Transcript Learning outcomes - Cedefop | European Centre for the

Learning outcomes
Can we bridge learning
and assessment?
Thessaloniki, 15 - 16 October 2007
The shift towards learning outcomes in European
education and training policies and practises
Rhetoric or reality?
Rather: What kind of Learning Outcome reality?
The exam industry could argue that exams are the state
of the art of Learning Outcome.
Base Learning Outcome on summative examinations!
To be fair, centralise them as much as possible.
Have them graded anonymously.
Qualifications can only be attained by passing
centralised examinations for each unit deemed
necessary for a given qualification.
Base learning outcomes on
summative examinations?
Teaching has the purpose of efficiently preparing
students to pass these exams.
Detailed standards spell out the content of the desired
learning outcomes.
Is that the desired impact of learning outcomes on
education?
In many countries, this is not rhetoric, but dangerously
close to reality…
The problem with standard summative testing is
that it leaves lots of dropouts and failures along
the side of the educational road
The Lisbon strategy calls for substantially reducing the
number of school dropouts
… and for increasing the number of students in higher
education
… and for improving life long learning.
What kind of assessment is called for to further these
goals?
The problem with standard summative testing is
that it focuses on mistakes and failures more
than on strengths
Pupils experience summative assessment “as a source
of pressure, which makes them anxious” (Paul Black,
Testing: friend or foe?, p.129).
Fear of examinations which show up what you cannot
do does not motivate students effectively.
For those less inclined academically, this is often where
the downward spiral begins.
Weighty final examinations also have a tendency to
standardise the curriculum,
… encourage “teaching to the test”
… and maybe even reduce learning to the attainment of
intellectual skills necessary to improve examination
scores.
Formal schooling thereby instils fears of failure,
leading to widespread antipathy towards
learning as such
This is in stark contrast to the natural process
of learning
… which begins as a highly individualised
process in early childhood,
… generated by self-motivation and facilitated
by self-assessment and self-esteem.
This can continue throughout life –
– if it is properly nurtured!
Increasing formative assessment
The primary purpose of formative assessment is to
support high-quality learning while it occurs.
Increasing formative assessment has often been called
for, but is scantly put into practice.
„Firm evidence shows that formative assessment is an
essential component of classroom work and that its
development can raise standards of achievement”.
This summarises an article by Paul Black and Dylan
Wiliam which appeared in 1998 (“Inside the Black Box:
Raising Standards Through Classroom Assessment”).
“Indeed, they know of no other way of raising
standards for which such a strong prima facie case
can be made”.
This goes hand in hand with developing a culture
of self-assessment and peer-assessment
Working with portfolio can be a powerful tool for
developing such a culture.
Portfolio-based assessment also has huge potential in
making more key-competences visible.
Working stringently with portfolio elements together
with self- and peer-evaluation encourages students to
take ownership of their learning,
… thereby strengthening the individual dimension of
life-long-learning
… while producing detailed learning outcomes with
which they can identify and become proud of.
Portfolio can further a more inclusive education
and help decrease school failure
Classical testing of purely cognitive competences tends
to demotivate less cognitively inclined students and
to narrow the learning scope of more gifted students.
Best practice portfolio methods tend to motivate
learners by showing individual strengths
… and to stimulate self-reflection and entrepreneurship.
It also gives gifted students the ability to work at a
higher level according to their individual ability.
Paul Black: “… as long as pupils compare themselves
with others, those with high attainment are too little
challenged and those with low attainment are
demotivated” (in Testing: friend or foe?, page 129).
The research has long been done –
it only lacks the implementation
“Where formative assessment has been emphasized, it
has been found that pupils bring to the work a fear of
assessment from their experience of summative
tests, and it takes some time for them to become
more positive about formative work”.
“The conversion happens more effectively if teachers
can give time to setting targets to individual pupils”.
Black continues by citing R. Sadler, who emphasizes
developing the ability of the student “to monitor
continuously the quality of what is being produced
during the act of production itself” (p. 130).
Pupil involvement is essential
This includes having students assess their own work.
The task of the teacher then shifts from writing teacherassessments to also validating student-written selfassessments.
This engenders dialogue, resulting in much reassessment
… through which the student develops the ability to
properly gauge him- or herself
– an exceedingly useful competence that tends to be
underdeveloped.
Making qualification and examination systems
more sensitive to a wider scope of learning
outcomes
Choosing a small number of evaluated portfolio
elements for inclusion in final reports connected with
qualifications allows the student to show concrete
learning outcomes,
… personalising the qualification and making it more
transparent to the labour market.
