Spendlove starts the book by saying that , in his experience, when he has asked people WHY they want to be a teacher no one has ever said, "because I am really interested in and good at assessment!" (Spendlove, 2009). However, he then asks how do you know that a child is learning. Most people would say, "give them an exam" (Spendlove, 2009). He talks a lot in the book about how important assessment for learning is rather than just learning to an assessment.
Here is one of the tasks that he suggests in order to figure out as a teacher the way you are constructing your 'learning environment'.
Figure out what are your priorities. He says the over lap in the middle should show what you believe about teaching, learning and assessment. I struggled to describe what my pedagogical priorities are. Does anyone else think they can describe this?
Spendlove also says we need to find the balance between formative and summative assessment. He is an advocate of 'quality assurance' - checking in 'real time' how students are getting on. That way problems can be addressed. He says this,
"increases learning responsibilty and autonomy - essential to lifelong learning and ownership of learning." (Spendlove, 2009. p64)
Reference
Spendlove, D (2009). Putting Assessment for Learning into Practice. London. Continuum.
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteFor me I think the pedagogical priorities would be things that help the children to learn and develop. My examples of these would be the following: I would like my students to become independent learners; learn to challenge and questions ideas; and build resilience to learning.
I read an article by Reeve (2009) called, 'Why Teachers Adopt a Controlling Motivating Style Toward Students and How They Can Become More Autonomy Supportive'. In this article, Reeve (2009) outlines that one of the main issues teachers face are the 'pressures from above' (e.g. government, assessment, curriculum) and 'pressures from below' (e.g. the students themselves). Could this be one of the reasons that you may be finding it hard to distinguish your own pedagogical priorities? As an example, I may want to focus on independent learning however, the time pressures and the style of the exam do not place importance on this; therefore I do not develop this as a pedagogical priority in the way I would like.
Is this helpful?
Jess.
Hi Jess,
DeleteThis is really helpful actually. I think I am similar to you. As a drama teacher I don't think my role is to MAKE everyone love or be good at drama. I don't mean that negatively. I want to inspire passion in students. Their passion may not be the same as mine - that's fine. Most of them probably won't be performers but if they can find a way to make drama relevant to themselves. If they want to be a doctor - then great - they may need to deliver presentations or communicate effectively with patients. They will need to be able to understand and show empathy. And yes I think that preparing for an exam you can sometimes lose this and are not always able to show students how drama can help them develop as people outside of being able to pass an exam. I guess that is my worry. Does that make sense?
Lisa x
Lisa,
DeleteI found a fantastic book that I have been using in my inquiry: Anderson (2012) MasterClass in Drama Education: Transforming Teaching and Learning. London: Continuum International Publishing Group
There is a whole chapter on Assessing Drama Learning which includes 'Five principles of effective drama assessment'. It touches on some of the things we discuss above and how Drama Assessment can be made appropriate and constructive. Would this be useful for you? It is a library book but they may have it at Middlesex Library?
Jess.
Hi Jess,
DeleteThanks for that - I have read some stuff by that author before. I will have a look in the library. I also think at the moment though I might be overwhelming myself with whats out there. I've gone from oh not too many things relevant to everything!! Which is whats good about being able to share on here.
Lisa xx
Hi Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI can only share my experience from a perspective of tutoring students in the past (academic subjects, not drama). I think in terms of pedagogical priorities, most teachers would agree they focus on the highest possible achievement in their students but how do you define that? Is it enjoyment, progress, grades, learning to deal with failure etc. ?
1. Maybe you could ask yourself how you ensure every students gets the same progress from your lesson (irrespective or their grade in the end). Do you focus on the weak students providing more support and do you aim to challenge the good students to push their boundaries in the same regard etc.?
2. How much autonomy and responsibility do you want your students to carry? This might sound crass, but do you occasionally let your students experience small failures, so they learn to become more responsible? Maybe if they are not engaged enough, do you make a point of motivating them along the way, pointing out pitfalls during the process to spare them potential disappointment?
3. Do you see yourself 'merely' as a teacher (providing expertise), a motivater or possible as a confidante? How do you preserve your authority whilst assuring being approachable?
These are questions that might possibly help you think about your pedagogical preferences?
Best,
Lara
Hi Lara,
DeleteI completely identify with what you say about the 'highest possible achievement'. This is what I want for my students but that is often different for every person. It might be that just seeing them grow in confidence is a huge thing - or becoming more comfortable with the english language. How I teach students changes depending on the setting and why they are at that specific class. After school clubs and Saturday schools are generally more relaxed - although some students express a desire to pursue the arts so they would probably find themselves being challenged a little more in terms of the material that I give them. However, when it comes to the exam syllabus I can't change that - it is what it is.
I think as a teacher most of my students would say that I am quite friendly but I do stress to them the importance of being responsible for your own learning. This is something that I have realised more over the past few years. I put a lot of pressure on myself with exam results because I do really care. Now I know that all I can do is ensure the student knows all the tools they need to pass and the rest is really up to them. I can guide them in the best ways to get to the finished product but I can't do it for them.
Lisa x