ASSESSING AFFECT

By Maribel Ayos Affective Behavior # 1: Students reading interests. Most learning includes reading and the better our students read, the easier it is for them to learn. There is not enough time to do all the reading in school, so we need to encourage our students to read outside of school. What our students have the opportunity to read in school years has both good and bad profound, lifelong effects. For students of every ability and background, its the simple, miraculous act of reading a good book that turns them into readers, because even for the least experienced, most reluctant reader, its the one good book that changes everything. The job of adults who care about reading is to move heaven and earth to put that book into a childs hands. Atwell (2007).

Affective Behavior # 2: Oral Presentation Confidence. Effective oral presentation skills are essential in social, educational, and professional life. Oral communication and public speaking are two of the most important abilities in our 21st century environment and crucial to our students success in their future careers. As Rittel and Webber (1973) point out, The

problems that scientists and engineers have usually focused upon are mostly "tame" or "benign" ones, that is, problems with a definite solution such as connecting two sides of a valley via a road bridge or creating superconducting materials. Solving such problems has allowed industrial progress to forge ahead. However, the problems that industrial progress has led to (climate change, resource depletion, ecosystem degradation, over-consumption, alienation from nature etc.) are wicked problems. Solving such problems requires a different approach to the one which created them in the first place, and increasingly, highly interactive oral communication is seen as playing an important role in providing joined-up responses in a timescale appropriate to the rapid pace of change in the 21st century.

Affective Behavior # 3: Students writing attitudes. Writing is important because it is used broadly in higher not only in education but also in the workplace. The majority of professional communication is done in writing: e-mails, memos, proposals, reports, applications, preliminary interviews, and much more are part of the daily life of a college student or successful graduate. The National Commission on Writing (2004) reported Writing is a threshold skill for both employment and promotion, particularly for salaried employees. Half the responding companies report that they take writing into consideration when hiring professional employees. In most cases, writing ability could be your ticket in . . . or it could be your ticket out, said one respondent.

ORAL PRESENTATIONS CONFIDENCE INVENTORY Statements If asked to make an oral report in class, I know I can do it well. I am not very good at giving oral presentations to my classmates. When giving an oral presentation to my classmates I feel confident I do not feel confident when I make an oral presentation. When making an oral presentation I hold attention of entire audience with the use of direct eye contact. I display minimal eye contact with my classmates when I make an oral presentation REFERENCES Atwell, N. (2007). The reading zone. Scholastic. National Commission on Writing. (2004). Writing: A Ticket to Work . . . Or a Ticket Out. A survey of business leaders. Rittel, H. & Melvin, W. (1973). Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning. Policy Sciences 4:155-169 Strongly Somewhat Somewhat Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Agree