The success of the European Language Portfolio shows
that this works –
… better than letter or number grades.
Making qualification and examination systems more
sensitive to a wider scope of learning outcomes could
introduce a new dynamic into formalised qualification
systems.
Sustaining the natural eagerness to learn
Qualification systems that are more sensitive to
individual development are more likely to sustain the
natural eagerness to learn,
… with which every human being is born and which is
sustainable throughout the entire life of an individual.
This is key to life long learning.
It is likely to substantially reduce school failure and
dropout rates and the number of NIET (“not in
education or training”).
National Curricula narrow teaching
Richard Pring of the Nuffield Review points out that
teachers in England, as professionals in their
respective fields, used to be ‘deliberators’ with regard
to the curriculum, not ‘deliverers’.
As deliberators, teachers should ask: “What is good for
these young people? What is the curriculum we
need?”
“What can we draw upon in terms of the culture that
we have inherited in order to enable young people to
be educated in a broad and holistic way?”
This broad and holistic approach to learning has been
lost, partly as a result of the English National
Curriculum, says Pring.
The need to reflect on values in education
Jerome Bruner argued that schools themselves need to
be engaged with the question “What is it to be
human?” and to start thinking about those values
‘Man: a course of study’, in Bruner, J. Towards a Theory of Instruction.
Pring notes that England has lost the tradition of
practical learning (domestic science, metal work,
woodwork) because these more general questions of
education were not asked.
A new policy development in England is the plan to
unveil Specialist Diplomas for the 14-19 age-group,
… with the idea of “catching the vulnerable and
challenge the highly competent”
… as well as rubbing out the traditional dividing lines
between 'vocational' and 'academic'.
Standards can also narrow curricula
Germany only recently introduced National Educational
Standards that, by enlarge, define the curriculum
which can meet those standards.
Defining minimum standards would have been better,
was the main criticism from educational experts.
Based on these standards, 15 of the 16 German Länder
are now committed to centralised examinations for
the Abitur,
… having the effect of squelching the little curricular
diversity there was before down to near zero.
There is much reason to doubt that this will help tailor
education and training to individual needs.
Recognizing non-formal learning
Learning structured by a learning institution which “is
not usually evaluated and does not lead to
certification” is classified by the OECD as non-formal
learning :
“Non-formal learning arises when an individual follows a
learning programme but it is not usually evaluated
and does not lead to certification. However it can be
structured by the learning institution and is
intentional from the learner’s point of view” (cf.
Qualification Systems. Bridges to Lifelong Learning, OECD 2007, p. 26).
Opening up formal learning
We are looking for partners interested in recognising
non-formal learning, including non-formal learning
attained within the secondary school environment.
Once non-formal learning is evaluated and certified and
becomes a component in the attainment of a
qualification, it can no longer be considered nonformal learning, but will have become part of formal
learning, having enriched the latter.
This should include procedures for validating formative
assessment methods based on individualised
portfolio-related learning outcomes.
Bilan de Compétences
In chapter 3 of “Making Learning Visible: Identification,
Assessment and Recognition of non-formal learning
in Europe”, Jens Bjornavold wrote about the French
“bilan de compétence”:
Typically, things like a “bilan de compétences” are
meant for “validation of professional competences
acquired outside formal education”.
I would like to ask why something like a “bilan de
compétences” could not be developed within the
framework of the formal educational system?
More pathways into
institutions of higher learning
What kind of validation would a bilan de compétences,
a wider scope of learning outcomes need in order to
be able to play a substantial role in qualifications that
allow, say, entrance to institutions of higher learning?
Countries like Sweden already offer citizens many
pathways into universities, other European countries
do not.
The instrument of “open coordination” makes it
conceivable that good practice in one country can
find its way into others.
Putting the learning individual
in the centre of education
Putting the learning human being in the centre of
education has been central to the philosophy of
Steiner Waldorf education.
However, this is easier said than done.
School can easily become an institution which
effectively marginalises the learning individual with
individual questions, needs, approaches, talents,
shortcomings etc.
… through rampant and tenacious institutional
standardisation, which is a problem of all formal
education.
The Steiner Waldorf network
We have a world-wide network of comprehensive
schools and kindergartens, including about 700
schools in Europe offering education up to the end of
secondary school.
Some of the schools also offer vocational training, some
have begun to work innovatively with formative
assessment based on portfolio,
… piloted by schools in the Netherlands and Solothurn
(Switzerland) and taken up by our German schools in
Bochum and Potsdam (including service learning).
