Clinical Field Experience: Social Studies Pre-Assessment

The pre-assessment provided relevant data that helped in determining the learning gaps and needs of the students by highlighting some of the critical challenges that the students were experiencing as part of their approach towards identifying the similarities between the two cultures. The pre-assessment was administered to a group of 12 students out of who half showed a significant ability to identify the similarities between the two cultures. However, it also exposed that half of the students experienced challenges in their approach towards identifying the similarities. What is clear from the data is that it the use of pre-assessment was outstanding in trying to identify some of the critical areas where the students were experiencing challenges as part of the learning process to allow for the implementation of a new learning strategy.  The main challenge that was experienced in the development and delivering of the pre-assessment was on the issue of language, considering that I was expected to use a word that the students would understand. The students, being in the 3rd grade, were not proficient in their use of the English language, which I considered as a significant challenge, as I was forced to make sure that the word I used was natural for the students to understand and connect. In some cases, I felt like this hampered the effectiveness of the pre-assessment, as some of the words could not be simplified without losing their intended expected. I also experienced a challenge in dealing with one of the students, who had a fundamental problem due to inability to focus; thus, creating the need for having to ensure that the questions would be continuously repeated.  In my future professional practice, I will use my findings as a critical tool towards ensuring that I am actually in a position allowing me to engage with the students in the 3rd grade taking into account that some of these students lack the expected level of understandability. I will focus more on the students at a personal level rather than having to focus on the students as a whole, as this would mean that some of the students may not be able to catch up with the process involved in learning, as expected.