assignment 6 check yourself

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Assignment 6: Apply, arity checking, and variable arity functions

Due: Tues, Oct 22, 11:59PM

The goal of this assignment is to (1) implement arity checking in a language with functions, (2) to implement the apply operation, a fundamental operation that allows functions to be applied to lists of arguments, and (3) to implement variable arity functions, i.e. functions that take any number of arguments.

https://classroom.github.com/a/dLXAGLLp

You are given a repository with a starter compiler similar to the Iniquity language we studied in class.

This started code is slightly different from past code in that:

It implements all of the “plus” features we’ve covered in previous assignments. It is worth studying this code to compare with the solutions you came up with. Try to formulate a technical critique of both solutions.

Parsing has been eliminated. Instead the code uses read to read in an S-Expression and syntax checking is done at the level of S-Expressions. Hopefully you’ve noticed that as the langauge gets larger and more complicated, so too does the parsing. Writing the parsing code is both tedious and easy to get wrong. Why is this? Our data representation of Expr s is a subset of S-Expression s (the stuff you can write with quote ). We’re trying to process an unstructured stream of tokens into a structured, nested datum, but also at the same time verify that datum follows the rules of Expr ness.

This design can be simplified by first processing tokens into S-Expression s, then checking whether this S-Expression is in the Expr subset. Parsing the whole S-Expression set is actually easier than parsing the Expr subset. And we can use an existing tool for doing it: read .

This was in fact our first approach to parsing. We have returned from this detour so that hopefully you can appreciate the value in it’s approach. Concrete syntax and parsing are orthogonal to the semantics of a language, which is the real focus of a compiler.

Of all the assignments so far, this one asks you to write the least amount of code, and yet, is probably the most difficult.

You are free to tackle this parts in any order you see fit, but I recommend approaching them in the order described here so that you can peicemeal work up to a full solution. Tackling everything at once will make things harder.

Apply yourself

The apply operation gives programmers the ability to apply a function to a list as though the elements of that list are the arguments of the function. In other words, it does the following: ( apply f ls ) = ( f v1 ... ) , where ls is ( list v1 ... ) .

Your task is to implement (a slightly simplified version) of the apply operation, which takes the name of a function (this assignment is based on Iniquity , which only has second-class functions) and an argument that is expected to evaluate to a list. The given function is then called with the elements of the list as its arguments.

For example, this calls the f function, which expects two arguments and adds them together, with a list containing 1 and 2 . The result is equivalent to ( f 1 2 ) , i.e. 3 :

Examples > ( begin       ( define   ( f   x   y )   ( +   x   y ) )       ( apply   f   ( cons   1   ( cons   2   ' ( ) ) ) ) ) 3

Note that the list argument to apply is an arbitrary expression, which when evaluated, should produce a list. We could have written the example as follows to emphasize that the compiler cannot simply examine the sub-expression to determine the arguments to the function being called:

Examples > ( begin       ( define   ( f   x   y )   ( +   x   y ) )       ( define   ( g   z )   ( cons   z   ( cons   2   ' ( ) ) ) )       ( apply   f   ( g   1 ) ) ) 3

This addition adds the following to Expr s:

;   type Expr = ;   ... ;   | ‘ (apply ,Variable ,Expr)

The syntax.rkt file contains code for checking the syntax of Iniquity+.

The interp.rkt file contains a reference implementation of apply .

The compile.rkt file contains the compile for Iniquity+, and has stubbed out a function for compile apply expressions:

;   Variable Expr CEnv -> Asm ( define   ( compile-apply   f   e   c )   ' ( ) )

Your job is to correctly implement this function.

The key idea here is that evaluating e should produce a list. That list is going to be represented as a linked list of pair pointers in the heap that eventually terminates in the empty list. But in order to call a function, we need to have arguments placed appropriately on the stack.

The compiler will need to emit code to check the assumption that the argumgent is a list and signal an error if it is violated, but you might first try to get this working on examples that are correct uses of apply before thinking about the error cases.

Until now, the compiler has always known how many arguments are given: you just look at the syntax of the call expression. But here we don’t know statically how many elements of the list there are.

So, the compiler will need to emit code that traverses the list and places the element at the appropriate position on the stack. After this, the function can be called as usual.

Since the list can be arbitrarily large, the emitted “copy list elements to stack” code will need to be a loop. Here’s a sketch of how the loop operates:

it has a register containing the list (either empty or a pointer to a pair).

it has a register containing a pointer to the next spot on the stack to put an argument.

if the list is empty, the loop is done.

if the list is a pair, copy the car to the stack, set the register holding the list to cdr , and advance the register holding the pointer to the stack.

Once you have this working for “good examples,” revisit the code to interleave type checking to validate that the subexpression produced a list.

Arity-check yourself, before you wreck yourself

When we started looking at functions and function applications, we wrote an interpreter that did arity checking, i.e. just before making a function call, it confirmed that the function definition had as many parameters as the call had arguments.

The compiler, however, does no such checking. This means that arguments will silently get dropped when too many are supplied and (much worse!) parameters will be bound to junk values when too few are supplied; the latter has the very unfortunate effect of possibly leaking local variable’s values to expressions out of the scope of those variables. (This has important security ramifications.)

The challenge here is that the arity needs to be checked at run-time (at least it will be with the addition of first-class functions, or... apply ). But at run-time, we don’t have access to the syntax of the function definition or the call. So in order to check the arity of a call, we must emit code to do the checking and to compute the relevant information for carrying out the check.

Here is the idea: when compiling a function definition, the arity of the function is clear from the number of parameters of the definition. If the caller of a function can communicate the number of arguments to the function, then the function can just check that this number matches the expected number.

When compiling a call, the number of arguments is obvious, so the call should communicate this number to the function (which then checks it).

How should this number be communicated? A simple solution is to pass the number as though it were the first argument of the function.

Hence, a function of n arguments will be compiled as a function of n+ 1 arguments. A call with m arguments will be compiled as a call with m+ 1 arguments, where the value of the first argument is m . The emitted code for a function should now check that the value of the first argument is equal to n and signal an error when it is not.

You will need to modify compile-call and compile-define to implement this arity checking protocol. You will also need to update compile-apply , but first try to get things working for normal calls.

Apply with arity checks

What happens now with your previously good examples of using apply ? Why is everything coming up ' err now?

The problem is that once you implement the arity checking mechanism for function definitions, this checking will also happen when you call the function via apply , but your apply code is not communicating the number of arguments, so the call is likely to fail the check. (Pop quiz: can you make an example that “works,” i.e. calls a function via apply but avoids the arity check error?)

In order to get apply working again, you’ll need to have it follow the protocol for calling the function with the number of arguments as the first argument.

But how many arguments are there? Well, there are as many arguments as there are elements in the list. Update compile-apply so the emitted code computes this quantity and passes it in the appropriate spot on the stack. After doing this, all your earlier examples should work again, it should catch arity errors where the function expects a different number of arguments from the number of elements in the list.