These have been developing learning outcomes folders,
which include a description of the curriculum,
portfolios of selected learning outcomes and an
assessment of achievements for each student.
SCHULABSCHLUSSPORTFOLIO
Schulabschlussportfoliomappe mit
Abschlusszeugnis, Jahresarbeit und
Portfoliozeugnissen
Plastizieren
Das Plastizieren mit Ton hat mir Spaß gemacht, da konnte man einfach seiner Phantasie
freien Lauf lassen, ob wohl es Arbeitsaufgaben gab, die ich dann abgewandelt habe und
meine eigenen Ideen mit eingebracht habe. In der 11 Klasse war das Thema Menschen
sitzend, liegend und stehend zu Plastizieren. In der 12 Klasse waren dann Portraits Thema
und ich habe versucht, nach einem Foto das Gesicht meiner Schwester aus Ton zu
modellieren. Das war doch nicht so einfach, wie ich dachte und doch bin ich mit dem
Ergebnis zufrieden. Auch habe ich noch andere Gesichter aus Ton modelliert.
(Excerpt from a
Schulabschlussportfolio)
In Geschichte waren meine Lieblingsthemen das Mittelalter und die
Problematik des ersten Weltkrieges. In der Geschichtsepoche der 11 Klasse
habe ich ein Themenheft zum Thema Musik im Mittelalter angefertigt, in
dem ich selbstständig das Thema Minne, Instrumente, Sängerkrieg, Narren
und viele weitere Punkte rund um die Musik bearbeitet habe.
Service Learning
Workplace learning
Be active in the community, learn by doing!
Students get to know businesses or civic organisations,
and these get to know students.
Of the students at the Potsdam Waldorf School not
going on to higher education, 85 % are offerered
apprenticeships where they did their service or
workplace learning (“Betriebspraktikum”).
The students are required to document their learning
and reflect upon their experiences in a service or
workplace learning portfolio
… which is then assessed by both student and teacher.
In addition to the
extensive written
assessment, a numeric
assessment is also
given, becoming an
element in the German
qualification
„Fachoberschulreife“.
Self-assessment of service
learning by a pupil in class 11
Eigenbeurteilung (schriftlich):
Die mir gestellten Aufgaben brachte ich immer zu
Ende. Ich war motiviert bei der Arbeit und
versuchte die mir gestellten Aufgaben mit
größtmöglicher Sorgfalt auszuführen, wobei ich
aber manchmal viel Zeit für die Durchführung
meiner Arbeit in Anspruch nahm. Es kam ab und
an zu Kommunikationsschwierigkeiten oder
Unaufmerksamkeiten; so dass ich eine gestellte
Aufgabe nicht zufrieden stellend lösen konnte oder
unsicher mehrmals nachfragen musste (
Kugelschreiberfabrik und bei der Software an
meinem Computer). Man zeigte mir gegenüber ein
gewisses Vertrauen und gab mir Verantwortung,
da ich Bestellungen abholen durfte und auch die
Schlüssel der Räume besaß. Bei manchen
Aufgabengebieten hatte ich kaum Vorwissen und
stieß auf immer neue Probleme. Dies war z.B. bei
dem Aufgabenfeld Software so, bei dem ich immer
wieder auf Probleme stieß, die ich hätte vermeiden
können. In diesen Bereichen konnte ich mein
praktisches Wissen deutlich erweitern.
European Portfolio Certificate project
Earlier this year, ECSWE invited all Steiner Waldorf
Schools in Europe to participate in the European
Portfolio Certificate project (EPC),
• with the goal of implementing a Portfolio Certificate as
a qualification for students at the end of secondary
school
• that can better document and assess the specific
learning outcomes achievements of the student
• as well as characterise the curriculum of the school
where the education took place,
• giving reliable information on both the level of
education and the individual qualification of the
student.
The members of ECSWE are national associations of
Steiner Waldorf Schools, which also run teacher
training centres, with differing degrees of
accreditation.
Without empowering teachers, the shift towards
learning outcomes will largely remain rhetoric.
We can offer a keen interest in educational innovation
and flexibility in experimenting with new forms of
assessment on a European scale.
I repeat that we are looking for partners to develop an
accredited end of secondary school qualification
based on a wider scope of learning outcomes.
Dr. Detlef Hardorp, ECSWE [email protected]
Yes, we can bridge learning
and assessment.
Let us begin!
[email protected]