Promoting Assessment as Learning

Improving the Learning Process

Ruth Dann

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• Print ISBN: 9780415240079
• eBook ISBN: 9781134552405
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education General

Promoting Assessment as Learning sets out to re-examine the relationship between assessment and learning in the classroom. It argues that assessment is an important part of pupil learning, and needs to be understood by pupils in order to help them make judgements about their own progress.
This timely book explores the theories of learning and assessment within the context of national tests and also through the theme of self-assessment. It offers practical approaches to help teachers translate national policy into meaningful classroom practice, and suggests ways to help pupils develop their own assessment skills through a process of consolidation, reflection and revision.
This book will appeal to new and practising primary school teachers and headteachers and those on in-service courses. It will also be of interest to students on initial teacher training and higher degree courses.

Chapter 1

Introduction

‘Can you light a fire?’

(Teacher Training Agency 2001)

Any teacher who has survived a decade of educational reform may well respond with ‘give me a chance’ or ‘yes—inspite of the superfluous documentation’. The focus of the Teacher Training Agency's (TTA) invitation to a career in teaching surely strikes a chord with many in the profession whose central aim is echoed in this challenge. Its underlying argument is a powerful one. It catches completely the insight that the overarching task of the teacher is to excite pupils in the complex world of learning—lifelong learning. It gives proper recognition to the truth that, far from being receptacles for the insertion of tightly prepacked knowledge, children are active participants in authentic learning. Unless the fire be lit in the mind and spirit of the growing child, whatever the outcome, it will be something less than that promised in such a learning experience. The quest for genuine learning, however, demands a commitment far removed from sentiment. It can never forsake the pursuit of clarity and precision. It cannot be content with vague feeling or undue indulgent emotion. If the child's mind is to be sharpened, his will challenged, his interest aroused and his whole being engaged in the course of construction and discovery, an evocative flint is essential.

Certainly, concern with educational standards fired national reform. A National Curriculum accompanied by national assessments now seeks to ensure that school provision is suitably surveyed, and commensurate with national needs. It is hardly surprising, then, that assessment issues and practices have featured prominently since the passing of the Education Reform Act, 1988. The involvement of teachers in piloting, monitoring, reviewing, implementing, marking and moderating has been cast in a rapidly changing, and often confusing, context. Understandably, their responses to the demands of national assessments have been varied. Some sensing a depreciation of the credibility of their own judgements, and an unacceptable marginalisation of their role have succumbed to dismay, if not to the boycotting of all involvement with national tests. Others there be who have sought to cooperate with the new demands and have assumed massive powers of interpretation in transforming their practice in line with the new and changing national agendas.

Emerging from what seems like a deluge of policy developments, are clearly defined testing requirements. These, it can be argued have led to the development of a testing culture in schools, even in the primary phase (Chapter 4). Accordingly, teachers may well wish to ‘turn down the heat’ as the pressures of change bear greatly on expectations of them and their pupils. But another view may be construed similarly. Hence, the way in which learning is conceptualised and related to assessment requires some attention. There is very little attempt within the prolific documentation since 1988 to tease out how pupils learn. Implicit in the strategies and policies promoted are glimpses of a rationale or a perspective which is inarticulated and unchallenged. Trying to relate what is embedded in current policy and practice to the broader field of education and learning is one part of the focus of this book (Chapter 2). Furthermore, there is an attempt to promote a particular view of learning with implications for assessment. Indeed the implications for assessment are such that they call for a reappraisal of assessment as a concept. Additionally, implications are raised for assessment practices as the relationships involved in learning, assessment and teaching are re-examined.

Fundamental to the argument advanced is the idea that learning, ultimately, is constructed and controlled by pupils. Without teachers’ willingness to engage with the curriculum and pupils’ developing range of cognitive competencies and experiences, learning will not proceed. If assessment genuinely seeks to give some indication of pupils’ levels of learning and development, in ways which will further advance learning, pupils will need to understand and contribute to the process.

Also at stake is the way in which pupils make sense of the testing climates and practices around them. Fears that some National Curriculum tests do no more than suspend the curriculum and interrupt ‘real’ learning are not supported here—in such simplistic terms. Children and teachers have the capacity to transform any educational encounter into a valuable learning experience. Even national tests can be a source of learning! An example is offered by way of illustration for this assertion. It is anecdotal and possibly untypical, but it is real and serves as an introduction to possible ways in which learning and assessment may be viewed.

