Nye Reflection Ch 6

In Chapter 6 I learned about assessments and evaluations with a specific science focus. I must admit that the majority of the material was information that was and is presented in my other methods classes. I think the most beneficial portion of this chapter was the emphasis on performance assessment.
The use of performance tasks to assess science knowledge and understanding seems to be a perfect fit with inquiry based model of learning. The chapter delves deeper into other ways to utilize performance tasks in assessment. Once again each written description was followed by a practical illustration or example of what this might look like in my classroom. These are the things that give me the most Ah-ha moments. I will be reading through the chapter and thinking that this is just the same old information when suddenly I see an example. It is as if the wheels begin turning in my brain and I begin to think about how I can utilize this in my unit / lesson plan.
This lead me to wonder, could this be the way my students might feel. Specifically, I am addressing assessments and evaluation, but this could be mush broader. Do students think, “It’s just another boring multiple choice or fill in the blank test”? If I were to utilize performance tasks as a portion of the assessment / evaluation process in my class, would students feel differently? I know this class is Methods of Science, but I feel this can be applied to other subjects as well. Allowing students opportunities to demonstrate the concepts they have learned in an authentic, hands-on, meaningful way, seems to me to sound like a winner. The key, as with all assessment and evaluation, is to stay true to the objectives and goals of the lesson.