Panel Discussion: Assessment for Respectful and Resilient learners

by Michelle Tan, NIE Center for Assessment and Evaluation 

The panel discussion ‘Assessment for respectful and resilient learners’ drove conversations that highlighted the importance of context-setting and the role of stakeholders in the use of assessment (feedback) for developing learners and their learning. These are some of the key takeaways that I had:  

1.    Instead of being supplementary, feedback is fundamental to assessment. 

Previously, while teaching in a primary school, I regarded the importance of feedback in assessment as one that is secondary to grading. However, the panel discussion provided a glimpse into the reframing of this thought. When I used to grade students’ composition work, I would begin by referring to grade descriptors to assign Content and Language marks, before penning down the feedback regarding aspects to be improved. When I selected ‘model essays’ to share with the rest of the class, there was a focus on how much the student has scored to pride it as a good composition.  

The reframing of the feedback component as being fundamental helps to zoom in on the weight of feedback in students’ learning. In the panel discussion, it was shared that feedback motivates learners to take ownership in their learning – the allowing of an opportunity to process feedback helps to build self-capacity, especially in the form of evaluative respect and directive respect. In retrospect, I think that my students could have benefitted more if I had drawn the focus away from their scores, and instead zoomed in on the qualitative remarks beyond the selected model essays for class sharing.

2. Feedback should be timely  

As shared by Mr Harman Johll, Principal of Beatty Secondary School, the timing of feedback could be used in an intentional manner. He shared an example of how he used to purposefully schedule the return of an assignment so that it served as a reminder and precursor for a new but related topic when teaching. This, in a way, provides an entry point into an uncharted learning topic. It made me wonder if I had also been unintentionally adopting this method of scheduling feedback. In one of my Primary 3 classes, I made a Dos and Don’ts chart (as pictured) as I realized that there were many common mistakes students commit in Comprehension Open-Ended questions. Before each attempt in class, I will point them towards the reminder chart, and they will use it as a self-checklist when they do the questions. In a way, I was also hoping to develop their feedback literacy.

3. An empowering culture goes a long way in developing respect for feedback 

As shared by Ms Lim Shi Ying, HoD CCE of Juying Secondary School, she focuses on R.E.N. (which reads as the Human character in Chinese) which taps into the ideas of Respect, Empower and Nurture. This concept values more than just the learners’ nurturance; it highlights the importance of building a school culture that supports and empowers educators and learners alike. The term “psychological safety” (Johnson et al., 2020), which stood out to me, empowers individuals to be unabashed when receiving and working on feedback. I agreed with its importance – noting that there seems to be a fear of “losing face”, which people may face when acknowledging negative feedback, possibly as it seemingly reflects an admittance of their lack in an area. 

Promoting a safe culture for the exchange of feedback is hence important. A safe culture could be cultivated in several ways. Teachers could adopt a nurturing tone instead of an instigative one when giving out feedback, and they can set the scene for students to interact and learn – such as by providing opportunities for them to review and give feedback on peers’ work. This helps to promote a more trusting climate as students are perceived as active learners who are better engaged in processing feedback.  

However, what is most important was also pointed out – teachers’ shared belief in its importance. To ensure that there is resolute behaviour in meting these out, a shared belief amongst staff is important. It is ideal for the school leaders (SLs) and key personnel (KPs) to not only articulate it but also empower teachers to also adopt the kindred spirit of seeking self-improvement, not only in the form of each individual’s PD pursuits but ideally, this should also be reflected in teaching attitudes and behaviour. This is in the hope that students would be inspired and model after this.  

Summary 

In all, the session was useful in helping me to reframe some perspectives on feedback and its role(s) in assessment. Often, when I think of assessments, standardized assessments come to my mind immediately and they are viewed as impersonal in facilitating one’s learning. However, the discussions brought forth the role and importance of feedback in helping to personalize the process of learning for individuals. Also, it reiterated how feedback and assessment in general serve to develop academic buoyancy. The situating of safety and stressor as two sides of the same coin of resilience gave me a lot to think about – it helped me to situate the importance of assessment in the context of learning and the teaching landscape that we have today. Overall, it was a very insightful session for me, having once experienced what it was like in the school setting and now in my new foray into assessment research as a Research Assistant for the Centre for Assessment and Evaluation (CAE) in the National Institute of Education (NIE). This has fueled my personal interest in seeking future opportunities to develop my perspectives and gather more knowledge from experts in the field.