:
Additional resources:
Question: How can you get started?
Answer: By taking the following self-assessment. Rate each item, using the following scale:
4: Strongly agree • 3: Agree • 2: Disagree • 1: Strongly disagree
___ I understand how assessment impacts student application of a Biblical perspective.
___ I know what type of assessment to use to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I know what makes a good assessment good.
___ The assessments I give my students are good.
___ I work to make my assessments even better.
___ My students proficiently apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.
___ My students apply creation-fall-redemption-restoration to what they study.
___ My students get sufficient practice in applying a Biblical perspective to what they study.
___ The rubrics I use to score my assessments are good.
___ I use my rubrics effectively.
___ I use my assessment data to modify instruction.
___ I use assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I have a clear vision for using assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I want to learn more about using assessment to help my students apply a Biblical perspective.
___ I am committed to helping my students apply a Biblical perspective to what they study.
Now, ask yourself 4 questions about the data:
- How many 4s, 3s, 2s, and 1s do I have?
- What satisfies/concerns me about the data?
- Which items would it be helpful to learn more about?
- What will I do?
Additional resources:
- Videos: Teach and assess Biblical perspective, Biblical perspective assessment helps, Assessment helps students value and get proficient at Biblical perspective,
- Teacher testimonials regarding using assessment
- Tutorial: Use assessment to help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective
- Use assessment
- To learn more about using assessment, explore these 12 questions
To learn more about using assessment, explore these 12 questions
27/07/09 22:11 Filed in: Assessment data | Assessment for learning | Assessment types | Vision | Rubrics | Practice | Good assessment | Biblical perspective proficiency
You want your students to apply a Biblical perspective to what they study. You’ve heard that assessment can help. So, you want to learn more. Good.
Question: How can you learn more about using assessment?
Answer: By exploring the following list of 12 questions.
Additional resources:
Question: How can you learn more about using assessment?
Answer: By exploring the following list of 12 questions.
- How does assessment impact student learning?
- What type of assessment can you use?
- What makes a good assessment good?
- How good is your assessment?
- How can you make your assessment even better?
- How proficiently do you want your students to use a Biblical perspective?
- How much practice do your students need?
- What makes a good rubric good?
- How can you use a rubric?
- How can you use assessment data?
- What's your vision for using assessment?
- How committed are you to having your students apply a Biblical perspective to what they learn?
Additional resources:
- Videos: Teach and assess Biblical perspective, Biblical perspective assessment helps, Assessment helps students value and get proficient at Biblical perspective,
- Teacher testimonials regarding using assessment
- Self-assessment: To get started with using assessment, take this self-assessment
- Tutorial: Use assessment to help students understand and apply a Biblical perspective
- Use assessment
How good is your assessment?
27/07/09 21:56 Filed in: Good assessment
You want to use assessment to help your students develop a Biblical worldview. You want to use assessment to help your students connect what they study, the Bible, and their lives. Good. Just make sure your assessment is a good assessment.
Use assessment to help your students develop a Biblical worldview. Give them a good assessment. Today.
- Question: How good is your assessment?
- Answer: To answer that question, consider the following 5 questions:
- To what extent is your assessment Student-friendly in terms of vocabulary and length (75 words or less)? Your assessment needs to be student-friendly because students are taking the assessment. Your assessment doesn’t need to be teacher-friendly because the teacher isn’t taking the assessment. What do I mean by teacher friendly? I mean the prompt is written for the teacher. I’ve seen prompts only the teacher could really understand—500 words with no clear point.
- To what extent does your assessment require your students to Connect content/skills, Biblical principle(s), and life? Don't give an assessment that leaves things disconnected. That’s like putting chocolate chip cookie ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla, and chocolate chips) in a bowl, but not stirring them together to make dough. Which would you rather eat: chocolate chip cookie dough or unmixed ingredients?
- To what extent does your assessment give Opportunities for student choice, as appropriate? Giving your students the opportunity to make choices unleashes student learning and potential. I’ve seen this repeatedly. So have you.
- To what extent is your assessment Rigorous?A rigorous assessment inspires student learning. In my experience, students enjoy challenging assessments and don’t enjoy easy assessments.
