STERS - Common Errors and Oversights

(Last updated 8/23/2011)

  1. The biggest problems students have with this project is failing to follow instructions. Do yourself and your instructor an favor and read and attempt to understand the project before you complete it.
  2. Generally avoid pre-tests for the content area assessment. Talk with you cooperating teacher about typical average scores and shoot for this standard.
  3. Remember that ISSUES are things the people disagree about.
  4. Don't confuse or mix up activities and assessments; if you don't know the difference, ask.
  5. Some students forget to do the classroom atmosphere, metacognition, and safety areas. Do a review of all requirements before turning in your project.
  6. There must be clear alignment between activities and assessments.
  7. Avoid several smaller assessments for each of the areas; a single summative assessment is desired.
  8. Make use of established assessment instruments such as standardized tests (FCI, TUG-K2, MBLT, NOSLiT, ScInqLiT, etc.); contact your instructor for ideas.
  9. Make use of a wide variety of active learning strategies.
  10. Make use of a wide variety of alternative assessments such as PBL, case studies, critical thinking activities, reports, projects, labs, etc.
  11. Search hard to find student misconceptions for your topic area; they have an immense impact on student learning and so you must be prepared to elicit, identify, confront, and resolve them, and reinforce new learning.
  12. If you use a pretest posttest format, be certain that the posttest includes similar (not identical) problems as in the pretest; the posttest will be longer than the pretest, and will include all pre-test questions in modified form.
  13. Pre- and post-tests should include all major student misconceptions.
  14. When you are stating your expectations for student performance, state a benchmark and not a characterization; for instance, set a 90% class average as your benchmark of mastery. If you do not reach the benchmark with your students, you'll know that improvements need to be made.
  15. Avoid thinking that a single lesson or lab, case study or PBL, will result in comprehensive understanding of inquiry or the nature and history of science. These themes should be addressed throughout your 10-week student teaching practicum, and they should be assessed using established instruments (e.g., NOSLiT - Nature of Science Literacy Test (password protected PDF - contact your course instructor for the password) or ScInqLiT - Scientific Inquiry Literacy Test).
  16. Keep inquiry teaching strategies uppermost in you might as you plan STEP 2.
  17. Please note that one lesson can be used for multiple assessments. For example, if you are teaching genetics, you might choose to engage students in a project in which they must study a biotechnological application (such as the genetic modification of crops), prevalence and methods of modification, and arguments for and against genetic modification of crops. You might then ask students to systematically analyze the arguments and make and justify a position on the topic based on their values and a risk/benefit analysis. You could write lesson objectives accordingly, and plan activities with assessments that would address these objectives.
  18. Keep in mind that all these assessments might be too much for any one course or class. If you are teaching physics, chemistry and physical science, for instance, you may conduct some of the activities and assessments with each of the groups.