The pre-assessment I decided to field test was a writing activity on individual rights. I was able to work with eleven students: eight freshmen, one sophomore, and two juniors. To begin the pre-assessment I wrote on the board, "What freedoms or rights do you think you have in this country?" I instructed students to write their thoughts, and that they had about five minutes to do so. As I was doing so, I thought it might be interesting to also have them write about any rights they felt they did not have in this country. Therefore, I wrote down the second question on the board and told my students to make sure they answered the second question as well.
Immediately after I had written both questions, students started asking me if I meant their rights at their current age, or if they should think of their rights if they were legally adults. At this point I realized and had not really thought this through thoroughly enough. I was stumped for a second and ultimately decided that they should write about their rights at their current age. Once that had been settled, my students got busy with their writing while I kept track of time. At the end of about five minutes I asked the students to finish up their last thoughts. Then, I instructed them to pair up and share with their partner what they had written. Following their one-on-one discussions I asked for their attention back to the front so we could discuss their answers as a class.
For the class discussion I asked my students to share with the us what was something their partner shared with them that they thought was interesting or they liked. Most of them had similar answers. Many of them stated what we know to be some of our basic rights that they would have learned if we had moved on to a full lesson on the Bill of Rights: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble, etc. The consensus among all of them seemed to be that they had the freedom to do almost anything, as long as it was legal. Then, one students brought up a very interesting point. She said she had, "...the right to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance, despite various teacher's opinions." I thought this was a very interesting point so we talked about it a little bit more. This is especially true with the current events in our country. None of them had actually tried to sit during the Pledge of Allegiance, but they all believed there would be some teachers that would definitely discipline them if they did try to exercise their right not to. What did they not believe they had the right or freedom to do in this country? Well, their answers were all pretty much the same. The majority, if not all, stated they did not have the right to vote or drive yet because of their age. Some also mentioned they did not have the right to drink, also because of their age.
To conclude, I learned thorough planning is needed to execute a pre-assessment, or a lesson in general, to its best potential. I realize not everything can be planned perfectly. However, we have to be ready to think on our toes and adjust our lessons on the spot if needed. If I were to do this pre-assessment again I would definitely make sure that I was more specific with what I am asking my students to write about. I would also adjust the time allotted for the group and class discussions, depending on how valuable the discussions turn out to be. There were some good points brought up by my students that probably merited more time to discuss. However, as teachers we must also make sure we are using our time efficiently so that we can cover all the necessary material and not fall behind. I enjoyed this field experience because it gave me some insight on how students think, and how even when we think we have all our bases covered something comes up that needs to be addressed. Now more than ever I truly believe teaching is an ongoing learning experience that never ends. There is something to be learned from each activity of each day in the classroom!
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