Thanks George. Of course the elephant in this room is the question Why assessment?
The obvious response , I.e. to support the learner in their learning journey (otherwise what are we all here for?) is too easily replaced by ‘ to rank order students or perhaps to rank order schools or teachers. As a teacher, examiner, chief examiner and inspector I have been at the centre of many an examination/assessment process. Mostly the process has been impersonal by design (candidates are numbers not people) and governed by the need to ensure mark allocation is standardised across teams of markers. Hence a reliance on closed questions, coded answers and factual or process recall.
Against this backdrop the movement towards formative assessment, e.g. publications such as Inside the Black Box came as a breath of fresh air. Modern teacher educators are doing their best to develop the profession in new directions. It is a slow process.
It really feels like a slow process from a student perspective, but on a positive note, one does not need to look too far back to get a sense that it is not a stagnant one!
Assesment I feel is very representative of where policy, politics and education sciences and practice "clash". My reflections really got me thinking of where students' voices and perhaps school leavers' voices fit into this debate and how they could be amplified and utilised moving forward.
Thank you for taking the time to read the article and especially for pointing me to what seems like a positive read, I am on my way to the library to look into it!
Thanks George. Of course the elephant in this room is the question Why assessment?
The obvious response , I.e. to support the learner in their learning journey (otherwise what are we all here for?) is too easily replaced by ‘ to rank order students or perhaps to rank order schools or teachers. As a teacher, examiner, chief examiner and inspector I have been at the centre of many an examination/assessment process. Mostly the process has been impersonal by design (candidates are numbers not people) and governed by the need to ensure mark allocation is standardised across teams of markers. Hence a reliance on closed questions, coded answers and factual or process recall.
Against this backdrop the movement towards formative assessment, e.g. publications such as Inside the Black Box came as a breath of fresh air. Modern teacher educators are doing their best to develop the profession in new directions. It is a slow process.
It really feels like a slow process from a student perspective, but on a positive note, one does not need to look too far back to get a sense that it is not a stagnant one!
Assesment I feel is very representative of where policy, politics and education sciences and practice "clash". My reflections really got me thinking of where students' voices and perhaps school leavers' voices fit into this debate and how they could be amplified and utilised moving forward.
Thank you for taking the time to read the article and especially for pointing me to what seems like a positive read, I am on my way to the library to look into it!