Variable arity functions

So far, the arity of every function is some fixed natural number. However, it’s quite useful to have functions that can take any number of arguments.

This is possible in Racket with the use of variable arity functions.

For example:

Examples > ( begin       ( define   ( f   . xs )   xs )       ( f   1   2   3 ) ) '(1 2 3)

Note the use of “ . ” in the formal parameters of the function. This syntax is indicating that f can be applied to any number of arguments (including 0). The arguments will be bundled together in a list, which is bound to the xs variable. So this application produces the list ' ( 1 2 3 ) .

We can also write a function like this:

Examples > ( begin       ( define   ( f   x   y   . zs )   zs )       ( f   1   2   3 ) ) '(3)

This function must be applied to at least 2 arguments. The first two arguments are bound to x and y . Any additional arguments are bundled in a list and bound to zs . So this expression produces a list of one element: 3 .

To accomodate this, the syntax of formal parameters in function definitions is updated from:

;   type Formals = (Listof Variable)

;   type Formals = ;   | ' () ;   | Variable ;   | (Cons Variable Formals)

Meaning the formals “list” can be an improper list and when it is, the final variable is the one that binds to a list containing all remaining arguments.

To implement variable arity functions, you’ll need to update compile-define to handle this form of function defintion. The code includes a stubbed case for matching variable arity function definitions; you just need to write the code.

The idea is inverse to that of apply : an arbitrary number of arguments are passed on the stack and the function must convert the appropriate number of stack arguments to a list.

You’ll need to implement this part of the assignment after adding the arity checking protocol. This is because the function caller needs to pass in the count of the number of arguments. Without this information, the function won’t know how many arguments to put in a list.

If the function requires at least n arguments and is called with m arguments, then m-n arguments should be placed in a list and the list should be passed in as the n+ 1 th argument. (If the function is called with less than n arguments, then it is an arity error.) So like apply , you’ll need a loop, but instead of copy from a list to a stack, you’ll need to copy from the stack to a list.

Should you find yourself having completed the assignment with time to spare, you could try adding proper tail calls to the compiler. You will have to make it work with arity checking and calling apply in tail position should make a tail call to the function.

This isn’t worth any credit, but you might learn something.

You can test your code in several ways:

Using the command line raco test . from the directory containing the repository to test everything.

Using the command line raco test <file> to test only <file> .

https://travis-ci.com/cmsc430/

(You will need to be signed in in order see results for your private repo.)

Note that only a small number of tests are given to you, so you should write additional test cases.

There is separate a repository for tests! When you push your code, Travis will automatically run your code against the tests. If you would like to run the tests locally, clone the following repository into the directory that contains your compiler and run raco test . to test everything:

https://github.com/cmsc430/assign06-test.git

This repository will evolve as the week goes on, but any time there’s a significant update it will be announced on Piazza.

Pushing your local repository to github “submits” your work. We will grade the latest submission that occurs before the deadline.

• C++ Data Types
• C++ Input/Output
• C++ Pointers
• C++ Interview Questions
• C++ Programs
• C++ Cheatsheet
• C++ Projects
• C++ Exception Handling
• C++ Memory Management

Self assignment check in assignment operator

• Assignment Operators In C++
• Is assignment operator inherited?
• Default Assignment Operator and References in C++
• Move Assignment Operator in C++ 11
• Copy Constructor vs Assignment Operator in C++
• How to Create Custom Assignment Operator in C++?
• bitset operator[] in C++ STL
• How to Implement Move Assignment Operator in C++?
• C++ Assignment Operator Overloading
• Augmented Assignment Operators in Python
• Assignment Operators in C
• JavaScript Assignment Operators
• Compound assignment operators in Java
• JavaScript Logical OR assignment (||=) Operator
• Right Shift Assignment(>>=) Operator in JavaScript
• Assignment Operators in Python
• JavaScript Remainder Assignment(%=) Operator
• Bitwise AND Assignment (&=) Operator in JavaScript
• Null-Coalescing Assignment Operator in C# 8.0

In C++, assignment operator should be overloaded with self assignment check.

For example, consider the following class Array and overloaded assignment operator function without self assignment check.

If we have an object say a1 of type Array and if we have a line like a1 = a1 somewhere, the program results in unpredictable behavior because there is no self assignment check in the above code. To avoid the above issue, self assignment check must be there while overloading assignment operator. For example, following code does self assignment check.

References: http://www.cs.caltech.edu/courses/cs11/material/cpp/donnie/cpp-ops.html

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Understanding Assignments

What this handout is about.

The first step in any successful college writing venture is reading the assignment. While this sounds like a simple task, it can be a tough one. This handout will help you unravel your assignment and begin to craft an effective response. Much of the following advice will involve translating typical assignment terms and practices into meaningful clues to the type of writing your instructor expects. See our short video for more tips.

Basic beginnings

Regardless of the assignment, department, or instructor, adopting these two habits will serve you well :

• Read the assignment carefully as soon as you receive it. Do not put this task off—reading the assignment at the beginning will save you time, stress, and problems later. An assignment can look pretty straightforward at first, particularly if the instructor has provided lots of information. That does not mean it will not take time and effort to complete; you may even have to learn a new skill to complete the assignment.
• Ask the instructor about anything you do not understand. Do not hesitate to approach your instructor. Instructors would prefer to set you straight before you hand the paper in. That’s also when you will find their feedback most useful.

Assignment formats

Many assignments follow a basic format. Assignments often begin with an overview of the topic, include a central verb or verbs that describe the task, and offer some additional suggestions, questions, or prompts to get you started.

An Overview of Some Kind

The instructor might set the stage with some general discussion of the subject of the assignment, introduce the topic, or remind you of something pertinent that you have discussed in class. For example:

“Throughout history, gerbils have played a key role in politics,” or “In the last few weeks of class, we have focused on the evening wear of the housefly …”

The Task of the Assignment

Pay attention; this part tells you what to do when you write the paper. Look for the key verb or verbs in the sentence. Words like analyze, summarize, or compare direct you to think about your topic in a certain way. Also pay attention to words such as how, what, when, where, and why; these words guide your attention toward specific information. (See the section in this handout titled “Key Terms” for more information.)

“Analyze the effect that gerbils had on the Russian Revolution”, or “Suggest an interpretation of housefly undergarments that differs from Darwin’s.”

Additional Material to Think about

Here you will find some questions to use as springboards as you begin to think about the topic. Instructors usually include these questions as suggestions rather than requirements. Do not feel compelled to answer every question unless the instructor asks you to do so. Pay attention to the order of the questions. Sometimes they suggest the thinking process your instructor imagines you will need to follow to begin thinking about the topic.

“You may wish to consider the differing views held by Communist gerbils vs. Monarchist gerbils, or Can there be such a thing as ‘the housefly garment industry’ or is it just a home-based craft?”

