Assessing Ability

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Einstein

In my opinion these words, from a man who may well have experienced this during his own lifetime, should be on the pin up board In every teacher’s staff room. Acknowledging the ability of all students is essential as is the need to assess their ability in a manner consistent with who they are.

As teachers we are constantly charged with the task of judging the ability of our students. Einstein’s words are a stark reminder that to truly understand what a child is capable of means asking them to show you in a way that enables them to shine.

A dyslexic child will rarely be able to effectively demonstrate their true understanding of a topic in a paper and pencil test. Yet sit down with him or her and record the conversation you have about the topic, what a difference it could make. What gems you may uncover in that child’s mind.

A young boy frustrated by pencil grip and finding it uncomfortable to sit still in a chair may astound you with his knowledge of solar energy when instead of delivering a worksheet to complete you ask him to design and build a solar oven capable of melting a chocolate frog.

A girl unable to focus on the page in front of her because she is exhausted after representing the state in gymnastics all weekend may struggle to explain photosynthesis on the paper and pencil science test in front of her. Yet if you ask her to represent the process in dance I am sure you would be astounded.

There is certainly a place for the paper and pencil test but let’s not make education a one size fits all chain store dress. Instead let’s value the children sitting before us and work to ensure that each and every one of them has the opportunity to show what they are made of in a way that is true to who they are.

Never memorise something that you can look up

I can recall my early years of primary school when I was tested weekly on a long list of words to be learned by rote and the struggles I had with memorising the times tables. Luckily the words came easily to me but the challenges I had in mastering those tables! The whole family had to get involved – Mum, Dad, Big Brother and me – all desperately trying to lock them in my brain. In desperation my Dad used to play games of Tribulation with me, all to no avail… I still struggle with remembering my times tables but you
should see how quick I am on a calculator!

Albert Einstein wisely said, “Never memorise something you can look up.” Great news for me with learning the times tables but how does this statement impact on the classrooms of today? With the advent of Google and the explosion of information available to our students what do the words of Albert Einstein mean for teachers of today?

The answer seems quite simple. The goal of our classrooms is not to learn information by rote but to learn how to learn. Our task as educators is to equip students with the ability to seek, find, evaluate and understand information. No longer do our students need to memorise the capital cities of the world, they need to know how to find that information and more importantly still, they need to know how to work out whether the information they have found is reliable and accurate.

 Mary Ann Fitzgerald, Assistant Professor at the University of Georgia writes, “In today’s world of rapidly proliferating information in new electronic forms, individuals must be ready to make decisions about information reliability and credibility.” This level of evaluation is a complex concept and one which needs to be actively taught in all classrooms. In order for our students to function as literate and informed people we need to provide them with the skills needed to synthesis and evaluate information that is
presented to them at high speed.

 The new Australian Curriculum has listed critical and creative thinking as one of the
general capabilities for students. The rationale is that these skills are fundamental
for students in order for them to develop effective thinking and a range of strategies that will enable them to manage their own learning in time. The aim is to create confident and autonomous learners and thinkers in response to a society which demands “anywhere, anytime, ubiquitous learning and problem solving.” (ACARA, 2011)

It will be interesting to see the impact of the move to embrace inquiry-based and “big idea” thinking through the Australian Curriculum. Will children all over the country still be
sent home armed with the task of memorising the basics – capital cities, spelling words for the week, times tables? I dare say so for there is something quite handy about being able to calculate how much 2kg of apples at $4 per kilo will cost me without having to get out my iPhone calculator in the middle of the supermarket. When all is said and done, I am glad we spent all those nights playing Tribulation as a family. Even though I constantly questioned why I couldn’t just use a calculator instead!