Research On The Application Of Performance Assessment In Junior Middle School Biology Teaching

Teaching evaluation has been neglected for a long time though it plays a significant role in Teaching activities."Compulsory Education Biology Curriculum Standards(2011 Edition)" claims to establish a developmental evaluation mode which is open,comprehensive as well as dynamic,and advocates for a new model of teaching evaluation to fit students' complex learning behaviors.Performance assessment takes advantage of this opportunity to flourish,but there are some limitations in related research.For example,performance tasks are considerably involved in experimental classrooms;the types of tasks are not diversified enough,and practice in biology is not sufficient.In order to solve the problems mentioned above,this study,by systematically combining performance assessment with traditional classrooms,made full use of the literature research method,questionnaire survey method,and experimental methods to explore the application of performance assessment in biology teaching in middle school in theory and practice.First,this article aimed to understand development background and research trends,and its connotation,characteristics,as well as essence.Much work was done to establish its research progress at home and abroad,its concept definition,and theoretical basis.Next,the design framework and process of performance tasks were summarized and described at great length,especially some issues concerning evaluation scales and portfolios.During the internship,a questionnaire was issued to teachers and students in internship schools and regions to come to understand the present situation of the teaching evaluation about biology in middle school.The result presented that:(1)The lack of evaluation after school and the obstruction of communication between teachers and students were mainly caused by limited teaching time,too many classes and high teaching pressure of biology teachers.(2)The three-dimensional goals were unbalanced due to putting too much attention on grades,single evaluation,and rigid teaching methods.(3)Whether the teacher evaluation works or not was in doubt,and it would be best to do something to improve teachers' evaluation skills.(4)Both teachers and students approved the validity of student assessment,and student assessments were expected to be implemented.(5)The tools of performance assessment were not used too often,which meant it has not played an important role in practice so far.According to the results of the questionnaire,case teaching of performance assessment was carried out,including three performance tasks: "The Major Groups of Animals" hand-painted,"Cell Model" making,and "Preservation of Biodiversity" keynote speech.Students were then encouraged to build a group portfolio.As a result,there was no significant difference between the mid-term and final results of the two experimental classes and the control class,which meant the effect of performance assessment on traditional exams was unsatisfactory given the short time.Meanwhile,a student survey was conducted and had demonstrated the feasibility and value of the application of performance assessment.The data revealed that:(1)Performance assessment can raise students' interest and enthusiasm,which made biology classes more active and attractive.(2)Evaluation scale,a structured evaluation tool,can be regarded as something convenient,practical and useful.(3)The portfolio evaluation worked significantly at "reflection," "regulation," and "improving the skills to collect,sort out and analyze learning materials",but students found it challenging to adapt during a short time.Therefore,the educational value of the portfolio evaluation still needs more time to be proved.What is more,it had been proven that traditional classrooms and performance assessment can be combined effectively with each other,both of which were highly matched—and performance assessment had the potential of multiple education evaluation.Finally,yet importantly,some issues which occurred during this period should be paid more attention,such as how to ensure the standards and norms of the evaluation system,how to make student evaluation fair and reasonable,how to achieve scientific grouping and feedback on evaluation results.Therefore,this research is a small-scale attempt and exploration of the application of performance assessment in biology teaching in middle school,with hopes that more teachers will join the ranks of educational evaluation reform and continue to contribute to the new curriculum reform.