Exams

For many of us, exams have a bad feeling attached. Please see exams as an opportunity in this course. We will consistently use exams as a way to show competency, to increase awareness of strengths and weaknesses in specific areas and as check points.

In the recent past, educators expanded the meaning of test or exam to include many formats for proving expertise. In this course, exams are tied to your learning style and preference. In this course, they are also tied to your own creativity.

You may prefer to take a multiple choice test, but if you are more of a kinesthetic learner, you may want to do a video stream of a dialogue. The course suggests that you develop an array of preventive, supportive and corrective self and student management tools. As a final, you build a personal discipline plan that explores how you will facilitate order, learning and relationship as a teacher. If you already have classroom experience, you may want to develop a handbook for parents to help them understand the discipline process as your exam. That would be an excellent challenge, a way to "strut" your learning in this class, reflect on current practices and enhance relationship with parents. It is a fine alternative to the suggested exam.

The idea here is to match your level of comfort and the State and NAU desire and dedication to provide you with enough rigor and proof to yourself and certification entities, that learning is occurring.

So --- exams are tests of the course, the professor, the textbooks suggested and a test of your ability to learn. It is evidence that you expended the effort. In once sense it is a hoop contest - can you or can't you? And it is a hoop contest for us, too. Did we teach you well? show you how to learn the material, provide practice, the big "MO" (motivation), make it clear what was expected? And then there is the other layer -- do others in the field - parents, administrators, future students, certification entities - and the Teacher Exam scores -- get a sense that you learned, too?

This is a very important construct. Not only does it apply to you in this course, it is the model for you and your teaching as a special educator. You want to learn to keep a series of things spinning all at once - student ability, challenge, learning style -- and you want the tests you use to show expertise, to point out strengths and weaknesses without embarrassing you or the student

Rigor + compassion + the big "MO" + accuracy in assessment + learning strengths + level of expertise + ?

Remember. In this course, you may suggest ways to show your expertise, or you can take the exams that are available on line - One exam comes right after you complete the Behavior Portal and knowledge of Behavior Modification techniques. The second test comes at the conclusion of the course, though you can access it all through the course. It is in the Reflection and Enlightenment room.

Can you work open book on exams? Absolutely. Can you discuss the material with the teacher if you get stumped? Absolutely. What about talking with other students on-line? Absolutely.

Exam? Why not reformulate what it means to you and how to help students see them positively as you approach your test making days?

You may see the exams now by clicking on this link. Want to print it out and get started at the beginning of the course? Great idea!