For this
assignment, I field tested a video on the Missouri-compromise. I explained to
my students who are in the 9th grade that I had the assignment to complete for
my school that required me to practice an assessment on them. As soon as they
heard the word assessment they began to moan and groan. I then had to explain
why in our English class we would be studying History and the Missouri
compromise. After fielding and answering the many question offered up by my
students, I began asking questions.
I began my
assessment by asking probing questions to the students. Questions such as, what
is the meaning of the word compromise? Can you think of a time when you had to
compromise? Can you think of a time when you didn’t want to compromise or of a
time when you felt like someone else should have compromised? How did it feel?
I hoped that these questions would allow the students to begin thinking about
what it may have been like to hear the debates over western expansion and
expanding the number of free and slave states in 1820. After a brief discussion,
I did ask if any of the students knew what the Missouri compromise was and what
is did. While none of them knew specifically what it was one student said, “I
think it has something to do with slavery.” I congratulated her and told her
and the other student to watch the video see what it had to do with
slavery.
At this
point, I played the six-minute video on Hennery Clay and the Missouri
Compromise. I asked the students to watch for and take notes on what the
Missouri Compromise had to do with slavery.
And that we would discuss it after the video. The video can be seen at
the following link:
http://study.com/academy/lesson/henry-clay-and-the-missouri-compromise-of-1820.html
Following
the video clip, I asked the students to turn to their elbow partner and share
with them what the Missouri compromise had to do with slavery. As they did
this, I moved around the room and listened in to their conversations. I tried
hard not to answer any questions they had tried to confirm or refute theirs or
there partners answers, and thoughts. After a few minutes of this and after I
had spent time listening to each group I brought the class back together and
asked if we could come to an agreement on that the Missouri Compromise had to
do with slavery. In the end, we agreed that the Missouri Compromised was a
series of congressional acts that attempted to limit the extension of slavery.
After the
discussion, I talked with the students about how they felt about this
assessment. The first comment I got was that they felt it wasn’t an assessment,
and wondered why I called it one. This gave me the opportunity to explain that
teachers are always assessing students, and that this type of assessment was to
determine their previous knowledge on the subject as well as prepare them for the
lecture and learning activities that would follow. I asked them what they thought of the video
and if they felt like it provided them with enough information in a way they
were easily received. They responded that the video was little too “low tech” to
keep their interests. That they felt
like a video from the History channel in the format of a documentary would be
better. The student did feel that the video provided a lot of information and
helped them understand the Missouri Compromise much better.
In the end I
feel the experiment was a success, it allowed me the opportunity to practice
presenting and working through a pre-assessment activity with my students. This
activity also allowed me to get a better understanding of how my students think
about the video I chose and how the information was presented. I enjoyed having
a conversation with my students on how they felt I was as a teacher; it gave
them a chance to see that I am serious about being a good teacher for them, as
well as them to see that I, their teacher, am still interested in learning and
actively improving. It was a positive
experience for all of us.
Very good!!
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