Reflection Paper April 2018 The module began with assessing the current teaching approach deployed by teachers in class. As such, I noted that teachers are using theory for grading the students instead of evaluating their practical skills. The pre-assessment given at the inception of this module showed that only 18% of the 26 students in my manufacturing class scored at the proficiency level while 70% of the students score at a lower level between 59 percent and Zero. Based on this data, I found it necessary to assess my students using Portfolio Assessment rubrics. This assessment been used before solely focused on the theoretical assumptions taught in class while neglecting the practical skills. In this regard, the portfolio needs to be changed to incorporate the practical skills. Thus, the portfolio will be structured to integrate practical assessment for grading the students’ performance. Besides, the evaluation approach has to be changed from a system that solely assesses the student’s knowledge to one that can evaluate the student’s competence and abilities. The portfolio assessment is a collection of purposeful documents that gives the outlay on how tasks are completed and competence amongst the learners is developed. Interest in using portfolio assessment in the class is developed as part of moving away from the traditional approach used by instructors on grading based on theory rather than ascertaining the student’s practical skills. In the past, the students have been assessed through the class- based teaching practice to prove that they had acquired the skills relayed by the instructor. It is through this that I felt the teaching approach was not sufficient to enable the learners to grasp the required competence and skills. To solve the issue of enhancing teaching and learning, I think it is important for the teachers to practice the assessment through the use of a portfolio with a different module, practicum. The integration of practicum module for assessing the students is important as this enables the learner to acquire specific techniques that are imperative for future success. Additionally, there are some techniques that can be learned through actual experience. While theoretical teaching might have been ideal in the past, the students should be assessed based on their practical skills as it enhances a deeper understanding of concepts through personal experience. Notably, when I came in, the students had a problem with articulating what they know with the actual practical application of concept taught in class to solving regular daily problems. After this, I sought to create an assessment that would integrate the practical skills of the learners during the evaluation. Primarily, I noted that using a portfolio assessment rubric would be effective for grading the class as it justifies their competence and abilities. To design an effective assessment that is in.

1. Reflection Paper April 2018
The module began with assessing the current teaching approach
deployed by
teachers in class. As such, I noted that teachers are using theory
for grading the students
instead of evaluating their practical skills. The pre-assessment
given at the inception of
this module showed that only 18% of the 26 students in my
manufacturing class scored at
the proficiency level while 70% of the students score at a lower
level between 59 percent
and Zero. Based on this data, I found it necessary to assess my
students using Portfolio
Assessment rubrics. This assessment been used before solely
focused on the theoretical
assumptions taught in class while neglecting the practical skills.
In this regard, the
portfolio needs to be changed to incorporate the practical skills.
Thus, the portfolio will
be structured to integrate practical assessment for grading the
students’ performance.

2. Besides, the evaluation approach has to be changed from a
system that solely assesses the
student’s knowledge to one that can evaluate the student’s
competence and abilities. The
portfolio assessment is a collection of purposeful documents
that gives the outlay on how
tasks are completed and competence amongst the learners is
developed. Interest in using
portfolio assessment in the class is developed as part of moving
away from the traditional
approach used by instructors on grading based on theory rather
than ascertaining the
student’s practical skills. In the past, the students have been
assessed through the class-
based teaching practice to prove that they had acquired the
skills relayed by the
instructor. It is through this that I felt the teaching approach
was not sufficient to enable
the learners to grasp the required competence and skills. To
solve the issue of enhancing
teaching and learning, I think it is important for the teachers to
practice the assessment
through the use of a portfolio with a different module,
practicum. The integration of

3. practicum module for assessing the students is important as this
enables the learner to
acquire specific techniques that are imperative for future
success. Additionally, there are
some techniques that can be learned through actual experience.
While theoretical
teaching might have been ideal in the past, the students should
be assessed based on their
practical skills as it enhances a deeper understanding of
concepts through personal
experience.
Notably, when I came in, the students had a problem with
articulating what they
know with the actual practical application of concept taught in
class to solving regular
daily problems. After this, I sought to create an assessment that
would integrate the
practical skills of the learners during the evaluation. Primarily,
I noted that using a
portfolio assessment rubric would be effective for grading the
class as it justifies their
competence and abilities. To design an effective assessment that
is in line with this goal, I

