Chapter 6. Inkblot

Chapter 6. Inkblot

    When thinking of school, one of the first things that often tends to come to mind, along with "study" or "classes," is "tests," especially for students. It is clear that, as a means of checking learners' capacities, it is directly associated with moments of stress, anxiety, and even the fear of failure. But is this really what assessment represents? Is this what it has to be?

    Despite being known as the "toughest part of a school year," assessment is of extreme importance for teachers, students, and the learning process as a whole. Assessing, defined as the "process of gathering data to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of student learning" (Harris & Hodges, 1995), is beneficial for teachers as a way of verifying if students are learning proficiently, which, ultimately, is their primary goal regarding their pupils. In fact, by being tested, students end up practicing more, and, given the weight attributed to tests and exams in school, their learnings become additionally consolidated. However, there are other ways to evaluate besides formal testing, contrary to what many think.

    While summative assessment revolves around a final judgment regarding the studied contents throughout the classes, formative assessment is also a frequent form of checking whether students apprehend the knowledge provided by the teacher as intended. In this case, this form of evaluation consists of a continuous process in which teachers are able to gather privileged information about each student's learning progress through various methods and teaching techniques that favor learning and the involvement of learners in it. This is mentioned in the Portuguese Decreto-Lei n.º 55/2018, which states that formative assessment is, thus, the main form of assessing, being essential in daily teaching. Now, do students understand the significance of assessment?

    From my perspective, while many students may not enjoy even the mere thought of any form of evaluation, they do understand its purpose in school. Perhaps, this perception of assessment could be changed if teachers encouraged the notion of evaluating as a rewarding experience in which they can put everything that they have been learning to test. Therefore, this would work as a means for students to comprehend the knowledge they have acquired throughout the school year and, consequently, realize the progress made, boosting their self-esteem and motivating them for further learning. Thus, as teachers, we should be open to students about the role and importance of assessment, turning it into a positive and beneficial aspect of education.

    References

• Decreto-Lei n.º 55/2018, de 6 de julho.
• Harris, T. L., & Hodges, R. E. (Eds.). (1995). The literacy dictionary: The vocabulary of reading and writing. International Reading Association.