Sarah Engström

ED 676

23 March, 2015

Abstract

               Teachers of all varieties are constantly assessing their students to gauge how their teaching is being received. A good assessment of learning proves that students have mastered material. Assessments in traditional settings often look like tests, papers, projects, and debates.  In more nontraditional or outdoor learning environments, assessments look very different. The purpose of this paper is to delve into the possibility of using forms of assessment that are common in outdoor and environmental education (OEE) in more traditional classroom settings. There are three main elements of a successful assessments in OEE; intentional use of Personal Reflection Time, Authentic Skills, and having assessments be descriptive and formative.  Outdoor settings have been found to be beneficial in creating reflective atmospheres.  Feedback in all settings should be honest, specific and clear.  Debriefing and feedback sessions are so crucial to help not only assess students, but also promote growth and acquisition of skills, that training on how to give and receive feedback are often built into many major venues of outdoor education, there are often specific procedures in place for different organizations to help provide this time of feedback.   Learning that takes place in an extended expedition often has the benefit of plenty of time built into a day to observe student behavior and give specific feedback.  Assessment strategies that allow feedback to be a “movie” not a “snapshot” can be employed in any learning environment, especially if they are growth oriented.  Good assessment tools in traditional classrooms employ many of these same techniques.  This paper will look into the research and documentation of effective assessment tools in the OEE field, and how they can be adapted for more traditional classrooms.