Celebrating Flaws, Crashing through Ceilings

This week we have been discussing the various issues with assessment such as assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning. There is obviously a wealth of information with regard to the various issues pertaining to assessment but one recurring theme is that assessment (especially in a Singapore context) is still used in very traditional backward ways. 

Arguments have been put forward by various scholars that instruction and assessment go hand in hand with each other. There is no point using 21st century instruction techniques if we're still using stone-age assessment methods and methodologies. 

Traditionally-certainly I faced this too when I was a secondary school student-assessments or year-end examinations were put in place to see how much information I had retained of the multitudes that had been crammed into my cranium. Unfortunately, most of the time, the results would show that I had not managed to retain much. 

But I was not too bothered by the exam, why should? I studied for it and the exam was over, I might groan over the results but I wouldn't have to look at it anyway. It had no relation to me after I had put my pen down once time was over. 

This is an illustration of how assessments are used wrongly. Critics argue that assessments should be placed in the middle of a semester instead of at the end of the semester and those results should be released to the students so that their mistakes can be made known and teachers can use the data collated from those results to better tune and manage the lessons to better cater to the students' weaknesses as shown through the exam results. 

Another thing that I do feel can be better managed is the focus on results. Most times, we focus on the results so that we know how much better we do than others and to avoid a teacher's criticisms or chiding. It was negative reinforcement that I faced most of the time as a student, so as a beginning teacher, I hope that I can put in place best practices that will celebrate improvements and dwell less on what the students did wrong and more on how to ensure students will be able to work on their mistakes and improve upon their progress. 

I do agree that it does appear to be slightly too idealistic but I figure why not? Let's celebrate flaws and crash through ceilings and help students improve using 21st instructional techniques and 21st century assessment methods.