These are the instructor’s comments about writing expectations:

“Be concise”, “Write effectively”, or “Argue furiously.”

Technical Details

These instructions usually indicate format rules or guidelines.

“Your paper must be typed in Palatino font on gray paper and must not exceed 600 pages. It is due on the anniversary of Mao Tse-tung’s death.”

The assignment’s parts may not appear in exactly this order, and each part may be very long or really short. Nonetheless, being aware of this standard pattern can help you understand what your instructor wants you to do.

Interpreting the assignment

Ask yourself a few basic questions as you read and jot down the answers on the assignment sheet:

Why did your instructor ask you to do this particular task?

Who is your audience.

• What kind of evidence do you need to support your ideas?

What kind of writing style is acceptable?

• What are the absolute rules of the paper?

Try to look at the question from the point of view of the instructor. Recognize that your instructor has a reason for giving you this assignment and for giving it to you at a particular point in the semester. In every assignment, the instructor has a challenge for you. This challenge could be anything from demonstrating an ability to think clearly to demonstrating an ability to use the library. See the assignment not as a vague suggestion of what to do but as an opportunity to show that you can handle the course material as directed. Paper assignments give you more than a topic to discuss—they ask you to do something with the topic. Keep reminding yourself of that. Be careful to avoid the other extreme as well: do not read more into the assignment than what is there.

Of course, your instructor has given you an assignment so that they will be able to assess your understanding of the course material and give you an appropriate grade. But there is more to it than that. Your instructor has tried to design a learning experience of some kind. Your instructor wants you to think about something in a particular way for a particular reason. If you read the course description at the beginning of your syllabus, review the assigned readings, and consider the assignment itself, you may begin to see the plan, purpose, or approach to the subject matter that your instructor has created for you. If you still aren’t sure of the assignment’s goals, try asking the instructor. For help with this, see our handout on getting feedback .

Given your instructor’s efforts, it helps to answer the question: What is my purpose in completing this assignment? Is it to gather research from a variety of outside sources and present a coherent picture? Is it to take material I have been learning in class and apply it to a new situation? Is it to prove a point one way or another? Key words from the assignment can help you figure this out. Look for key terms in the form of active verbs that tell you what to do.

Key Terms: Finding Those Active Verbs

Here are some common key words and definitions to help you think about assignment terms:

Information words Ask you to demonstrate what you know about the subject, such as who, what, when, where, how, and why.

• define —give the subject’s meaning (according to someone or something). Sometimes you have to give more than one view on the subject’s meaning
• describe —provide details about the subject by answering question words (such as who, what, when, where, how, and why); you might also give details related to the five senses (what you see, hear, feel, taste, and smell)
• explain —give reasons why or examples of how something happened
• illustrate —give descriptive examples of the subject and show how each is connected with the subject
• summarize —briefly list the important ideas you learned about the subject
• trace —outline how something has changed or developed from an earlier time to its current form
• research —gather material from outside sources about the subject, often with the implication or requirement that you will analyze what you have found

Relation words Ask you to demonstrate how things are connected.

• compare —show how two or more things are similar (and, sometimes, different)
• contrast —show how two or more things are dissimilar
• apply—use details that you’ve been given to demonstrate how an idea, theory, or concept works in a particular situation
• cause —show how one event or series of events made something else happen
• relate —show or describe the connections between things

Interpretation words Ask you to defend ideas of your own about the subject. Do not see these words as requesting opinion alone (unless the assignment specifically says so), but as requiring opinion that is supported by concrete evidence. Remember examples, principles, definitions, or concepts from class or research and use them in your interpretation.

• assess —summarize your opinion of the subject and measure it against something
• prove, justify —give reasons or examples to demonstrate how or why something is the truth
• evaluate, respond —state your opinion of the subject as good, bad, or some combination of the two, with examples and reasons
• support —give reasons or evidence for something you believe (be sure to state clearly what it is that you believe)
• synthesize —put two or more things together that have not been put together in class or in your readings before; do not just summarize one and then the other and say that they are similar or different—you must provide a reason for putting them together that runs all the way through the paper
• analyze —determine how individual parts create or relate to the whole, figure out how something works, what it might mean, or why it is important
• argue —take a side and defend it with evidence against the other side

More Clues to Your Purpose As you read the assignment, think about what the teacher does in class:

• What kinds of textbooks or coursepack did your instructor choose for the course—ones that provide background information, explain theories or perspectives, or argue a point of view?
• In lecture, does your instructor ask your opinion, try to prove their point of view, or use keywords that show up again in the assignment?
• What kinds of assignments are typical in this discipline? Social science classes often expect more research. Humanities classes thrive on interpretation and analysis.
• How do the assignments, readings, and lectures work together in the course? Instructors spend time designing courses, sometimes even arguing with their peers about the most effective course materials. Figuring out the overall design to the course will help you understand what each assignment is meant to achieve.

Now, what about your reader? Most undergraduates think of their audience as the instructor. True, your instructor is a good person to keep in mind as you write. But for the purposes of a good paper, think of your audience as someone like your roommate: smart enough to understand a clear, logical argument, but not someone who already knows exactly what is going on in your particular paper. Remember, even if the instructor knows everything there is to know about your paper topic, they still have to read your paper and assess your understanding. In other words, teach the material to your reader.

Aiming a paper at your audience happens in two ways: you make decisions about the tone and the level of information you want to convey.

• Tone means the “voice” of your paper. Should you be chatty, formal, or objective? Usually you will find some happy medium—you do not want to alienate your reader by sounding condescending or superior, but you do not want to, um, like, totally wig on the man, you know? Eschew ostentatious erudition: some students think the way to sound academic is to use big words. Be careful—you can sound ridiculous, especially if you use the wrong big words.
• The level of information you use depends on who you think your audience is. If you imagine your audience as your instructor and they already know everything you have to say, you may find yourself leaving out key information that can cause your argument to be unconvincing and illogical. But you do not have to explain every single word or issue. If you are telling your roommate what happened on your favorite science fiction TV show last night, you do not say, “First a dark-haired white man of average height, wearing a suit and carrying a flashlight, walked into the room. Then a purple alien with fifteen arms and at least three eyes turned around. Then the man smiled slightly. In the background, you could hear a clock ticking. The room was fairly dark and had at least two windows that I saw.” You also do not say, “This guy found some aliens. The end.” Find some balance of useful details that support your main point.

You’ll find a much more detailed discussion of these concepts in our handout on audience .

The Grim Truth

With a few exceptions (including some lab and ethnography reports), you are probably being asked to make an argument. You must convince your audience. It is easy to forget this aim when you are researching and writing; as you become involved in your subject matter, you may become enmeshed in the details and focus on learning or simply telling the information you have found. You need to do more than just repeat what you have read. Your writing should have a point, and you should be able to say it in a sentence. Sometimes instructors call this sentence a “thesis” or a “claim.”