4. conducted research whereby I came across numerous sources
about the use of portfolio
assessment rubric to evaluate student performance. I began with
The Use of Portfolio to
Assess Student’s Performance by Osman Birgin and Adnan
Baki. According to Birgin
and Baki, (2007), recent educational developments such as the
advent of multiple
intelligence theories have heightened the rapid change in
traditional approaches to
teaching and assessing. While the educational developments
have been enhanced by
societal changes, it is imperative to acknowledge that the
traditional learning approach
has been altered.
Outstandingly, theories such as constructivism have facilitated
the radical change
in learning approaches, both in teaching and assessments. For
instance, the main
objective of the earlier educational approach is enabling the
learners to know about a
certain domain. In this instance, learning the basic knowledge

5. was considered important
which is in line with the behaviorist approach. In the traditional
instructional approach,
knowledge is abstracted whereby both learning and teaching are
perceived as an
individual process. Besides, learning is perceived as the
accumulation of the stimulus-
response association. Considerably, both drills and practice are
important aspects of this
process. Significantly, the assessment practice is mainly based
on the testing acquisition
of basic knowledge. Despite this, this traditional approach
merely promotes memorizing
of the rules or algorithms by the learners rather than conceptual
comprehension of
discrete components of the domain. Additionally, the
assessments provide less
understanding of the student’s comprehension of high order
cognitive skills such as
critical thinking, problem solving and reasoning.
Contrary, the constructivism theory that is based on Piaget’s
and Vygotsky
presume that learners should acquire and socially construct their
knowledge and

6. comprehension. Notably, this approach pays more attention to
the student’s problem-
solving skills and collaborative learning. As such, the portfolio
assessment rubric offers a
wide range of assessment tools for evaluating the student’s
practical skills that are
imperative in the learning process. For example, the
manufacturing class students will be
required to apply the knowledge gained in solving new
problems. Furthermore, the
constructivist epistemology heightens the need for assessing the
student’s individual
performance and group performance together to better their
learning experience.
Nowadays, social trends have mounted pressure on the learners
who are required to
possess more practical and cognitive skills. With the new
trends, educational
improvements are focused on strengthening the learning
environment. For this reason,
alternative and effective assessment approaches are required to
evaluate the teaching

7. outcomes. Primarily, this was achieved by modifying the
portfolio rubric used to assess
the learners. As such, new standards was used on modifying the
portfolio by integrating
new approaches such as multiple pre and post assessment tools
for the mathematics and
physics component was built in to including oral, written and
demonstration formats. To
ensure that the assessment contributes to the student’s learning,
they will be focused on
evaluating what the student’s know and what they fall short of.
Therefore, the use of a
modified portfolio rubric is imperative as it provides clear
information on the students’
progress to enable the teachers to plan their teaching
approaches.
The authors have highlighted the importance of using an
alternative assessment
process to better the teaching and learning of the students in the
class. An important
aspect of the use of the portfolio assessment rubric is
determining the best criteria for
evaluating the student’s performance. As highlighted, the
theoretical approach deployed

8. by the instructors does not provide an effective reflection about
the student’s
comprehension of important concepts in the manufacturing
class. With this, the portfolio
assessment will be focusing on the acquisition of practical skills
by the students. This
assessment criterion was used to determine the quality of
performance by the student
which is easy to understand. Besides, the rubric was also used
to ascertain the quality of
the evidence presented in the portfolio relative to student
performance. Significantly, this
makes the assessment not only reliable but also valid.
Similarly, I came across Using portfolio assessment as an
innovation to assess
problem-based learning in Hong Kong schools by Sharon Lynne
Bryant and Andrew
Anthony Timmins. The author's highlight on how Problem-
Solving Learners in Hong
Kong were required to prove that they had grasped the content
related to being a
successful teacher. By using the portfolio assessment rubric, the
learners were assessed

