The Untried Path: Exemplary Elementary School Teachers’ Understanding of and Experiences with Classroom Assessment

Abstract

This qualitative phenomenological research study sought to describe teachers’ understanding of and experiences with AfL, AaL, and AoL when using 21st Century approaches to teaching, learning, and assessment. Purposeful sampling was used to select 4 exemplary Canadian elementary school teachers who had a history of using a professional blog for reflective practice. Data collection methods included elementary school teachers’ professional blogs and semi-structured interviews. Data analysis revealed exemplary elementary school teachers’ understandings and living examples of classroom assessment in a 21st Century context. Results also illustrated how technology-integrated assessment gave students the “power to create” and demonstrate their learning in unprecedented ways and provided teachers with rich assessments of student learning. The study discusses implications for classroom practice and educational research, and offers some initial thoughts on the interactions among the purposes of assessment. The study will be of particular interest to teachers who are interested in improving assessment practices in their classrooms and will provide teacher education programs with insight on how to best prepare teacher candidates for 21st Century education.