2. Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the workshop, you should
be able to:
• Define alternative assessment
• Distinguish alternative assessment from
traditional assessment
• Create alternative assessments for your
students
3. Traditional Assessment Alternative Assessment
Choose a response Create a response
Examples:
• Multiple choice tests
• True/false
• Matching
Examples:
• Short answer questions
• Essays
• Exhibitions
• Oral presentations
• Demonstrations
• Portfolios
• Performance assessment
Verifies learning Provides learning opportunity
5. Lets Look At Some Examples
Traditional Assessment
Learning Objective: Distinguish
role conflict and role strain
_____________ involves frustrations
arising from competing demands
of two or more statuses and
____________involves the stress
that arises from incompatible
demands among roles within a
single status
a. Role conflict; role strain
b. Role strain; role conflict
Alternative Assessment
Learning Objective: Distinguish
role conflict and role strain
Describe a recent time during which
you experienced role conflict (two or
more statuses with competing
demands e.g. college student v.
mother; mother v. employee) or role
strain (trouble meeting the
demands/duties among roles within a
single status, e.g. employee who has to
meet quota and mentor junior
employees). Additionally, how did you
cope with the role conflict or role
strain?
6. Lets Look At Some Examples
Traditional Assessment
Learning Objective: Compare/Contrast
types of social groups, i.e. primary group,
secondary group, reference group
_____________ are small, informal, intimate,
and enduring. ____________are large, usually
formal, impersonal, and temporary.
a. Primary group; secondary group
b. Secondary group; primary group
A group of people who shape our behavior,
values, and attitudes
a. Reference group
b. In-group
c. Out-group
d. None of the above
Alternative Assessment
Learning Objective: Compare/Contrast
types of social groups, i.e. primary group,
secondary group, reference group
Group name Group function Size of group How often
meets
Benefits of
membership
Primary group Ex.Goode
family; close
friends
Ex.
Companionship,
emotional
support
Secondary
group
Ex. Instruction
design service
learning
project group
Ex. Create a
1hr unit of
instruction on
fractions
Ex. biweekly Ex. Professional
development
Reference
group
Ex. Sociology
professors;
instructional
designers
7. Lets Look At Some Examples
Traditional Assessment
Learning Objective: Identify types
of social mobility
Nancy’s father was a dentist and her
mother was an attorney. Nancy is an
elementary school teacher. Nancy’s
downward social mobility in
comparison to her parents’ class
standing is an example of
a. Intragenerational mobility
b. Intergenerational mobility
c. Horizontal mobility
d. Inverse mobility
Alternative Assessment
Learning Objective: Discuss social
mobility
Using the information/descriptions of
various social classes provided in your
text, (a) classify your parents' or
guardians' social class during your
school age years. Next, determine
whether you have experienced
intergenerational mobility and describe
your movement up or down the social
class hierarchy in relation to your
parents. (b) Describe your
intragenerational mobility over your
lifetime.
9. Alternative Assessment Examples
Culture
Complete either A or B
A. Describe a subculture of which you are a member. Remember, subcultures exist in religions,
politics, occupations, recreations, among other areas. Describe the values, beliefs, and lifestyle
(material culture and practices) of the subculture. Provide examples of the language or jargon of the
subculture.
B. Research a counterculture, for example a hate group or military extremist group. Describe the
values, beliefs, and practices, of the. In what ways is the counterculture in opposition to the dominant
culture. Provide examples of the language or jargon of the counterculture
Socialization
According to Social Learning Theory individuals learn behaviors and attitudes in the context of social
interaction with others. Individuals learn to persist with behaviors and to refrain from other behaviors
based on whether they are rewarded or punished for the behavior. Individuals may also learn from
observing the experiences of others.
In 3-5 paragraphs discuss (a) at time in your life when you learned to adopt or retain certain
attitudes, beliefs, values, and/or behaviors because they were recognized as acceptable or you
were encouraged or rewarded (e.g. praise) for performing the behavior and a time when you were
punished (physical punishment, shamed, scolded, shunned, etc.) for engaging in a behavior that was
not socially acceptable or acceptable to the group to which you belonged. Please descriptions of
the behaviors and what specifically was done to encourage or discourage the behavior and
whether you maintain or refrain from the behavior today and why.
10. More Alternative Assessment Examples
Crime and Deviance
In a paragraph or two per perspective, provide a summary of each of the major
contemporary sociological perspectives (functionalism, conflict, feminist, symbolic
interactionism) on crime and deviance. Be sure to include the names of particular
theories on crime and deviance , e.g. differential association theory. Additionally,
provide a real or contrived example of each perspective, e.g. Johnny frequently hangs
out with the older boys in his who skip school and drink alcohol. Johnny wants to be just
like the older boys and desires to be accepted by them. He recently began skipping
school and drinking to fit in with the boys and gain their acceptance (example of
differential association theory).
Race and Ethnicity
For this assignment you will write reflexively about issues surrounding race and ethnicity.
In one to two paragraphs per video, please provide your reflection/reaction to (1) the
Vox piece on the social construction of race and (2) the CNN piece on racial divisions in
Ferguson, Missouri. Submit your reflections/reactions in one document.
11. More Alternative Assessment Examples
Family and Aging
Select a family you have seen portrayed on television or in a movie. Describe
the family structure, typical interactions, issues the family faces which affect
interactions, and roles of family members. Be careful to use the concepts and
terms you have learned throughout the course, in addition to terms and
concepts included in the textbook chapter on families and aging.
Economy
As you what the video, consider the following: (a) What macro level factors
(see Chapter 1 notes and Chapter 1 for explanation of macro and micro level
factors) led to unemployment for the featured families; (b) What impact did
the macro level changes have on micro level family interactions? In other
words, how did macro changes impact the family structure and interactions of
the featured families? (c) What examples do you observed of role conflict?
role strain? (see you textbook for explanation of the terms role conflict and role
strain). Please provide detailed responses to these questions in the Chapter 11
forum, using names or at least good descriptors of the particular family and
issues you discuss.