9. on how well they understood information through the use of a
practical module. Notably,
the lecturer sessions were guided through the use of these
assessments by an agreed set of
rubrics. Through this, the portfolio assessment was used to
improve the teaching practice
of the students. Besides, the instructors obtained feedback from
the students through
which they use to modify their module content and instruction.
Therefore, educational
work accomplished through teaching practical skills is deemed
important to improve the
learning outcomes of the students. While the portfolio will be
modified by integrating the
assessment of practical skills, it is imperative to take into
consideration the student’s
feedback. It is through this that I intend to incorporate feedback
from the learners to
better modify the portfolio assessment rubric feature the
important aspects highlighted.
Therefore, using feedback to improve teaching and learning is
vital as it dictates how to
modify better the portfolio. Additionally, obtaining continues
feedback from the students

10. will enable them to reflect on their studies and review their
progress. Primarily, this is
enhanced by the fact that it provides visual and dynamic proofs
of the student’s skills
development, success, and weaknesses that need improvement.
As such, not only does
the portfolio assessment rubric provide me the opportunity to
have a different perspective
in the teaching process, but also enables students to reflect on
their skills and offer
feedback for improving the teaching and learning outcomes.
While reading the professional texts, I came across the
sociocultural theory that
focusses on key aspects of knowledge and learning that should
be situated, mediated and
dependent on practical participation. Often, these learning
aspects are perceived to be of
importance in the organizational setting rather than institutional
settings. However, this is
not the case as a practical participation of the students improves
both teaching and
learning outcomes. The use of portfolio assessment rubric is

11. important as it will also
improve self-assessment skills of the students. This approach
enables them to monitor
their learning progress, understand their strengths and weakness
that can be used to better
inform the instructional design adopted by the teachers. By
being aware of the learning
progress, the students will be required to provide feedback
which will be used to design
the instructions in accordance with their needs.
Therefore, I will modify the portfolio rubric being used for
student assessment in
my manufacturing class as continuous feedback is obtained from
the students.
Additionally, the sociocultural perspective governs the
understanding and practice of the
assessment. This means that the instructors and the students will
be well-informed about
the teaching and learning outcomes expected in class. Through
this, the portfolio can be
modified by integrating important aspects that are highlighted
both from the feedback or
learned through its continuous practice. By modifying the
portfolio, I will facilitate the

12. need to evaluate the practical skills of the learners rather than
merely explaining
theoretical perspectives.
In addition to the professional texts that I have read regarding
the importance of
portfolio assessment rubric, I intend to observe other teachers
and see how I will learn
within their class to integrate physics, math, and marketing into
the portfolio assessment
rubric. Often, instructors have different teaching approaches, all
of which improve
learning outcomes for the students. Subsequently, it is
important to acknowledge that
different subjects are characterized by different instructional
designs. For example,
demonstration of formats is imperative in the mathematics and
physics classes. These
approaches differ to that of the marketing class. As such, the
portfolio should be
comprehensive enough by covering important teaching and
learning approaches that can
be effective for the different subjects. Furthermore, this

13. highlights the need for additional
modification of the portfolio to accommodate the different
learning styles for the various
subjects. Further insights will be collected from attending these
class sessions as I can
garner a physical approach for the different instruction designs.
This escapade will enable
me to learn the important activities for the different classes and
most importantly ideas
for use in modifying the portfolio.
The assessment of other teachers and how they teach in their
class will enable me
to target the required modifications based on the grade-level
expectations for the students.
The in-class observations will form the basis of informing me
on instructional strategies
that can be adopted to improve my instructional methodology.
Notably, evidence will be
garnered from this assessment to evaluate the learning outcomes
of the different teaching
strategies and instruction designs. The data from this
assessment will be used to identify
areas of success and parts that need improvement before
modifying the portfolio. If

14. students do not master mathematical equations, for instance,
such as algebra, this will
highlight the need for a better instructional approach for the
given subject. As such, the
classroom assessment of other teachers will provide necessary
feedback that can be used
in modifying the portfolio to better integrate effective teaching
approaches. The results
from the assessments will dictate on whether I will be required
to change my teaching
strategies. As highlighted earlier, I noted that most students had
a problem in articulating
what they knew with an actual practical application of the
concept to daily real-life
problems. Notably, a similar outcome can be garnered from
these assessments which will
highlight the need to alter the instructional strategies and
incorporate a more practical
approach. Assessing their practical skills will be used to
reinforce the concepts learned in
class. For instance, the instructional design for the math class
will be required to integrate