- To what extent is your assessment Even worthy of being taught to? Prepare your students by teaching to the assessment. Just make sure your assessment is actually worthy of being taught to!
Use assessment to help your students develop a Biblical worldview. Give them a good assessment. Today.
Assessment helps students value and get proficient at Biblical perspective
07/07/09 19:48 Filed in: Assessment for learning | Video | Practice | Biblical perspective proficiency
Use assessment to help your students value and get proficient at connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches.
Student applies creation-fall-redemption-restortion to nature
Nidhi, a high school student at Christian Academy in Japan, goes to Bible 9 and receives a handout for an assignment:
- Prompt: Trace one part of God’s creation (music, animals, our intellect, families, etc.) through its creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
Teach to your assessment
10/05/09 19:52 Filed in: Assessment sample | Good assessment
Question: Is it OK to teach to an assessment?
Answer: Yes. In fact, teaching to an assessment is an effective practice. Read More...
Answer: Yes. In fact, teaching to an assessment is an effective practice. Read More...
Rigorous assessment inspires student learning
13/03/09 02:52 Filed in: Assessment sample | Good assessment
Question: What inspires students learning?
Answer: Rigor. Students may not want to admit it, but they enjoy rigorous education. So, make your Biblical perspective assessment rigorous, not easy. Read More...
Answer: Rigor. Students may not want to admit it, but they enjoy rigorous education. So, make your Biblical perspective assessment rigorous, not easy. Read More...
A case for quality faith integrated assessments
If one of the most important things in a Christian school is to nurture faith through the ability of a student to apply a Christian perspective (or worldview) to contemporary life, then we should make sure that our assessments are top notch and will drive our instruction. Additionally we need to make sure that the assessments involve the higher level thinking skills of application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Read More...
Students understand perspective and make connections
10/02/09 20:36 Filed in: Assessment data | Assessment sample
Here are sample student answers to the final question on my English 10 short story test: What else did you learn this unit that you did not have a chance to show on the test? I think understand that everyone has a perspective and that it’s important to connect literature and the Bible. Read More...
Give opportunities for student choice
22/01/09 19:11 Filed in: Assessment sample | Good assessment
You want to help your students better connect what they study and what the Bible teaches. You know that assessment helps your students learn, so you want to give your students good assessments. Specifically, you want to give your students assessments that give them opportunities to make choices—because you know making choices helps your students get engaged. Read More...
To help your students make connections, what unit assessments do you give?
I use assessments to see how well my students are connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches—and I use assessments to give my students practice making connections. I give a total of 9 Biblical perspective assessments. I assess content/Bible connections in 2 of 4 presentations, 2 of 9 unit tests, and 5 of 8 essays.
Here are the prompts for my 9 assessments: Read More...
Biblical perspective assessment helps
Do you want to help your students connect what they study and what the Bible teaches? To value those connections? And to get feedback you can use to modify instruction? If so, give your students a Biblical perspective assessment.
Students use a Biblical perspective to respond to a Holocaust memoir
04/12/08 00:11 Filed in: Assessment data
Question: What is one other significant thing you learned or thought about this unit that you have not yet had an opportunity to show on this test? Read More...
Require your students to make connections
19/11/08 17:44 Filed in: Good assessment | Assessment sample
At Christian schools, we want our students connecting:
- Content/skills and life. We want students connecting ecology with how they dispose of trash.
- Content/skills and Biblical principles. We want students connecting decisions made by government with Biblical principles regarding justice and peace.
- Biblical principles and life. We want students connecting Biblical principles regarding wealth, love, and the sanctity of life with the movies they watch.
Students grapple with shalom
Make your assessment prompt student-friendly
18/09/08 18:58 Filed in: Good assessment
Question: Who is the audience of an assessment prompt? Read More...
Students can connect course content and Biblical teaching
24/07/08 12:00 Filed in: Testimonial | Protocols
What are you excited about?
Heidi: I’m excited that my 5th grade science students can connect course content to Biblical teaching, resulting in them making healthy choices. Read More...