Chapter 3

Assessment of Learning, for Learning and as Learning.

1.      Assessment of learning

Earl (2003), describes assessment of learning a being summative in nature and speaks to it being the most popular means by which students performance are measured. The purpose of assessment of learning is to gather data or information on student’s performance. This data is then used position students, based on their performance, report to parents and make decisions about placements and promotion on students. This type of assessment normally occurs at the end of a series of work and normally takes the form of a test. The limitations of such assessment technique are that it is too teacher oriented, the grades are often not valid as one test often does not capture all the knowledge gained during the series of lessons. Grades collected does not give indication of mastery and non-mastery of concepts and cannot be used to draw conclusion about students’ progress during instruction.

2.      Assessment for learning.

Earl (2003), describe assessment for learning as formative in nature and accommodate timely and continuous feedback about students learning, which later guides further classroom instructions. Students actively engage in the learning process and the teacher acts as facilitator. The purpose for assessment for learning approach is for teacher to get background information on students’ experiences/ prior knowledge, detect students thought process, understanding and misunderstanding of concepts during the lesson. It also allows teachers to give timely feedback to students and make adjustments to lessons as they see fit. Assessment for learning occurs when data is collected from students through observation, checklist, and worksheets and so on to inform teaching strategies and support students’ growth. This is normally done prior to or during lessons.

3.      Assessment as learning.

Earl (2003), describe assessment as learning as an ongoing process where students takes responsibilities for their learning. They are responsible to carry out the activities, monitor their progress, assess their performance, and make decisions about their learning based on their findings.

4.      Figure 3.1 most emphasis is placed on assessment of learning, which is a summative form of assessment. Given its nature students are put under pressure to ‘swat’ large volume of information at any given one time that has little or no meaning to them. Teachers, of course, will experience difficulties in adequately preparing test which can measure the extent to which students learn all the content taught.

Figure 3.2 shows assessment as learning as being the preferred technique. This pose a challenge to facilitators as they themselves has not yet reach this stage of development and so will find it difficult to model or scaffold the behaviour they intent for their students to model and will therefore find it difficult to assess students likewise. Students will be hindered from the benefits of assessment as learning technique as teachers are often reluctant to seek help.

5.         Students benefit most from engaging in the assessment as learning technique.  I need to adopt this technique so that my students can benefit from enduring understanding and the ability to transfer knowledge.

6.        Being exposed to other techniques of formative assessment as changed my thinking on the way I assess students. The benefits, to students, of formative assessment far surpass that of summative assessment which I often used to measure students’ knowledge. Therefore it is with this new thinking that I saw the need to re-examine my current assessment practices.

7.      The role of the learner is critical in the learning process. For meaningful learning to take place the learner must be actively involved in instruction and assessment process. They must be made able to monitor and assess their learning and subsequent performance and use the findings to guide and improve farther learning.

8.      As an educator I now see the need to move away from written test as my main method of assessing students’ knowledge and tap in on the benefits of assessment for and as learning. I also need to create a comfortable and motivating learning environment for students to formulate their own learning experiences where they feel compelled to express themselves and share experiences that will contribute to informed discussions. I also plan to trust students to take charge of their learning and to think out of the box while engaging in esquires.