James Simms
Creator of myPEexam.org & Learning Activist
Challenging the Climate of Testing
by James Simms
Which model?
The school
The
Learner
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
The learner
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
P
The School hub
Three Primary Objectives for this Session
- The context - including a little bit of history
- Can we test the learning potential of human beings?
- What would a brilliant testing regime look & feel like?
The History of Education in the Uk
1870 - compulsory education established
1970s & 1980s growth in Japanese Industry
2000-2015 adoption of the Japanese model of Quality Assurance
So how does it work?
The school model
= test
= teaching
Why?
It will be argued here that testing has become a default response by educators, largely judged by test outcomes themselves, to both monitor & groom learners' behaviours towards successful performance in apparently legitimate and relevant assessments. These assessments are falsely thought to measure future learning potential of human beings.
Why?
It will be argued here that testing has become a default response by educators, largely judged by test outcomes themsleves, to both monitor & groom learners' behaviours towards successful performance in apparently legitimate and relevant assessments. These assessments are falsely thought to measure future learning potential of human beings.
Future learning potential of human beings
Carol Dweck argues that
"Learning potential is unknown and unknowable"
But my class teacher gives me a level, predicts my test score, describes my ability and refers to my intellectual facility in definitive terms. How can he/she have this insight when the science of the brain, mind and consciousness contradicts this idea?
Aren't they the expert in how human beings learn?
You might hear or read statements such as...
Your son/daughter is a natural....
They're just not a natural...
Your son/daughter's reading level is...
Your son/daughter's level is....
Your son/daughter is making the expected progress...
Their test score shows they aren't working hard enough
Our testing procedure is standardised nationally
An assessment can do one thing and one thing only:
A perfect assessment can measure the human knowledge and skills of a specific set of concepts on a specific day, in specific conditions and the moment the assessment ends it is immediately out-of-date.
Assessment is momentary & when it is applied globally can have huge detrimental effects
Are any of these familiar?
I'm just not good at....
I'm not a natural....
I don't like.....
I'm not as smart as....
This mentality can be described as learned helplessness and is a belief that failure is inevitable.
Do you exhibit this approach in your life?
Does this affect your behaviour?
What should testing look like?
All testing, with the exception of external exams, should be diagnostic
Learning data should be continuous, live and volatile and be shared with the parent
Mistakes should be the very life of new learning
Parents should be able to see daily what learning progress is being made & where areas of attention are
Learning of formal knowledge should continue beyond the classroom
No test will ever exist that measures learning potential
Examples
Actions
- Always politely reinforce that testing is momentary when speaking with teachers
- Always expect/demand that a feedback survey is completed for every school event
- Always pick up on testing rhythms and, where necessary record your child's comments in your diary
- If you are thinking it then someone else is too. Share!
- Support any member of this group in politely and proactively discussing these concerns with school.
- Seek excellent examples of data/testing use and share with the school
- Repeat our meetings at regular intervals
- Become PGs and try to influence from there
Possible actions
- Formalise this group structure into an authentic action group to support parents
- Provide the school with exemplar resources: http://mypeexam.org/courses/sats-spellings-test-course/
- Provide our own LIVE and On Demand support for children preparing for SATS or equivalent challenges.
Challenging the Climate of Testing
By James Simms
