May 2008 — News
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21st Century Teaching and Learning: Assessing New Knowledge
Therefore, teachers are challenged to become more aware of the teaching and learning process and to assess it accordingly. Mark Smith (2007) argues:
For all the talk of learning amongst educational policymakers and practitioners, there is a surprising lack of attention to what it entails. ...It is almost as if it is something unproblematic that can be taken for granted. Get the instructional regime right, the message seems to be, and learning (as measured by tests and assessment regimes) will follow. This lack of attention to the nature of learning inevitably leads to an impoverishment of education. It isn't simply that the process is less effective as a result, but what passes for education can actually diminish well-being (1999).
Smith discusses the various theories of learning to illustrate the complexity of learning itself but also suggests that there is a difference between "knowing that" and "knowing how" and that if learning is only seen as a product, the "how' and "why" of learning will be diminished (Smith 1999). It is precisely the "how" and "why" that can be recognized and valued when process is emphasized in learning. Assessment therefore is more complex but more complete; less predictable but more reliable.
Supporting the Process
As I have taught graduate students of education for the last eight years, I have discovered that I can never assume the learning process. If I am to focus on recognition of the process, I must support the process, remain committed to the process, and then reward the process at the end of the course. Additionally, I feel particularly successful as an instructor when, at the end of the course, students realize they are "just beginning" with the content area and now believe they have the tools to continue their own learning in the subject area. In order to support and facilitate the learning process to that extent, I have discovered that in designing the instruction I must move beyond course objectives, focus on learning outcomes, and then think through ways students can demonstrate their journey in exploration and discovery toward the learning outcomes. I fully expect each student to demonstrate his or her own learning path, but, as I use new technology, I can clearly see that path and reward it accordingly. For example, if I desire students to grapple with certain core concepts in a topic area, rather than state the concepts initially, I provide resources and tools to support their discovery of the concept and provide time and space for the "process area" to proceed (Aspect B).
Additionally, I provide summative assessments that require an application of the concept or concepts in a real-life setting that is relevant to each student (therefore different from student to student) and will, therefore, provide the context within which the concept will not only be meaningful but will more likely be learned and applied in their professional practice--enhanced learning outcome (Aspect B).
