Assessment Stratgies

Skills for Childbirth Educators

As the teacher, you need to find a way to assess the students level of understanding. Most of the activities listed in this website will provide you with the ability to see if the student truly has gained an understanding of the material. However, you must also provide the student with a way to assess her own learning. Other than giving a test or quiz, how are you going to accomplish that?

Time Capsule

Keep a record of the students thoughts, fears, questions or other information gathered during warm-up activities in class one. In the last class, provide a copy of the information for the students to evaluate how their thinking and skill level has changed.

Journaling

Give each student a small spiral bound notebook with their class materials, or put some lined paper in the binder you prepare for them. Instruct them to record their thoughts, concerns and reactions to what they have read, learned or experienced during the 6 or 8 weeks of the class. If willing, you can have students share some of their reactions each week or how their thoughts have changed over the course of the class at the last class.

Assessing Information

Working as a class or small groups, ask your students to explain how the parts of a topic are similiar and how they are different. This can be done for stages of labor, comfort measures, interventions, and complications in labor.

Team Challenge

As a last labor rehearsal, split your class into teams. Have each team create two or three "problems" a mother and her partner may need to work through during labor. The teams will challenge each other with the problems they design.

Charades

Have each couple select a card that lists a comfort measure for labor or a stage of labor. Ask the couple to act out what is on the card while the other students in class guess what topic the couple is presenting.

Creative Revisions

Read a labor scenario to your class. Ask them to offer suggestions for coping, determine what stage of labor it is or other information you want them to review. Then revise the scenario and ask them how their suggestions need to be changed to meet the needs of the situation.

You May Also Be Interested In: The Coach's Notebook explains a variety of comfort measures and techniques for childbirth. The Christian Childbirth Resource Directory lists websites, books and organizations all created to help you honor God through childbirth. Birthing Naturally Books publishes books to help you grow closer to God during this special time of life. Find childbirth professionals near you in the Natural Childbirth Directory.

© Copyright 2000-2007 Jennifer VanderLaan and Birthing Naturally

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