It was the middle of May, a time marked in primary schools up and down the nation by national standard tests. We visited some friends for the evening. Our arrival was specifically timed to ensure that all children were tucked up in bed for the night. It marked the week when Daniel, the son of our friends, had been undertaking his Key Stage 1 reading tests. They relayed the following to us, as (sadly) they thought I might be interested. Daniel had come home from school the day before in a quandary. ‘I don't know which coloured diamonds are the best’, he said. ‘It could be the red ones, or the blue ones, or the yellow ones. There are lots of coloured diamonds—did you know?’ His parents confessed to him (and to us) that they did not know there were many colours of diamonds. Daniel proceeded to rehearse some of the virtues of diamonds. By this time the whole family were intrigued. But what Daniel could not decide was what colour was best. Indeed the Key Stage 1 reading comprehensive test (level 3) which he had taken that day included a small colour pamphlet with a range of information about diamonds, their origin and the uses. It illustrated the different colours available and their relative rarities. But the booklet did not give the information to answer his question—which was the best. (This was not one of the questions asked in the test.) Daniel was reported to have muttered his thinking on this for some time, as he changed his mind from one colour to another. I am not sure of the reasoning behind his wanting to make the decision about choosing the best colour diamond, for possible future events perhaps! What was clear was that the reading test had provided a source of information which had engaged Daniel. He was asking questions, thinking deeply, reviewing ideas and facts, telling others, asking others and involving his whole family. He was most certainly learning. How well he did on the test I do not know at the time of writing—I suspect rather well! He had translated the test into a learning opportunity. On this occasion, the distinction between assessment and learning seemed somewhat blurred in the reality of the classroom and for the individual pupil. Of course when the results are listed and the levels promoted, the whole process of learning which Daniel embarked upon will not be evident.

The aims of this book are fourfold. First, it seeks to promote an understanding of learning that can underpin teaching and assessment within education, particularly but not exclusively primary education. The emphasis here is on constructivism and the fundamental view that pupils construct their own means from the experiences around them. Second, it examines the context of Year 6, characterised by the demands of end of Key Stage 2 national tests. From this context, the way in which test preparation can contribute to, rather than hinder learning, is considered. Third, from the perspective of promoting learning, pupils’ own role in the process is outlined. This includes their involvement in the assessment process as part of their learning progress. Finally, it aims to set the ideas of assessment and learning which it promotes within a framework of teacher professional development. This seeks to recognise the role and responsibilities of teachers in shaping and facilitating pupil learning, within a national educational context.

In pursuing these four strands, the book seeks to extend some of the theoretical insights underpinning assessment and learning, particularly in the areas of self-assessment and Year 6 teaching. The content is informed by some small-scale research initiatives, but they are not presented as a full account of research methodology. Much of the work presented requires further substantial and sustained research. They are offered in a context which is developmental and in need of considerable research effort at both national and international levels. Whilst intended to be significant the contribution offered here in no way claims to be exhaustive.

The text is not intended as a practical guide, although it does seek to promote, inform and guide practice: practice which is more strongly informed by the principles of learning and seeks to reconsider the relationships between teaching, learning and assessment. The ideas developed are sensitive to context and the competing demands which bear on classroom realities. They pose a considerable challenge, requiring teachers to make sense of a national educational context in ways which are not frequently promoted. These ways, on the surface, seem to suggest incompatibilities and diversity. Perhaps the message from the TTA to ‘light a fire’ offers us more of a clue than was intended for teachers. Surely, lighting a fire usually needs some form of friction in order to gain the spark. Although what is offered here is not intended to cause sparks to fly, it will not sit comfortably for some! Inevitably there will be friction as different ideologies are compared and a particular argument is promoted. This book offers a genuine endeavour to ‘raise the temperature’ of children's learning.

Specifically the chronology of the book is outlined as follows. Chapter 2 explores the ways in which pupil learning is assumed to develop within the context of National Curriculum and assessment arrangements. It seeks to make explicit that which, in relation to learning development, remains implicit in assessment and curriculum directives and policies. The role of the learner is examined in relation to the demands of contemporary curriculum requirements. Additionally, the ‘products’ which are promoted and assessed are viewed in relation to their emphases in learning. This discussion is contextualised in both the rhetoric and realities of the learning society, the economy and its needs and the promotion of particular cultural priorities. The analysis is policy based. By contrast an alternative view is explored which seeks to focus on process rather than product and which recognises the fundamental centrality of the pupil as learner. It rests on the view that learning is socially constructed. The chapter sets up a tension between the view of learning apparent in national policy and that which seems to make sense in terms of understanding the process of pupil learning. The endeavour to go some way towards reconciling these tensions provides the focus for the remainder of the book, as processes of assessment are explored in ways which may serve as sources learning.

In further examining the way that learning advances, the practice of formative assessment is examined in Chapter 3. The purpose of this chapter is to consider the ways in which formative assessment helps to promote learning. The way in which formative assessment has been defined and altered through its use within the national framework is examined. This gives rise to a shift in the use and a clear need for teachers to continue with formative assessment at a classroom level which is not accounted for in national requirements. The process of formative assessment (not defined by national demands) is explored in terms of concepts of research. From the perspective of qualitative analysis the task of formative assessment requires interpretation, judgement and a recognition of intuition as a key component of practice. Without such acknowledgement formative assessment is unlikely to serve its purpose of helping to advance learning.