15. the SMART board technology and require the students to work
in groups to enrich their
learning process. It is through this that their practical skills can
be ascertained.
Observing how other teachers teach in their class for the
different subjects will be
important as this will form the basis of identifying students
struggling with the
instructional approach. Notably, while instructional approaches
can be favorable to some
students, particularly the quick learners, some learners struggle
as they often require
additional reinforcement or need other forms of engagement to
improve their learning
outcomes. This highlights that there are two groups of learners
in the class. With this, the
observation will form a basis for identifying individualistic
needs of the learners and
areas of improvement for the instructional designs. As such, the
observation
demonstrated the teaching activities that are effective and those
that require
improvement. Such information cannot be collected without
practical observation thereby

16. highlighting the importance of this activity. The primary
objective of the observation
process is to probe how better the students can apply the learned
concepts in real-world
settings. Thus, the information garnered from the observation
was used to form the basis
for differentiating the portfolio rubric lesson materials, lesson
approaches and assessment
of the students, all of which will be integrated into the portfolio
assessment rubric. I
attribute that student growth and improved performance
outcomes are enhanced by
continuous data collection to determine the effectiveness of the
teaching approaches
which will be integral when modifying the portfolio.
The assessment will fully capture how I and my students operate
in the learning
environment. The daily interactions afforded by the teachers to
the students demonstrated
their comprehension of the learning materials and practical
skills garnered. This
information will be used to improve both the teaching and
learning of the students by

17. modifying the portfolio. The world is a natural part of the
classrooms which differs from
the formal examinations. With this, it can be acknowledged that
the acquisition of
practical skills is vital for use in the real world setting. The
assessment information of
both the teachers and the students will provide conclusions on
the desirable modifications
of the portfolio. Therefore, I intend to conduct these activities
to improve the overall
academic of the students by bringing the teaching and learning
outcomes to a higher
level. As at the reporting period that will end in April, there has
been a dramatic
improvement the assessment report of my students at least the
post rubric report had
shown an improvement of about 15% bringing the number of
students that scored on the
proficiency level to 29% and still counting.
As I reflect on the information garnered during this module, I
drew several
conclusions on the usefulness of the portfolio assessment rubric
to improve student

18. performance. First, my understanding of their use is that it
enables the learner to acquire
specific techniques that are imperative for future success.
Additionally, there are some
techniques that can be learned through actual experience. I
noted that using a portfolio
assessment rubric would be effective for grading the class as it
justifies their competence
and abilities. The different professional texts have highlighted
the importance of this
approach based on theoretical backgrounds such as the social
construct theory. Moreover,
a modified portfolio will guide the lessons enabling the
instructor to identify areas that
need improvement. Furthermore, the student’s self-assessment
skills will be enhanced in
that they can identify their learning progress, strengths and
weaknesses. From this, the
provided feedback will be used to justify the appropriate
modifications to be enacted on
the portfolio. Besides, the rubric will be used to ascertain the
quality of the evidence
presented in the portfolio.

19. Secondly, the physic class observation on other teachers will
form the basis of
informing me instructional strategies that can be adopted to
improve my instructional
methodology. The data from this assessment showed that my
student’s grade improved
by 18% more after taken the post rubric assessment and this
data will be used to identify
areas of success and parts that need improvement before
modifying the portfolio. This
will be enhanced further by reading the textbook on portfolio
assessment and classroom
differentiation for different students to address their needs. As
such, these activities are
meant to raise the student’s performance to a higher level by
improving both the teaching
and learning outcomes and my teaching and learning process
was drastically improved
doing this process.
Regular reflection about the portfolio assessment of the students
will enabled me
to garner insight on high order cognitive skills such as creative
thinking and problem-

20. solving which are imperative in the real world setting learning
and teaching situations. I
also realized the use of the portfolio assessment rubric had
guided my instruction design
is important as it can be aligned with the learning objectives
and created in a manner that
the students can demonstrate ways through which they learn the
best. No longer will I
consider the traditional instructional approach as an effective
teaching and learning
methodology as it solely focuses on formal examinations and
mastery of content. As
such, continuous reflection is important as it enables me to
identify the current
educational developments and the focus of new theoretical
perspectives. Therefore, the
portfolio will be modified by adopting effective instructional
strategies such as
integration of practicum module and feedback from learners to
improve their learning
outcomes.