Any time I say the word TEST or ASSESSMENT my students look at me as if I told them texting was deemed illegal and a punishable offense by stoning to death. With eyes wide and jaws dropped, I try to console them by saying if you are taking an active role in your focus and participation in class conversations and activities, taking notes and reviewing those notes consistently you will be just fine. In reply, I got " I thought this was dance? If I show up and participate isn't that enough?" NO !!! Dance has a long history that gives meaning to the movements that have been passed down from generation to generation since the "First Ballet " in the 15th century. So, NO!! it is not enough to just show up and barely participate. Learning by osmosis is not possible in a dance class.
I used an essay style assessment for my first unit test because a deeper level of thinking was required to express how well my dancers understood the importance and structural framework the unit was going to play when learning and assessing movement. In our, Applied Inquiry class we have discussed the logic behind tests and their purpose to check for student understanding and how well we as the teachers are delivering the information. Although I agree, I still find essay questions to be a reliable way for my dancers to demonstrate knowledge on a greater level then memorizing facts hours before the test or relying solely on me to give them the answers in a word bank.
I push my dancers to think about dance concepts critically and analytically, but to do this, I have to provide a consistent level of preparation. This development is represented through class discussions over our powerpoint notes, related performance opportunities that connect the lecture to the movement and the use of tech knowledge to make information accessible to them. I also use a rubric that clearly outlines my expectations for how the exam should be answered for dancers to show the highest level of thinking. In my most recent unit test, I added in a "True/ False" section and Fill in the blank. I made this shift thinking this would give dancers a chance to show student knowledge in more than one way especially if writing is a delicate area. Looking back at my first test, I knew my dancers were not taking me seriously. Even after saying "this information is critical and will be on the unit two exam," only a few of them kicked their thinking into high gear and passed the test. Others continue to fall victim to old ways, and the variety of test question styles did not boost student scores in any way.
For a majority of my dancer's, testing no matter how it is presented to them puts them in a negative head space. Language barriers (Ell), behavior and learning disabilities, lack of strategies on how to study for their learning style play a part in my dancer's anxiety when it comes to testing. I work diligently to be sensitive to my student's needs, but I also know students are not studying and applying student professionalism outside of class regarding student preparation for tests.
