This whole topic is so important to me right now. Actually I think assessment and the very traditional way we still use it in most of our schools is one of the biggest things standing in the way of real time to engage in the teaching and learning process. It is the hurdle for teachers that want to truly engage with their students, but lack the time to do so because of outdated expectations for assessment. In fact I believe it is one of the biggest hurdles standing in the way of many truly embracing play based learning.
I believe most of the assessment currently used is redundant when we think about all the research that tells us about how children learn best. In fact the way assessment is used completely contradicts what we know about the learning process.
Let me ask you, do you perform well when put into a stressed state? If asked to do something that was challenging for you, without the opportunity to clarify or to collaborate, or to have a go and get some feedback, how would you go?
How do you feel when going for a job interview, I bet you spend so much time worrying about where to go and what you will be asked, that its not until the third or fourth question that you actually hit your straps. That is one of the reasons I always provide the questions well ahead of time and make sure as much as I possibly can that people know what to expect and who will be there. This is what we need to be doing for our students.
Quite honestly we all know that under stress we would not perform our best. In fact, if it was me, I am highly likely to completely shut down in a situation where I feel like I am being measured or evaluated that I am not an equal partner in. I am not a person that will leap to an answer, I like time to mull it over, to listen to others points of view, to research, to seek clarification. I would say most of the learners in our classrooms are like this.
I would go as far as to say that when we use these very 'test' based modes of assessing (or should I say stressing) we are seeing a quarter of what the student knows. If we were to use the same questions and actually sit with the student, discuss the question, talk about how they might approach it, let them go away and mull it over, talk to others and then come back and talk to us, we would then see their potential ability (strengths, needs) much more clearly.
If then we were to ask them about their thinking, ask them about their reasoning, ask them what was difficult, what they need clarified, we would be going another step further to deeply understanding them as a learner. If we were then to ask them to show us what they understand through a vehicle that is their passion, eg music, drama, literacy, game based etc we would see them in a whole different light, and while we had been 'assessing' we both would be 'learning.' Assessment, as and for learning.
But we don't. We often sit them down with a test, we put them in a stressed state within the constraints of time, where they are already doubting themselves and we expect to be able to 'know' what they are capable of or not capable of at that current mode. We put the brain in a stressed state and expect to see what they can do. This completely contradicts what we know about the brain.
As an example I will share with you my take on exams. They are a waste of time, I hate them, yet as a student, exams were something I coped fine with. They are an old measure that does in no way replicate what our young people will do in the workplace. A student I know well, who is highly intelligent, failed an exam they should have passed. Quite simply because it was an online exam and the worry of actually being able to 'get into the exam' worried them hugely. In fact the stress of this meant they completely went on the wrong tangent for the exam and explored the question from the 'wrong' perspective. In short, they didn't know what was in the examiners head when they asked the question. If this student could have sought clarification, they would have passed and passed well, in this case and exam was not a good measure of what they actually knew. But I would I would say that I don't ever think an exam is a good measure of 'intelligence' or ability.
There are many test based assessments in primary school that also need to go. Very sadly we do allow our Year 6 students to experience PAT assessments because we don't want them to be petrified when they move on and have to do them, largely there is really no other reason we use them. We simply want to take the fear of the unknown out of the test itself. Do they give us some information, yes probably, but nothing we couldn't have found out by posing a few questions in a non-stressful collaborative way and engaging in a learning discussion with the child.
Am I claiming we should ditch assessment altogether. Of course not. But we do need to reframe it. Any of our tools can actually be modified so they can be used in a collaborative, dynamic way with our children. Believe me, actually asking them about 'why' they have answered a certain way, or approached something in that way is very revealing. Often a wrong answer, reveals a very interesting thought process a thought process that we would never have even known about had we not asked.
For those imposing assessments upon you, I challenge you to ask them 'why'...what is the assessment providing us with that dynamic assessment would not. Where is their research for using this assessment? What is the purpose? For ERO, they deserve the same questions, if they can not back up what they are asking with research, then the process is an absolute waste of time.
If the purpose and reason for the assessment is useful for teacher and learner, then use it. If not, ditch it and spend the time you gain talking to your students. I promise you will learn so much more.
Always ask this question, are we assessing or are we stressing?
If through the process of assessment we are causing children stress, then we are never going to be finding out what they actually understand.
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