Equip (2009.10): Teacher encouraged by assessment results

Teacher encouraged by assessment results
Kim 120X100
Kim Essenburg, English 10 teacher at Christian Academy in Japan, reflects her assessment results.
 
What assessment did you give your students?
Kim: I gave them an essay (750-1000 words) on “Who are you spiritually, temperamentally, and culturally, and why is this a significant question to consider?”
 
What were your assessment results?
Kim: My students did a good job of responding to the prompt. I was encouraged by their essays. They wrote things like:

"Jesus, my model, influences which cultural values I adopt."
 
“I thank God for His allowing me to live overseas; I see it as a blessing. I think it was His plan all along to reduce the shyness in me by thrusting me out into the unknown so many times.”
 
"As a human, I am a reflection of God and therefore have value (Gen. 1.27, Matt. 10.31). As a Christian, I am a child of God (Eph. 5.1). These truths are liberating because they mean that I do not need to focus on obtaining value and love—I already have them. Instead, I can work on making others feel valued and loved (I Cor. 10.24)."
 
"I have a bad habit of comparing myself with others and feeling insecure, but now I realize that God gives each person a precious gift. Knowing this, I began to gain confidence in what I like and am good at doing, such as music and making people feel welcomed."
 
"Being a student at Christian Academy in Japan has transformed me spiritually. Although my family is not Christian, being in a Christian environment has led me to become a Christian....”



Empower others to give students opportunities to think through answers for themselves
Here's a set of DRAW questions you can use for a discussion of “How can you give your students opportunities to think through answers for themselves?
 
Define: Get the facts defined.
During the last week or unit, what opportunities did students have to think through answers for themselves?
 
Respond: Get the facts responded to in terms of feelings/experiences.
  1. When you were a student, what excited/concerned you about thinking through answers for yourself?
  2. What excites/concerns your students about thinking through answers for themselves?
  3. What excites/concerns you about your students thinking through answers for themselves?
Analyze: Get the facts, feelings, and experiences analyzed.
  1. How does thinking through answers for yourself impact your learning?
  2. How does thinking through answers for themselves impact students’ learning?
  3. How does thinking through answers for themselves impact students connecting what they study and what the Bible teaches?
What’s next?: Get next steps considered.
  1. How can you provide opportunities for your students to think through answers for themselves?
  2. How will you provide opportunities for your students to think through answers for themselves?