So, if your instructor tells you to write about some aspect of oral hygiene, you do not want to just list: “First, you brush your teeth with a soft brush and some peanut butter. Then, you floss with unwaxed, bologna-flavored string. Finally, gargle with bourbon.” Instead, you could say, “Of all the oral cleaning methods, sandblasting removes the most plaque. Therefore it should be recommended by the American Dental Association.” Or, “From an aesthetic perspective, moldy teeth can be quite charming. However, their joys are short-lived.”

Convincing the reader of your argument is the goal of academic writing. It doesn’t have to say “argument” anywhere in the assignment for you to need one. Look at the assignment and think about what kind of argument you could make about it instead of just seeing it as a checklist of information you have to present. For help with understanding the role of argument in academic writing, see our handout on argument .

What kind of evidence do you need?

There are many kinds of evidence, and what type of evidence will work for your assignment can depend on several factors–the discipline, the parameters of the assignment, and your instructor’s preference. Should you use statistics? Historical examples? Do you need to conduct your own experiment? Can you rely on personal experience? See our handout on evidence for suggestions on how to use evidence appropriately.

Make sure you are clear about this part of the assignment, because your use of evidence will be crucial in writing a successful paper. You are not just learning how to argue; you are learning how to argue with specific types of materials and ideas. Ask your instructor what counts as acceptable evidence. You can also ask a librarian for help. No matter what kind of evidence you use, be sure to cite it correctly—see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

You cannot always tell from the assignment just what sort of writing style your instructor expects. The instructor may be really laid back in class but still expect you to sound formal in writing. Or the instructor may be fairly formal in class and ask you to write a reflection paper where you need to use “I” and speak from your own experience.

Try to avoid false associations of a particular field with a style (“art historians like wacky creativity,” or “political scientists are boring and just give facts”) and look instead to the types of readings you have been given in class. No one expects you to write like Plato—just use the readings as a guide for what is standard or preferable to your instructor. When in doubt, ask your instructor about the level of formality they expect.

No matter what field you are writing for or what facts you are including, if you do not write so that your reader can understand your main idea, you have wasted your time. So make clarity your main goal. For specific help with style, see our handout on style .

Technical details about the assignment

The technical information you are given in an assignment always seems like the easy part. This section can actually give you lots of little hints about approaching the task. Find out if elements such as page length and citation format (see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial ) are negotiable. Some professors do not have strong preferences as long as you are consistent and fully answer the assignment. Some professors are very specific and will deduct big points for deviations.

Usually, the page length tells you something important: The instructor thinks the size of the paper is appropriate to the assignment’s parameters. In plain English, your instructor is telling you how many pages it should take for you to answer the question as fully as you are expected to. So if an assignment is two pages long, you cannot pad your paper with examples or reword your main idea several times. Hit your one point early, defend it with the clearest example, and finish quickly. If an assignment is ten pages long, you can be more complex in your main points and examples—and if you can only produce five pages for that assignment, you need to see someone for help—as soon as possible.

Tricks that don’t work

Your instructors are not fooled when you:

• spend more time on the cover page than the essay —graphics, cool binders, and cute titles are no replacement for a well-written paper.
• use huge fonts, wide margins, or extra spacing to pad the page length —these tricks are immediately obvious to the eye. Most instructors use the same word processor you do. They know what’s possible. Such tactics are especially damning when the instructor has a stack of 60 papers to grade and yours is the only one that low-flying airplane pilots could read.
• use a paper from another class that covered “sort of similar” material . Again, the instructor has a particular task for you to fulfill in the assignment that usually relates to course material and lectures. Your other paper may not cover this material, and turning in the same paper for more than one course may constitute an Honor Code violation . Ask the instructor—it can’t hurt.
• get all wacky and “creative” before you answer the question . Showing that you are able to think beyond the boundaries of a simple assignment can be good, but you must do what the assignment calls for first. Again, check with your instructor. A humorous tone can be refreshing for someone grading a stack of papers, but it will not get you a good grade if you have not fulfilled the task.

Critical reading of assignments leads to skills in other types of reading and writing. If you get good at figuring out what the real goals of assignments are, you are going to be better at understanding the goals of all of your classes and fields of study.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Course info.

• Prof. John D. E. Gabrieli

Departments

• Brain and Cognitive Sciences

As Taught In

• Cognitive Science

Learning Resource Types

Introduction to psychology, course description.

This course is a survey of the scientific study of human nature, including how the mind works, and how the brain supports the mind. Topics include the mental and neural bases of perception, emotion, learning, memory, cognition, child development, personality, psychopathology, and social interaction. Students will …

This course is a survey of the scientific study of human nature, including how the mind works, and how the brain supports the mind. Topics include the mental and neural bases of perception, emotion, learning, memory, cognition, child development, personality, psychopathology, and social interaction. Students will consider how such knowledge relates to debates about nature and nurture, free will, consciousness, human differences, self, and society.

Course Format

This course has been designed for independent study. It includes all of the materials you will need to understand the concepts covered in this subject. The materials in this course include:

• A full set of Lecture Videos by Prof. John Gabrieli.
• Reading Assignments in several books, including one free online textbook and detailed notes on another book.
• Assorted multiple choice and short answer questions to Check Yourself on the material in each session.
• Supporting Discussion content that elaborates on the lectures and reading.
• A rich collection of online resources for Further Study on each session’s topics.
• A full set of Exams with solution keys, and extra practice questions for review.

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Assignment 1: Understanding Your Self-Concept

The purpose of this assignment is to help you understand your own self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. For this assignment, you will work independently.

Learning Objectives

LO1. Compare and contrast self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.

LO2. Apply self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy to personal experiences.

LO3. Discuss how social and family influences, culture, and media influence self-perception.

LO4. Compare and contrast personal, social, and cultural identities.

The time estimated to complete this activity is 45-60 minutes.

Instructions

You will be completing several short surveys to learn more about your self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Please use the links below to complete each survey. Make sure you save a copy of your results for each survey.

VIA Character Strengths Inventory

This online survey is meant to determine what characteristics make up your self-concept. It has 96 items and will take about 15-20 minutes to complete. You will need to register for the site. After you have completed your inventory click on the “PDF Results” button to download and save a pdf copy of your results.

Rosenburg Self-Esteem Scale

This online survey is meant to rate self-esteem feelings by measuring both positive and negative feelings about the self. It has 10 questions and will take about 3-5 minutes to complete. After you have completed your inventory, please save a copy of your Summary Snapshot Report. You will need to take a screenshot and save it to a Word or Google Doc file for a later activity.

General Self-Efficacy Scale

This online survey is meant to assess the sense of perceived self-efficacy to check how you cope with daily situations and stressful life events. It has 10 questions and will take about 3-5 minutes to complete. After you have completed your survey, please save a copy of your results using the Print button at the bottom of the survey to download and save a pdf copy of your results.

