Kate Raworth, in her book Donut Economics, argues that the best way to counter the skewed incentives inherent in our current economic system is through the drawing of a new picture. The donut is her picture, and she hopes that it allows people to see the economy in new ways.
We can think of assessment in the same way. Currently, we mostly see assessment in bar graphs and other similar visuals that encourage comparison and separation. We look at them and see that last year’s literacy rates were X, whereas this year’s are Y. We generally see a limited view too, with most graphs focusing on literacy and numeracy achievement levels, or NCEA achievement. Is it any wonder, with this being the dominant picture that’s painted of achievement in schools, that these are the things valued the most: the ‘core’, qualifications, and comparison.
What we need is a way to see learning in a fuller way, a way that allows us to see the way different learning areas are related and the potential there is for growth. We need a new picture.
This new picture starts with you. What learning are you noticing? Why is that valuable? How are you giving it value? How are you using this value to shift ideas about assessment?
The live chat returns this week. Join me this Wednesday evening, 7:30-8:30, where we’ll consider the different ways we can see learning value. Watch for the email link to the chat on Wednesday evening.