PBS Episode 2

Having some knowledge of a second language has always been a proud accomplishment of mine. I thought it was incredibly sad that so many immigrants were both physically and verbally punished for speaking their native language rather than English when they first attended schools in America. One of the reasons I would like to move out West is so that I don't lose my second language and can strengthen my ability to read, write, speak, and understand the language. It's funny to me because there has been a lot of research that proves that students learn English more easily if there continue to use and learn about their own native language. If a student understands their own language more, then they are more likely to learn a new one. I wasn't surprised that the Germans were the people who tried to keep their language alive.

The SATs have always annoyed me. In the psyche course that all Secondary Ed. majors are required to take I learned that the SATs and early standardized tests are culturally and gender biased. The PBS movie made the same claim, so there must be strong evidence to support this. I think that it would be nearly impossible to create a standardized test that WAS NOT biased in one way or another. The knowledge that one gains varies depending on so many factors, such as what kind of family he/she is a part of, the type of school he/she attended, and even his/her interests. Test anxiety makes standardized tests a nightmare for poor test takers. My husband is a very poor test taker because he second, third, and fourth guesses himself. He had to take the written driver's permit test multiple times before passing. Strangely, the time that he passed was when he did not concentrate as hard on the test. He only had to take the driving test once, though. He knows all of the laws and details of driving, but when he takes a test even the language sometimes confuses and frustrates him.

I think that when I begin teaching that I will try to use both tests and varies projects to assess my students. Depending on the class, I might decide to give either more tests or more projects. Some students perform very well on tests and I would not want to give those students a disadvantage, either. I might even be able to give students a choice in how they are assessed. By this I mean let them decide to either complete a project or take a test to be graded on a unit.