Together, Chapters 2 and 3 provide the background of theory in both assessment and learning which are fundamental to subsequent considerations. The focus in Chapter 4 shifts to a more applied context. It examines the way in which assessment in Year 6 impacts on teaching and learning. The chapter is based on the insights gained from a small-scale study in which eleven Year 6 teachers and their pupils share their experiences and views. The study is set into the context of end of Key Stage 2 testing by exploring the types of knowledge and understanding assessed and the skills required to demonstrate these in the tests. The ways in which teachers structure the Year 6 experience so that the curriculum is ‘suspended’ and revision promoted is explored. The realities of the Year 6 experience are examined in relation to some of the theoretical insights outlined in Chapters 2 and 3. It is argued that the core strategies which are considered essential for effective test revision should be seen as central to teaching and learning and not as an inconvenience and diversion from learning. In this context, the revision for testing is seen as an important aspect of learning. The relationship between learning and assessment illustrates that preparation for assessment can be a positive aspect of learning.

The relationship between learning and assessment is further developed in Chapters 5 and 6. The focus in both these chapters is on pupil self-assessment. In Chapter 5 the emphasis is on a school-based initiative which gives the opportunity to examine self-assessment in action. Although the initiative is not offered as a model for more general use, it is detailed so that insights can be teased out from it. These are developed in Chapter 6 together with a more developed theoretical rationale for self-assessment. The chapter outlines key assumptions, principles and practices for self-assessment which recognise the development of metacognition within a framework of self-regulation. The argument developed here leads to the conclusion in Chapter 7.

In conclusion, the synthesis of the arguments developed advocate that any conceptualisation of assessment must recognise that, if it is to impact on learning, it must form part of learning. Thus, the notion of assessment as learning is advanced. Additionally, the chapter locates the realities of this position in a framework of teacher professionalism. It recognises that any new conceptualisations or initiatives have to be seen to fit in to the ‘modernised’ teaching profession and be seen as attainable and desirable by teachers. The commitment of teachers and their continued concern for pupil learning are essential if the education of our children is to develop in the way that it might. We may light some fires, but what education must address more specifically is how do we keep them burning?

Chapter 2

Pupil learning and assessment

Introduction

When interviewing prospective students for primary teacher training, candidates are often asked: ‘If you had to identify the most important thing a child learns whilst at primary school, what would it be?’ This question usually invokes puzzlement as well as momentary panic in some cases. Although a record has not been kept of responses, all candidates, without exception over the last three years have responded in similar ways. They have identified issues concerning attitudes towards learning, ability to communicate or relationships to others. Some candidates pre-empted their response by indicating the importance of identifying specific skills such as reading or numeracy. Often they continued to outline more general skills and attitudes. The reasons for this may be varied. Interviewees may choose to avoid specific answers. They may well realise the dangers involved in nailing their colours to the mast. Of course, candidates may be unaware of the principal precise aims of primary education. Their failure to identify such aims may require significant attitudinal changes as they seek to survive in the current climate of primary education. On completion of a year's Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) training under the regime of circular 4/98 (DfEE 1988a: 181), their answer to this question may be very different!

Such a scenario projects a dimension of a much larger issue in primary education. This relates to individual teachers’ perceptions of their priorities for learning to those they teach in the classroom. The extent to which teachers have a view of pupil learning which may not be completely consistent with the demands of the National Curriculum programmes of study or the numeracy and literacy strategies has not been closely researched. Bennett et al. (1984) highlight the difficulties which they believed teachers had in relating teaching, learning and the curriculum conceptually. On the basis of his exploration of a large number of theories, mainly of a psychological nature, relating pupil learning to teaching and curriculum issues Bennett offers an explanation of the ambivalence sensed by teachers in their quest to identify these theories which effectively inform their practice. He advances the notion that theories take limited account of the complexities of classroom life. The potential value of such theories seems, therefore, to be marginalised by teachers.

In citing Doyle's work, Bennett (1984:5) indicates that classroom environments are complex places in which teachers and pupils adapt to each other and where the created environment impacts on them both. Doyle's model of classroom learning processes proceeds on the assumption that ‘learning is a covert, intellectual activity which proceeds in the socially complex, potentially rich environment’. If this perspective relates to teachers’ experiences in carrying out their role then there are clear restrictions to the applications of many theories of learning to teaching contexts.

Identifying the prominency of complexity by no means excuses careful exploration of the issues. It is recognised that one of the aims of schooling is to promote pupil learning—yet we are not all agreed about what should be prioritised to comprise such learning. Further more, there remains considerable disagreement as to how learning occurs. It might be said that since the adoption of the National Curriculum we are nearer to agreeing what should be learnt. However, the ways in which learning occurs seems to be rather side-tracked from what are identified as more pressing mechanisms for teaching curriculum content with the main aim of measuring and raising standards.

It must be recognised that the current lack of attention given to processes of learning are n...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Dedication
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• List of figures
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviation
• 1 Introduction
• 2 Pupil learning and assessment
• 3 Formative assessment
• 4 Constructing learning contexts from testing regimes
• 5 Pupil self-assessment: a case study
• 6 Building a framework for self-assessment
• 7 Assessment as learning
• Bibliography
• Index