It seems to me that in the numerous reforms of primary and secondary schools, fundamental reflection on the topic of "assessment of student performance" has been missing. There are only requirements for the teacher that are added to an existing model. This had a considerable impact on the quantity of writing work to be done by teachers: detailed comments on each assignment in class, analyzing each error, as well as a precise distribution according to the targeted skills which are also always linked to the notes.
There is absolutely no relationship between the number of hours the teacher spends writing all this feedback and the benefit the student derives from this work. The young person himself lives to the rhythm of multiple tests and forgets what he has learned, because other subjects also have a duty in class. The Brazilian educator Paulo Freire speaks in this context of "banking pedagogy" student takes an exam, he is “paid” by a good or bad grade and the action stops there.
Shouldn't we attach importance to the young person, subsequently, on the basis of brief suggestions from teachers, reviewing their production and thus gaining more and more satisfaction in their work? Interestingly, at present, research into brain functioning favors reactivation and learning in small steps as two major pillars of effective learning!
The Corona pandemic has put schools in a state of emergency and teleworking has gained considerable momentum. However, it shows limits when we consider the balancing effect within the class and the numerous social interactions that take place there. Teleworking also makes it difficult to evaluate student performance, because not all young people have the same working conditions.
Confinement forces us to not consider From now on as the essential elements of the curriculum and performance assessment. It is essential that learning takes place in continuity and that repetition, cooperative behavior and personal commitment are reflected in it. It is also essential that learning is given enough time to go in depth because busyness only results in superficial learning and triggers stress and fear. Dividing the year into semesters instead of quarters would already have the effect of reducing the number of tests by a third.
The health crisis gives us another look at learning; it also shows us the importance of cooperation rather than competition and it is exactly this element which should have a much stronger impact in the evaluation.
Carte blanche 08-05-20 Leeschtungsberwäertung an der Schoul (Gaston Ternes)_Script
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