After you have completed these surveys, please address the following questions in a 200-400 word written response. Follow formal writing conventions using complete sentences and checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Separate your answers into different paragraphs for each question to make grading easier.

• Discuss the similarities and differences between self-concept, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Based on your survey results and your thoughts about them, how are they related to each other? Do you think that having a very high or very low score for one of these concepts will impact the others, why or why not
• Based on what you included in your “Who am I?” creative work, which identities are the most important to you (personal, social, cultural)? What aspects of your life do you think were most influential in how you see your identity?
• Discuss any hardships you have experienced, or that you have seen in media for people who share an identity you have, and how you think those could be addressed.

Psychology of Human Relations Copyright © by Stevy Scarbrough is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How To Fact-Check

Module 6: finding work and the final assignment.

Module 6 is for those interested in finding a professional fact-checking or verification job. We discuss how to gain experience as well as what various industries expect from those applying for roles. This module also includes the final self-assessed assignment.

What will you learn?

• Different avenues for finding a fact-checking or verification job
• How to build up your fact-checking or verification skills and experience
• A comprehensive review of knowledge acquired in the course
• Testing on core learning objectives from previous modules
• To apply the skills learned in practical scenarios

It is useful for:

• Content creators seeking to apply learned skills in real-world scenarios
• Individuals interested in becoming a professional fact-checker
• Learners looking for a conclusive and integrative module
• Improve your content quality and brand credibility.
• Spot the telltale signs of manipulated content.
• Confidently navigate data sets and statistics.
• Earn up to $68K a year as a qualified fact-checker.
• Draw conclusions and communicate them to clients with ease.
• Gain practical tips on finding a fact-checking role.
• Strengthen your resume for roles that require fact-checking skills.

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See all modules, module 1: introducing becoming a freelance writer, module 2: freelance content writing, module 3: preparing for a content writing project, module 4: writing professional blog posts and articles, module 5: search engine optimization, module 6: case study – writing an article, module 7: building your business, module 8: the final assignment, start your journey.

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6.3: Create an assignment plan

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• Christina Page & Adam Vincent
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University

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Now that you have a clear idea of what you need to do, the next step is to break down the assignment into manageable “chunks”.  The idea of completing a major research paper may seem overwhelming, but if you can divide the task into achievable steps you will be on your way to success.

Use the chart below to break your assignment into smaller steps.  You will want to create steps that can be done easily in one day, and preferably in a single work period.  Consider the following example breakdown for a research paper.

In the above example, the assignment is divided into smaller pieces, with a manageable amount to complete each day. It is also clear when each task has been completed.  A daily work goal like “work on research paper” is not well-defined, and can seem overwhelming.  This can make it easy to procrastinate.  By choosing specific and achievable goals, you may become more motivated to get started, and you will be able to measure your progress each day.  Remember to reward yourself for meeting your goals along the way.

Choose one of your upcoming assignments, and create a work plan modelled on the example above.

Download the assignment planner worksheet .

The Self-Care Wheel: Wellness Worksheets, Activities & PDF

Thankfully, the cause was not an underlying physical condition; instead, it was behavioral. Tess was approaching burn out.

Managing her two children, setting up a new business, learning additional skills, and keeping up with her mortgage repayments were proving to be too much.

We have all experienced similar times in our lives, and burnout is real.

Irritability, drinking to feel better, trouble sleeping, headaches, and a lack of energy are all early signs that you are heading toward a meltdown (Salvagioni et al., 2017).

The Mayo Clinic describes burnout as physical and mental exhaustion, often associated with a loss of identity and the sense that we are not accomplishing anything.

So, how do you stop? How do you take care of yourself?

In this article, we explore a wellness tool that helps you regain control and focus on your busy life. The Self-Care Wheel is a positive psychology tool for supporting a balanced life while maximizing potential.

Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our three Self-Compassion Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself, but also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.

This Article Contains:

What is the self-care wheel, templates, worksheets, and useful pdfs, self-care activities by the domains of the wheel, a look at popular self-care apps, a take-home message.

Work, parenting, education, and relationships are all sources of stress.

Research over the last two decades has confirmed the severe impact of our failure to handle situations in which we find ourselves.

Indeed, chronic stress at work is recognized by:

• Overwhelming exhaustion
• Lack of commitment
• Negative attitudes
• Dissatisfaction with performance

Self-care can help, but it needs to be planned, acted upon, and practiced (Myers, Sweeney, & Witmer, 2000; Windey, Craft, & Mitchell, 2019).

What is wellness?

Healthy people strive towards growth, self-actualization , and excellence; it’s a natural, universal tendency (Maslow, 1970).

But all of us, at times, need help to get and stay there.

Wellness is about maintaining mental and physical fitness and having enough energy to meet occupational and personal commitments. The Global Wellness Institute (n.d.) describes it as “ the active pursuit of activities, choices, and lifestyles that lead to a state of holistic health. ”

Wheel of Wellness

In 2000, psychologists Jane Myers, Thomas Sweeney, and Melvin Witmer were concerned about deaths occurring in the U.S. as a result of poor lifestyle choices. They suggested an important shift in emphasis, from a disease and illness model to one of wellness and health.

In response, they created a tool called The Wheel of Wellness to help achieve a life defined by optimal health and wellbeing, “ in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live more fully within the human and natural community ” (Myers et al., 2000).

The wheel is a pictorial representation of wellness. Each spoke depicts an interrelated set of tasks that interact with the life forces affecting your life, including:

• Business and industry

Wellness wheels remain accessible and helpful in the promotion of wellbeing.

Clarion University , for example, encourages students to use a copy of their wheel as part of their wellness program. Students are asked to consider how they manage their health in each of the following areas of their lives:

• Emotional health – managing stress , sufficient sleep, staying on top of work, seeking therapy
• Intellectual health – staying curious, learning new things, reading, joining clubs, enhancing intellectual interests
• Physical health – sufficient exercise, balanced nutrition, preventative medical care
• Social health – robust social network offering guidance and reducing stress
• Environmental health – caring for surroundings, avoiding clutter, recycling and volunteering for environmental initiatives
• Financial health – living within financial means, creating a budget
• Spiritual health – understanding the beliefs and values that shape who you are and guide your life

Recent research into healthcare has confirmed the value of the wellness wheel in promoting wellness and good health in nurses and, subsequently, better treatment of patients (Windey et al., 2019).

The Self-Care Wheel

The Self-Care Wheel is similar to the Wellness Wheel and provides a structure for identifying and nourishing areas where you are either failing, surviving, or thriving.

The most widely used assessment wheel, created by the Olga Phoenix Project , is based on the work of Karen Saakvitne and Laurie Pearlman (described in Transforming the Pain: A Workbook on Vicarious Traumatization; 1996).

The Olga Phoenix Self-Care Wheel consists of two sheets, each containing a set of six dimensions placed on the outside rim of the wheel, including:

• Psychological
• Professional

Each dimension represents an area of your life that, ideally, deserves daily attention.

