Reshaping Formative Assessment for Inquiry Classrooms

• In Event: The Use of Formative Assessment Results to Educate All in Diverse Democracies: Research Results From Four Different Countries

Abstract

Purpose. Teachers' beliefs about learning and assessment influence their actions and decisions. Over recent years, inquiry-based learning has been encouraged (Rocard, 2007). The literature on teacher development suggests that change is a slow and difficult process and even more so when involving assessment practices (Harrison, 2009). This makes implementing a new pedagogic approach very difficult. It is not simply a matter of adding on to existing practice – it requires a reconsideration of practice to enhance the necessary feedback loops to improve learning and assessment. This paper focuses on one sub-group of teachers (n=6) and charts their challenges with assessment as they change their inquiry-learning approach.

Author

• Christine Harrison, Kings College, London