In our lives today we are all subject to review and audit. It has become so much part of our culture that what we used to think of as our daily work has become something under endless scrutiny, and rather than allowing for inspiration, creativity, rehearsal, formation thinking, practising and self-improvement, we seem to be obsessed with attainment test results, and have forgotten that learning is a process and not simply a one off packaged ‘result’.
So, unfortunately, much of we do becomes an instant measure of our self-worth. My own mother, undertaking a Diploma in Botanical Art for the Royal Society, in her mid-seventies, was very upset when her 8.4 grade average dropped to 7.9 due to a ‘badly’ coloured leaf. “The tutor liked the leaf shape,” she told me, “But the depth of colour was not right in the leaf veins”. When I pointed out that 7.9 was 79% and probably an A grade she was surprised. Nonetheless she was ready to go on to do battle with herself in the next assignment, despite not having practised or had a chance to get the leaf right – because she thought she had to go on to the next thing, and try to get that right in one bash too.
For me, education should not be like this, I believe it is a long and thoughtful process. Yes, educationalists have talked for a long time about building blocks that found and build learning, but that must not be understood as each piece of knowledge being a brick in a wall in its own right. Most of knowledge, skill and discerned understanding comes in a web or network of interconnected ideas. It takes time to season. Given that education in school takes place over at least thirteen years, there is some time for a well educated child to benefit from a gradual unfolding of the world of knowledge. It is well proven that early or rapid success is not the best precursor to lifelong achievement: look at Einstein, Mo Farrah or Churchill!
At my primary aged school, we have embarked on a holistic programme of giving the girls an opportunity each week to work independently at a task, under the sort of conditions she would face in a test, but with the work that she is doing in class. We believe this has a number of purposes. The first is Formative, where we can see what the child can do unaided, where she needs support or scaffolding, where she can think for herself, where she can practise the little aspects of setting out she has been shown such as where to put titles and date if not instructed. The second is Ipsitive where the child sees how she has done over time, and is able to make a pattern of her progress, comparing not just results, but also how she copes with the experience. The teacher can create a pattern to see what is developing and what needs help. This is not a comparison with others, but a proper examination of the development of the child over time, by concentrating on her progress in relation to her ability and her journey. The third is Meta-cognitive where a child comes to understand for herself how she learns best, what helps her when she is learning and what she needs to remember. It is the often unnoticed part of the process, where children become aware of their own ability, their own strengths and the things they can do for and by themselves that make things go right when they do them, and wrong when they don’t. Each child soon gets the hang of how this feels, and is encouraged to look through the work to see what she could have done, herself, to do better this time, or for next time.
This activity is not designed to be Summative however. It is not a close of play event such as GCSE or A level, it is not used in the way an entrance test or formal exam might be. It is not used as a measure of success, although success is valued, alongside good progress. It is not a test to check up what was learnt before moving on.
My belief is that excellent teaching and learning must include this space for children to rehearse, to come to an understanding about their work, to begin and then to become skilled at managing on their own. If these opportunities are not presented young, and repeated regularly then real learning, real depth of knowledge, effective skills, creativity, self-esteem, confidence, resilience and inspiration will not develop. Tests certainly have their place, at end of term or year, between phases and as rites of passage. They are a useful measure for the outside world or for parents of what has been achieved in a reasonable space of time. But in between times I believe children should be allowed to learn from having a go, free from the fear of their own results.
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