The first sheet contains a suggested list of topics, placed between the spokes of the wheel below the relevant dimension. Each item is an inspiration or a prompt to take an action that promotes nurture in that area.

The second wheel is left blank for personalization.

A therapist or coach typically supplies both sheets to a client, but there may be times (to avoid bias) where only the blank sheet is given.

However, it is essential to make the wheel personal and to document follow-up actions that address dimensions negatively impacting your wellbeing.

Self-Care Wheel

Download Olga Phoenix’s free starter kit for a copy of the Self-Care Wheel.

Creating a Self-Care Vision Board

PositivePsychology.com’s Self-Care Vision Board is particularly well suited to practicing self-care and completing a blank copy of the wheel.

Download the tool for free as part of our Self-Compassion Exercises Pack.

The Self-Care Vision Board exercise is a positive and practical way for you to personalize the list of items under each dimension (physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual, personal, and professional).

It consists of four steps:

• Brainstorm self-care activities.
• Collect positive images for the vision board.
• Collect positive words and phrases for the vision board.
• Build the vision board.

Additional self-care resources from PositivePsychology.com

Committing to taking care of yourself is one of the most effective ways to make self-care a lifelong priority. Use the My Self-Care Promise template to help clients formalize their commitment in the form of a contract.

The following exercises and downloads offer useful guidance for specific activities listed under each dimension:

• Nature Play
• My Personal Beliefs
• Self-Love Journal
• The Five Senses Worksheet
• Stacking the Deck
• Exploring Character Strengths
• 3-Step Mindfulness Worksheet

Implementing the wheel as part of overall self-care

The Self-Care Wheel is one part of a more extensive process on your journey to wellbeing and can be embedded in the following three steps:

Step 1 – Assess

Identify areas that require additional attention for your self-care and are necessary for the completion of the Self-Care Wheel.

• Understand your current wellness position using the Self-Care Wheel.
• Download and personalize a blank copy.

Step 2 – Plan

Plan to transform those areas of your life that are currently failing, or surviving, into ones that are thriving.

• Identify how you can progress each aspect of your self-care and complete the activities defined in step 1.
• Write it down in a plan.

ReachOut provides a practical guide for developing a self-care plan along with a free downloadable template.

Step 3 – Implement

A plan has no value unless acted upon.

• Schedule the actions that implement your self-care.
• Commit to yourself that you will perform the steps and that you are worthy of self-care.
• Share the plan with someone close, who will provide support and encouragement.

Self-care wheel: the ultimate 3-step self-care formula – Olga Phoenix

For example, your spiritual dimension can be nurtured through yoga, self-forgiveness, and nature, while your psychological state will benefit from self-awareness , relaxation, and a focus on positive qualities.

Review each of the following sections for a list of activities that nurture or nourish the six dimensions of your Self-Care Wheel.

Note that these are suggestions. Some actions may be more or less appropriate and can be added to or removed from your list.

The list is modified from the Self-Care Wheel created by Olga Phoenix but also contains links to articles within PositivePsychology.com to further your understanding and provide additional guidance.

Other useful advice and practical tips are available from the University of California and Princeton University .

Self-care activities for your physical domain

Your physical health is vital to your overall wellbeing, And, according to the American Nurses Association , it is not only the absence of disease, but also lifestyle choices that avoid preventable illnesses, maintaining a balanced mind, body, and spirit.

Things you can do to nurture yourself:

• Eat healthily
• Exercise regularly
• Be sexual (safely)
• Put good sleeping habits in place
• Take vacations
• Take time off and ensure downtime
• Schedule regular massages
• Seek out a qualified acupuncturist
• Take relaxing baths
• Kiss (your partner, family, your dog)
• Ask for nurture
• Take daily walks (if possible in nature )
• Turn off or put your phone on silent

Consider putting in place:

• Safe housing
• Regular medical care and check-ups

Self-care activities for your psychological domain

Psychological wellbeing is crucial to not only your state of mind, but also your physical health. According to the American Psychological Association , psychological wellbeing involves being both happy and content, with low levels of distress, good mental health, and quality of life.

• Perform self-reflection and self-awareness
• Sensory engagement
• Schedule aromatherapy
• Do something creative, draw, paint, quilt, cook, etc.
• Go to the ballet, a symphony, or a concert
• Relax in your garden, park, or at the beach
• Read a self-help book
• Think about your positive qualities and your strengths
• Practice (and visualize) asking for and receiving help
• Practice mindfulness
• Join a support group

Self-care activities for your emotional domain

Emotional wellness can be described as understanding and being aware and comfortable with your feelings, and being able to express emotions constructively.

• Perform affirmations
• Social justice engagement
• Say “ I love you ” (show positive emotions more often, and mean them)
• Watch a funny or heartening movie
• Find a hobby
• Flirt (if appropriate)
• Buy yourself a present
• Spend time with your pet
• Practice forgiveness
• Self-compassion

Download 3 Free Self-Compassion Exercises (PDF)

These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you to help others create a kinder and more nurturing relationship with themselves.

Download 3 Free Self-Compassion Tools Pack (PDF)

By filling out your name and email address below.

Self-care activities for your spiritual domain

Spiritual wellness has a different meaning for each of us. Typically, it is about having values and beliefs that provide meaning to your life and having the opportunity and motivation to align your behavior to them.

• Perform self-reflection
• Spend time in nature
• Self-cherish
• Meditate or practice mindfulness
• Sing and dance
• Play with your children
• Be inspired
• Practice yoga
• Bathe in the sea, a river, a lake
• Watch the sunset or sunrise
• Find a spiritual mentor
• Volunteer for a cause close to your heart
• Foster self-forgiveness
• Join a spiritual community that aligns with your values and beliefs

Self-care activities for your personal domain

Being engaged intellectually and at a profoundly personal level in your actions, environment, and social group is likely to promote growth and wellbeing in your personal domain.

• Learn who you are
• Explore what you want out of life
• Plan short- and long-term goals
• Make a vision board
• Foster friendships
• Go on dates
• Get a coffee or drink with a friend
• Learn to relax
• Write poetry, short stories, or a book
• Spend time with loved ones
• Learn to play an instrument
• Get out of debt (this may be aspirational)

Self-care activities for your professional domain

Wellbeing in the professional domain is most likely when your work and studies leave you feeling fulfilled, while you continue to grow, learn, and make meaningful contributions.

• Make time for lunch, and take regular breaks
• Do not repeatedly work late
• Do not work during time off
• Find a good mentor
• Get support from colleagues
• Take mental health days
• Learn to say no
• Plan your current or next career
• Learn, take a class
• Take vacation and sick days
• Set boundaries. Where does work start and end?

17 Exercises To Foster Self-Acceptance and Compassion

Help your clients develop a kinder, more accepting relationship with themselves using these 17 Self-Compassion Exercises [PDF] that promote self-care and self-compassion.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Find it in the App Store or Google Play .

