Teaching and Assessment

Yesterday we attended an Assessment Workshop for the MYP organised by the school. I am happy with the philosophy behind it, as I share the belief that we should assess for learning. In one of the insightful books I've read last summer (as part of the Feuerstein's Instrumental Enrichment Programme that Eldest Son went through), my guru criticised the classic assessment system for assessing only for knowledge and not for the learning/thinking process. The MYP is avant-garde so knowledge will only constitute part of the final grades. The assessor will also take into consideration other factors like

• thinking/reflection
• communication/oral
• investigating/learning patterns
• peer/self assessment

They also believe that one's performance should reflect the evolution of one's learning process, i.e. one should do better with each assessment - so the final grade will not be a simple average of all the grades, but reflect the improvement obtained towards the end of the assessment year.

I do have a little doubt though about the implied subjectivity of/in this assessment process. Teachers after all are human. And alot of emphasis is placed on teaching to think.

Learning and teaching = both sides of the same coin.

Still, learning is a subjective and slow process. Children have different learning capacities, speeds and motivation. Some thrive under pressure, others wilt. Some have problems like Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, ADHD etc. Family, social and other environments do affect learning. So if we use a more personalised learning process and a more holistic assessment process on them, we should theorectically give them a better chance to learn better.

At some point we had a Classic Education vs IBO discussion. Most of us are victims products of the classic education system (though it differs largely in different countries). Some still believe in it but have a few doubts nonetheless, I prefer the middle path, others seem to be happy converts though I sensed a certain romantisation of the IBO e.g. someone asked why anybody should dictate what we learn for classical Literature. I wanted to point out that whether it's public school, IBO, Steiner, Montessori or Home schooling, someone will be deciding what you learn for Literature. The major difference probably is how you learn it and how much of what.

I played the devil (as usual) by implying (or I could have said it) that maybe the MYP system's a little light in substance. Most disagreed loudly saying there's more to just pure knowledge/information e.g. "History shouldn't only be about dates", "Do you remember what you have learnt in the past?". I totally agree with them, though I did wonder if they weren't indirectly agreeing with the statement after all.

And I wondered about the person who left school thinking History's only about dates (and therefore linear?), since I never did (not even when I was 14) and in any case wouldn't remember dates even then. But boy have I had fun with the subject, it has given me some of my dreams/motivations when I was a teenager. And History is NOT linear, btw.

Anyway as far as I'm concerned both systems have their merits and demerits. Ceteris paribus both will come out with both successful and nondescript products - all of whom should find their niche in this world.

In any case, people who put children in International Schools move around (though increasingly local populations are attracted to the philosophy) and are relatively successful. So by definition, IS children belong to a world apart and are usually not destined to be Esselunga cashers or your friendly neighbourhood postman. And kids who have access to education in general should count themselves lucky because there are millions out there who don't.

But if the International School child came from a very different system and may have to return to it in the future, that's when the headache comes in. MIL's still very upset that the kids may have to repeat a school year if we return to France (c.ref. the September 1st dateline for which they make exceptions for the Italians but not for the French plus across the school today there are quite a number of other exceptions). Otherwise my kids are happy in the school and that for me is the most important. I have lived with parents' expectations and know how they felt. As such, I will not burden my children with too many any. Just want them to be balanced, educated, cultured individuals (OK - and not lose out too much if possible).

Finally a mother made a really insightful comment about some people who went through the classic education system with great success having a condescending attitude towards those who didn't and yet not being able to flow with the times etc. True, and it doesn't help with both groups not speaking the same language. I have a fascination for intellectuals (used to have crushes on my professors) but I suspect that they live on another planet most of the time. Still it's not given for everyone to survive any education system, if they are pleased with themselves, surely one can understand. Myself, I am hard on others, but I'm usually even harder with myself.

I think I ''failed'' our last exercise in the MYP workshop. Had to draw something without using words. My drawing sucks so I started out without words but took a short-cut and wrote anyway. Will have to remember instructions better the next time!