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Written Assignment Unit 4

Isaac Olaniyi

University of the People

Educ 5440 – Assessment and Evaluation -AY2022-T5

Dr. Aisha Siddiqa

July 13, 2022.

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I will consider existentialism and constructivism in my reflective analysis. The classroom

curriculum will be examined, and further reflection will be provided, in light of these two

philosophical pillars. The article will also go over how curriculum decisions are influenced

by assessment.

Definition of terms:

Existentialism - Students make judgments about what is true and false, pleasurable and

satisfying, unpleasant and unsatisfactory, and right or wrong as they search for their own

meaning and purpose in life. The goal of an existentialist education is to give students the

skills they need to create their own unique worldviews (Stiggins, R. J. 1999).

Constructivism - Bloom, B. S., Madaus, G. F., and Hastings (1981) The instructor must allot

time for open-ended questions in a constructivist curriculum. This encourages students to

think critically and to look beyond things' apparent meanings. In addition to learning from the

activity, students also "learn how to learn" this way.

Examination of classroom curriculum based on existentialism

The focus of existential curricula is on people and relationships, including those between

students, between students and teachers, and even between students and historical figures

who can serve as role models for behaviors and choices that students can imitate in their own

lives. Instead of being overloaded with information to learn, an existential curriculum

includes activities that will aid students in discovering and expressing their own values and

identities. Its main objective is to assist students in creating their own values and

comprehending who they are in the context of their own culture. Freedom and choice are at

the heart of existentialist philosophy. Exposing students to a range of options is one of a

curriculum's objectives so they can choose their own identities, goals, and values. Students

should be given a great deal of freedom to investigate their interests and take part in peer
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discussions that aid in the development and clarification of their personal values in a social

setting.

Reflective analysis

Learners gain knowledge of the values and messages associated with sexuality in their own

culture through personal observation and conversations with family and friends. They

compare and discuss the messages with their classmates when they return to class, and then

they give them a critical reading for both positive and negative content. Students are allowed

to decide for themselves which values they consider to be good and bad.

Examination of classroom curriculum based on constructivism

The teacher must leave space in a constructivist curriculum for open-ended questions. This

forces the students to look at things critically and beyond their literal understanding. It must

also include time for students to process, reflect, and expand on what they have learned.

Students frequently use examples from the real world to help them understand concepts

inductively (Belbase, S. 2011). Constructivist curricula typically don't fit into the mold of

conventional curricula. It is advised to incorporate both practical problem-solving and the

student's prior knowledge. Additionally, teachers should regularly encourage students to

reevaluate the lesson they are learning and how it applies to their lives. Along with learning

from the activity, the students also "learn how to learn" in this way.

Reflective analysis

Learners make collages of attractive members of their own gender in groups using magazines

with a variety of images. Learners consider general messages and ideas about attractiveness

in their culture using the collages and their own lists of body features considered attractive or

unattractive in their culture. Based on the materials that the students produced, the teacher

facilitates discussion and criticism of these concepts.

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Analyze how assessment is used to guide the curricular decisions in your school.
Dynamic interaction between content, pedagogy, and assessment occurs within the

curriculum. Effective teaching depends on both formative and summative evaluations, which

are essential to determining how the curriculum will be structured. These sections talk about

the evaluation procedures. Accurate assessments of students' learning and progress toward

their goals are necessary in order to evaluate the "received curriculum" (the actual experience

students have) and determine whether the curriculum provides value for money. In addition

to integrating assessment for and of learning, an effective assessment framework will also

inform a school's self-evaluation procedures and provide data to support curriculum

evaluation and development Testing informs parents about their own children as well as the

neighborhood schools and their own children. Others claim that because there is more

competition between schools, standards have increased. Some claim that teachers now teach

to the tests and that testing has led to a distorted curriculum. The impact of performance

tables on a school's choice of the curriculum has been demonstrated. For instance, when the

EBacc measure was first introduced in January 2011 and changes were made to the value of

vocational GCSEs, schools began to change their subject curricula at Key Stage 4. For

instance, more secondary schools now offer courses in history, geography, and modern

foreign languages. The subjects that will be included in performance tables have since been

expanded due to a change in strategy for Key Stage 4. As opposed to this, the Cambridge

Review of Primary Education found evidence of "the narrowing of the curriculum because

public testing gains dominance" (Barton, 2002). (cited on page 39 of Hansen and Laura,

2018). As we shall see later, some commentators have argued that schools will focus more

heavily on the summative assessment of students as a result of the removal of level

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descriptors from programs of study in the revised national curriculum. Despite the possibility

that head teachers won't take part in the administration of these tests or exams. The unique

aspect of their work in this field is that they have to make sure that procedures are in place to

guarantee that national assessment activities and examination processes run smoothly,

rigorously, in accordance with established standards, and are effectively integrated into the

life of the school.

Finally, according to constructivism, creating and reflecting on one's actions are the

best ways to learn. With the learners in charge of their own knowledge acquisition, the

constructivist framework encourages the teacher to act as a facilitator. The importance of

one's own existence, freedom, and ability to make decisions is heavily emphasized by the

existentialism philosophical movement. People still attempt to make sense of their own lives

and determine what they want to do with them despite existing in an illogical universe,

according to this theory.

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References

Belbase, S. (2011). Philosophical foundations for curriculum decision, a reflective analysis.

Pp1-20. Retrieved from: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED524740.pdf

Barton, P. E. (2002). Staying on course in education reform. Princeton, NJ: Statistics

&Research Division, Policy Information Center, Educational Testing Service.

Bloom, B. S., Madaus, G. F., & Hastings, J. T. (1981). Evaluation to improve learning. New

York: McGraw-Hill.

Hansen, Laura. (2018). The role of educators in summative assessment: The life cycle of a

question. Aligned. Retrieved from: https://achievethecore.org/aligned/role-educators

summative-assessment-life-cycle-question/

Stiggins, R. J. (1999). Evaluating classroom assessment training in teacher education

programs. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 18(1), 23–27.