STEM Research Project Reflection

In the past 2 and a half years I have been teaching, I have noticed that the majority of my students, as well as students in other classes, all struggle with one thing, ASSESSMENTS. The traditional multi-assessment question test has stressed a number of my students out to the point where they give up and do not perform well. It baffles me to see that for every subject, there are these types of assessments, as well as State and County exams, where students are required to pass to graduate. I believe that there are other ways to assess student knowledge and comprehension, without pressuring them to perform. For my action research project, I want to compare the performance of students over two units on a multi-assessment question test and a performance-based assessment. I want to see if there is a difference in the type of assessment and the ability for the students to perform. 

I believe that this action research relates greatly to STEM/ STEAM education. In the "real world", a lot of what you are assessed on is your ability to perform the task at hand. There are less multi-assessment question tests and more can you do your job. I believe that having students "do their job" and have the liberty to show their understanding through something more hands on and creative can also better prepare them for the real world. My students seem to learn better through experience, so having them "experience" the unit through a performance assessment, I think will not only improve their retention, but also help them convey their understanding better. I think a performance-based assessment is not only more applicable to students, but also more of a STEM approach to teaching and learning.