Anxiety Solution: Calmer You

Find it in the App Store .

Balance in life is crucial.

When you have it, you can divide your time and energy across all areas of your being, ensuring an appropriate focus on family, learning, spirituality, career, etc. while nurturing overall wellness.

However, when balance falters, parts of your life remain unnourished. They begin to fail, impacting other areas and your overall wellbeing. You begin to burn out.

If you step back and look at your life, you can see the warning signals – overeating, over-drinking, lethargy, stress, irritability – all are signals that change is needed.

And yet, if you recognize the signals, then you can do something about them.

Firstly, download the Self-Care Wheel, and along with some of the other tools introduced, identify and document the actions and steps that will help you find balance and ultimately lead you to flourish in life.

You may not have time or resources to play out all the actions or put in place every condition, but be realistic. Plan how you are going to perform the activities that are going to give you the big wins. Once they are in place, you can begin to find other ways to include the smaller, complementary, positive changes in your life.

You have what it takes to make your life more complete, but it takes self-care.

Perhaps most surprisingly, the crucial takeaway is not that you have the potential to put in place a routine of self-care, but that you deserve it.

You, like the rest of us, are worth investing in.

So, what’s stopping you? Use the Self-Care Wheel to take stock, regain focus, and take control of your busy, precious life.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our Self-Compassion Exercises for free .

• Global Wellness Institute. (n.d.). What is wellness? Retrieved from https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/what-is-wellness/
• Maslow, A. (1970). Motivation and personality (2nd ed.). Harper & Row.
• Myers, J. E., Sweeney, T. J., & Witmer, J. M. (2000). The wheel of wellness counseling for wellness: A holistic model for treatment planning. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78 (3), 251-266.
• Salvagioni, D. A. J., Melanda, F. N., Mesas, A. E., González, A. D., Gabani, F. L., & de Andrade, S. M. (2017). Physical, psychological, and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLOS One, 12 (10).
• Saakvitne, K. W., & Pearlman, L. A. (1996). Transforming the pain: A workbook on vicarious traumatization. Norton & Company.
• Windey, M., Craft, J., & Mitchell, S. L. (2019). Incorporating a wellness program for transitioning nurses. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35 (1), 41-43.

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What our readers think.

This article gave me the knowledge and insight on how to begin myself care. I have downloaded all activities sheet, and I can’t wait to get started.

very useful information .Thanks for sharing

Hi there, I see a wrong link in this article. In your “Additional self-care resources”, the 6th link “Eight Steps to Forgiveness” send us to a different exercise (Exploring Character Strengths).

Thanks so much for pointing this out. We will fix this shortly 🙂

Kind regards, -Caroline | Community Manager

Very helpful article. Thanks for sharing this information for free.

Need to balance my wheeel so that I can domuch better to excell in what I am doing. Thanks for the positive advise.

‘So what’s stopping you?’ Precisely. That is worth unpacking. If it is so easy to prioritise self-care, why is it so hard for people to do? It is getting beyond the pre-contemplative stage that is the issue.

Great observation. My own reflection of this question is that I haven’t felt ‘worthy’. Everything and everyone else seems more important There has to be a mind shift.

Great read. I like that there were actual resources given for each domain. This makes the information easier to understand and a lot more practical than most articles about concepts and theories. Thank you

love this article! thank you!

Very useful Blog. Thank you for sharing

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6.2: Assignment- Literary Analysis of Your Own Selection

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• Anne Eidenmuller
• Columbia Basin College

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Review the following statement from one of the readings in this course:

Assignment Instructions

Select one of the readings from this course and uncover the author’s deeper meaning of the text.

Write a persuasive essay (1,000–1,250 words long) in which you present a thesis and develop an argument that in some way addresses one of the questions posed above in the quote from “Why Study Literary Theory.” You will need to conduct research and do the following:

• Cite at least two secondary sources from the databases in the school’s online library.
• Use summary, paraphrase, and direct quotes (minimum of five) from your selected work to support your thesis and prove your subclaims.
• MLA formatting must be used throughout the paper.

Grading Rubric

• Assignment: Literary Analysis of Your Own Selection. Authored by : Anne Eidenmuller & Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution

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Assessing Student Learning: 6 Types of Assessment and How to Use Them

Assessing student learning is a critical component of effective teaching and plays a significant role in fostering academic success. We will explore six different types of assessment and evaluation strategies that can help K-12 educators, school administrators, and educational organizations enhance both student learning experiences and teacher well-being.

We will provide practical guidance on how to implement and utilize various assessment methods, such as formative and summative assessments, diagnostic assessments, performance-based assessments, self-assessments, and peer assessments.

Additionally, we will also discuss the importance of implementing standard-based assessments and offer tips for choosing the right assessment strategy for your specific needs.

Importance of Assessing Student Learning

Assessment plays a crucial role in education, as it allows educators to measure students’ understanding, track their progress, and identify areas where intervention may be necessary. Assessing student learning not only helps educators make informed decisions about instruction but also contributes to student success and teacher well-being.

Assessments provide insight into student knowledge, skills, and progress while also highlighting necessary adjustments in instruction. Effective assessment practices ultimately contribute to better educational outcomes and promote a culture of continuous improvement within schools and classrooms.

1. Formative assessment

Formative assessment is a type of assessment that focuses on monitoring student learning during the instructional process. Its primary purpose is to provide ongoing feedback to both teachers and students, helping them identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement. This type of assessment is typically low-stakes and does not contribute to a student’s final grade.

Some common examples of formative assessments include quizzes, class discussions, exit tickets, and think-pair-share activities. This type of assessment allows educators to track student understanding throughout the instructional period and identify gaps in learning and intervention opportunities.

To effectively use formative assessments in the classroom, teachers should implement them regularly and provide timely feedback to students.

This feedback should be specific and actionable, helping students understand what they need to do to improve their performance. Teachers should use the information gathered from formative assessments to refine their instructional strategies and address any misconceptions or gaps in understanding. Formative assessments play a crucial role in supporting student learning and helping educators make informed decisions about their instructional practices.

Check Out Our Online Course: Standards-Based Grading: How to Implement a Meaningful Grading System that Improves Student Success

2. summative assessment.

Examples of summative assessments include final exams, end-of-unit tests, standardized tests, and research papers. To effectively use summative assessments in the classroom, it’s important to ensure that they are aligned with the learning objectives and content covered during instruction.

This will help to provide an accurate representation of a student’s understanding and mastery of the material. Providing students with clear expectations and guidelines for the assessment can help reduce anxiety and promote optimal performance.

Summative assessments should be used in conjunction with other assessment types, such as formative assessments, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of student learning and growth.

3. Diagnostic assessment

Diagnostic assessment, often used at the beginning of a new unit or term, helps educators identify students’ prior knowledge, skills, and understanding of a particular topic.

This type of assessment enables teachers to tailor their instruction to meet the specific needs and learning gaps of their students. Examples of diagnostic assessments include pre-tests, entry tickets, and concept maps.

