Transform.Ed Briefing #44
Inside the Briefing: Exams, Evaluations, and Assessments: learning to make the learning stick.
Recently, Dr. Anantha Duraiappah stressed how examinations affect both the mental wellbeing of learners and their learning experience. This raises some fundamental questions: why do we emphasize on assessments despite the stressful environment and negative impact they create on learners? What is the purpose they serve? Do the benefits of the current assessment regime serve the interests of learners and learning??
Any meaningful reform in education is incomplete without a reform in assessments and a paradigm shift in the intent and purpose of such assessments. Assessments can take diverse forms - ranging from continuous to periodic and informal to formal. However, it is the purpose and the function that creates the distinction. According to multiple studies, high-stakes testing has no positive correlation with enhanced academic achievement rather it has shown to decrease student motivation and an increase in dropout rates. In such a scenario, we need to incorporate elements such as gamification in assessments that can encourage students’ active engagement.
Gamification involving the use of game elements and mechanics while simulations employing the use of realistic environments are proven to enhance student engagement and improve experiential learning. Last week, we sought the opinions of our readers regarding the most promising path for assessments. 60% of the respondents believed that gamification and simulation are the way forward while the rest of them were evenly divided over continuous comprehensive evaluation and adaptive & personalized assessment.
As we delve into the evolving landscape of assessments, there is a pertinent question that we need to address: How can we strike a balance between the stress-inducing nature of assessments and their role in fostering student learning and success?
Share your thoughts and experiences with your global peers in the comments below or join the conversation on the Global Citizenship Foundation’s Educational Leadership Community, exclusively dedicated to educators worldwide. If you haven’t signed up yet, please get in touch with us here.
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Futures of Education in a Digitally Globalized Era
By Prof. Michael J. Reiss | .ed Magazine
Student Assessment in Teaching and Learning
By Michael R. Fisher, Jr. | Vanderbilt University
Evaluation and Assessment: Policy Priorities and Trends, 2008-19
By OECD
Nov 28-30: International Conference on Transformative Education 2023
(Paid Entry) This is an Online Event hosted by the Global Citizenship Foundation
Nov 15: K-12 Teachers in the Crosshairs
(Free Entry) This is an Online Event hosted by Marsal Family School of Education, University of Michigan
Nov 15: Preservice Access to Computing Knowledge (PACK) Success
(Free Entry) This is an Online Event hosted by North Carolina State University
Nov 16: NeuroMinds in Education: Teaching Neurodivergent Students
(Free Entry) This is an Online Event hosted by Eventbrite
Eight candidates for a coveted corporate job face a single, seemingly simple question in an exam room, leading to confusion and escalating tensions.
By University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (via Coursera)
Teaching With the Instructional Cha-Chas: Four Steps to Make Learning Stick
By Leann Nickelsen, Melissa Dickson
🇦🇺 Secondary Teachers, Brisbane Catholic Education, Brisbane (Deadline: 12 Nov 2023)
🇦🇹 University Post-doctoral Assistant, Teacher Education, University of Vienna (Deadline: 13 Nov 2023)
🇬🇧 Teacher of Science, Manor Church of England Academy, North Yorkshire (Deadline: 19 Nov 2023)
🇲🇴 Primary Teacher, World Teachers International Education Recruitment, Macau (Deadline: 26 Nov 2023)
🇦🇪 Music Teacher, GEMS Schools, UAE (Deadline: 28 Nov 2023)
🇭🇰 Tenure-Track Professor/Associate Professor/Assistant Professor in Learning Technologies, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong (Deadline: 30 Nov 2023)
🇺🇲 Assistant Professor of Education, Point Park University, Pittsburgh (Deadline: Open Until Filled)
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The Global Citizenship Foundation is a leading specialist international organization based in South Asia (NCR Delhi, India) and the European Union (Tallinn, Estonia). Its principal mandate is to realize the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 4 and Target 4.7 (Education for Global Citizenship and Sustainable Development). Since 2016, the GCF has impacted education in 70+ countries, striving to transform education for human and planetary flourishing.
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