When teaching it is necessary assess the progress of the learner. As such it is important that the student understands the criteria against which they will be assessed and important for the teacher to use different methods of assessment and keep accurate records to track the progress of the student.Different Types Of Assessment.
There are three main types of assessment and each has their place. An initial assessment at the beginning of a course or session is used to gauge a learner’s prior knowledge. A formative assessment is an on-going assessment to measure or reflect upon progress being made. Finally a summative assessment is required at the end of a course or session to measure success, this could take the form of a test or exam.Different Methods Of Assessment. Assessment methods vary greatly and each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
A test or questioning would be two good initial assessments as they can be used to gauge how much prior knowledge a learner has. They could also be used as formative assessments comparing the answers to the learner’s earlier answers to measure how far they have progressed. An observation makes for a good formative or summative assessment as it gives the learner the opportunity to demonstrate the skills and or knowledge they have gained, the drawback of an observation however is that the natural behaviour of anything being observed is likely to be altered by the observation.Assignments are another method of assessment, again they give the opportunity for the learner to demonstrate knowledge and can be used either as a formative or summative assessment. However they can be very intimidating if the learner struggles with putting concepts into words.
Historically exams were used as a means of summative assessment, when organised correctly an exam is difficult to cheat and a good way to measure knowledge, the drawback however is that not everyone is suited to sitting exams. Nerves, environmental factors even the quality of sleep the night before could all effect the results. Below is a list of some other methods of assessment.Case studies - Useful to make the learner think about the subject being studied. Learning Journals - Useful to demonstrate what a learner is learning during the course.
Professional Discussion - Useful to making learners think about the subject. Projects - Good to get the learner to engage with the subject and demonstrate skills. Simulation - Good to simulate situations not commonly occurring in a controlled way. Witness Testimony - Useful to assess the abilities of a learner.
(Gravells, 2010)Involving The Learner. For effective learning to take place it is important to involve the learner in the assessment process. Initially this could be done by sharing and clarifying the assessment process with the learner ensuring they understand what the assessment criteria is and how they can meet that criteria. After the assessment it is important to give the learner useful feedback that they can reflect on and actions that they could take for further assessments.Activating The Learner As A Learning Resource.
Learners could also be activated as a learning resource explaining something to another student for example or by giving peer feedback, by getting the learner to take on the teacher’s role it makes them think about their own knowledge and how to get that knowledge across thereby promoting self-assessment. Self-assessment plays an important part in enhanced learning as by making the learner think about their own strengths and weaknesses it enables them to highlight those areas of skill or knowledge on which they need to work.Record Keeping. As a teacher it is very important to keep accurate records of assessment.
The reasons for a particular record being kept maybe so as to monitor a particular learners progress from the time of the initial assessment to the time of the summative assessment at the end of the course. Awarding bodies will require certain records to show that a learner has attended classes, passed tests or exam or has completed assignments.If a teacher neglects to keep records of assessments and learner losses their work it would be impossible for the teacher be able to prove they had planned for and assessed the learner’s efforts unless they had kept accurate and relevant records.