To effectively use diagnostic assessments in the classroom, teachers should analyze the results to identify patterns and trends in student understanding.

This information can be used to create differentiated instruction plans and targeted interventions for students struggling with the upcoming material. Sharing the results with students can help them understand their strengths and areas for improvement, fostering a growth mindset and encouraging active engagement in their learning.

4. Performance-based assessment

Performance-based assessment is a type of evaluation that requires students to demonstrate their knowledge, skills, and abilities through the completion of real-world tasks or activities.

The main purpose of this assessment is to assess students’ ability to apply their learning in authentic, meaningful situations that closely resemble real-life challenges. Examples of performance-based assessments include projects, presentations, portfolios, and hands-on experiments.

These assessments allow students to showcase their understanding and application of concepts in a more active and engaging manner compared to traditional paper-and-pencil tests.

To effectively use performance-based assessments in the classroom, educators should clearly define the task requirements and assessment criteria, providing students with guidelines and expectations for their work. Teachers should also offer support and feedback throughout the process, allowing students to revise and improve their performance.

Incorporating opportunities for peer feedback and self-reflection can further enhance the learning process and help students develop essential skills such as collaboration, communication, and critical thinking.

5. Self-assessment

Self-assessment is a valuable tool for encouraging students to engage in reflection and take ownership of their learning. This type of assessment requires students to evaluate their own progress, skills, and understanding of the subject matter. By promoting self-awareness and critical thinking, self-assessment can contribute to the development of lifelong learning habits and foster a growth mindset.

Examples of self-assessment activities include reflective journaling, goal setting, self-rating scales, or checklists. These tools provide students with opportunities to assess their strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. When implementing self-assessment in the classroom, it is important to create a supportive environment where students feel comfortable and encouraged to be honest about their performance.

Teachers can guide students by providing clear criteria and expectations for self-assessment, as well as offering constructive feedback to help them set realistic goals for future learning.

Incorporating self-assessment as part of a broader assessment strategy can reinforce learning objectives and empower students to take an active role in their education.

Reflecting on their performance and understanding the assessment criteria can help them recognize both short-term successes and long-term goals. This ongoing process of self-evaluation can help students develop a deeper understanding of the material, as well as cultivate valuable skills such as self-regulation, goal setting, and critical thinking.

6. Peer assessment

Peer assessment, also known as peer evaluation, is a strategy where students evaluate and provide feedback on their classmates’ work. This type of assessment allows students to gain a better understanding of their own work, as well as that of their peers.

Examples of peer assessment activities include group projects, presentations, written assignments, or online discussion boards.

In these settings, students can provide constructive feedback on their peers’ work, identify strengths and areas for improvement, and suggest specific strategies for enhancing performance.

Constructive peer feedback can help students gain a deeper understanding of the material and develop valuable skills such as working in groups, communicating effectively, and giving constructive criticism.

To successfully integrate peer assessment in the classroom, consider incorporating a variety of activities that allow students to practice evaluating their peers’ work, while also receiving feedback on their own performance.

Encourage students to focus on both strengths and areas for improvement, and emphasize the importance of respectful, constructive feedback. Provide opportunities for students to reflect on the feedback they receive and incorporate it into their learning process. Monitor the peer assessment process to ensure fairness, consistency, and alignment with learning objectives.

Implementing Standard-Based Assessments

Standard-based assessments are designed to measure students’ performance relative to established learning standards, such as those generated by the Common Core State Standards Initiative or individual state education guidelines.

By implementing these types of assessments, educators can ensure that students meet the necessary benchmarks for their grade level and subject area, providing a clearer picture of student progress and learning outcomes.

To successfully implement standard-based assessments, it is essential to align assessment tasks with the relevant learning standards.

This involves creating assessments that directly measure students’ knowledge and skills in relation to the standards rather than relying solely on traditional testing methods.

As a result, educators can obtain a more accurate understanding of student performance and identify areas that may require additional support or instruction. Grading formative and summative assessments within a standard-based framework requires a shift in focus from assigning letter grades or percentages to evaluating students’ mastery of specific learning objectives.

This approach encourages educators to provide targeted feedback that addresses individual student needs and promotes growth and improvement. By utilizing rubrics or other assessment tools, teachers can offer clear, objective criteria for evaluating student work, ensuring consistency and fairness in the grading process.

Tips For Choosing the Right Assessment Strategy

When selecting an assessment strategy, it’s crucial to consider its purpose. Ask yourself what you want to accomplish with the assessment and how it will contribute to student learning. This will help you determine the most appropriate assessment type for your specific situation.

Aligning assessments with learning objectives is another critical factor. Ensure that the assessment methods you choose accurately measure whether students have met the desired learning outcomes. This alignment will provide valuable feedback to both you and your students on their progress. Diversifying assessment methods is essential for a comprehensive evaluation of student learning.

By using a variety of assessment types, you can gain a more accurate understanding of students’ strengths and weaknesses. This approach also helps support different learning styles and reduces the risk of overemphasis on a single assessment method.

Incorporating multiple forms of assessment, such as formative, summative, diagnostic, performance-based, self-assessment, and peer assessment, can provide a well-rounded understanding of student learning. By doing so, educators can make informed decisions about instruction, support, and intervention strategies to enhance student success and overall classroom experience.

Challenges and Solutions in Assessment Implementation

Implementing various assessment strategies can present several challenges for educators. One common challenge is the limited time and resources available for creating and administering assessments. To address this issue, teachers can collaborate with colleagues to share resources, divide the workload, and discuss best practices.

Utilizing technology and online platforms can also streamline the assessment process and save time. Another challenge is ensuring that assessments are unbiased and inclusive.

To overcome this, educators should carefully review assessment materials for potential biases and design assessments that are accessible to all students, regardless of their cultural backgrounds or learning abilities.

Offering flexible assessment options for the varying needs of learners can create a more equitable and inclusive learning environment. It is essential to continually improve assessment practices and seek professional development opportunities.

Seeking support from colleagues, attending workshops and conferences related to assessment practices, or enrolling in online courses can help educators stay up-to-date on best practices while also providing opportunities for networking with other professionals.

Ultimately, these efforts will contribute to an improved understanding of the assessments used as well as their relevance in overall student learning.

Assessing student learning is a crucial component of effective teaching and should not be overlooked. By understanding and implementing the various types of assessments discussed in this article, you can create a more comprehensive and effective approach to evaluating student learning in your classroom.

Remember to consider the purpose of each assessment, align them with your learning objectives, and diversify your methods for a well-rounded evaluation of student progress.

If you’re looking to further enhance your assessment practices and overall professional development, Strobel Education offers workshops , courses , keynotes , and coaching  services tailored for K-12 educators. With a focus on fostering a positive school climate and enhancing student learning,  Strobel Education can support your journey toward improved assessment implementation and greater teacher well-being.

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