EXAM FOCUS


EXAMFOCUS


Assessment that works in today’’s world – aswell as tomorrow’s


Assessment thatworks in today’s – as well as tomorrow’’s


I


n our second feature thismonth, Education Today hears fromPaulaWilcock, Chief Assessment Officer, International


Baccalaureate, on the benefits of assessing real-world skills, adaptability learnin g


ty and life-long


n our second feature this month, Education Today hears from Paula Wilcock, Chief Assessment Officer, International Baccalaureate, on the benefits of assessing real-world skills, adaptability and life-long learning


Educators, and most parents and students too, agree that assessment is a necessary part of the teaching and learning process – benefitting students, parents and teachers alike by offering each further insight into the student’s learning style and progression.


That said, there is so much more to teaching and learning above and beyond preparing


students to pass tests. Some argue that education is about preparing children for the future. Others argue that the primary purpose of education should be in allowing children to enjoy learning. Of course, the truth is that both are vital for each child’s personal success.


If children don’t enjoy an aspect of learning in the here and now, they are likely to be arbitrarily put off pursuing a future path that revolves around that subject or that uses those particular skills. But, giving children complete autonomy in their learning, without guidance and structure, will not, of course, enable them to learn new skills, to adapt the ir learning approach, or to enhance their understanding of a particular topic – essential skills required for success in 21st century jobs.


Most teachers will be mindful of both of these factors in their daily teaching, but will also be under pressure to teach their students to pass


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tests, and be all too aware that delivering an education that is enjoyable, that nurtures skills and imparts a habit of life-long learning, is not always aligned with the role of ensuring students perform well in nationalised tests.


It is clear that children of different ages and stages of their development and possessing unique interests and passions, will benefit from different teaching and learning approaches and from being able to investigate different subj or topics as they are inspired to do so. level of variation is problematic for exa


bjects


m boards: But this


how can they be expected to develop enough exam papers to suit each child’s potential breadth of investigation; and how can a traditional exa m paper accurately assess real-world skills,


adaptability, or the extent to which an individual has developed an attitude of life-long learning?


Breadth of investigation Breadth of investigation


Traditionally, for many generations, further education students have studied three or four sub


bjjects at A Level from the age of 16.


International Baccalaureate (IB) Programmes, however, in particular the Diploma Programme (DP), do not allow students to reduce so dramatically the number of subjects studied post 16.


The DP is made up of six subject groups – language and literature, language acquisition, individuals and societies, sciences, mathematics, and the arts – plus the DP core, which includes: Theory of Knowledge (TOK); Creativity, Action and Service (CAS), which might include learning a


3 0 www .education-today.co.uk.co.uk June 2016 2016


sworld


musical instrument, teaching art to young children or designing a website for a campaign; and an Extended Essay (EE), a 4,000 word research-based written project.


IB Programmes purposefully give students more opportunities to discover their academic passions before having to restrict their future opportunities by reducing their breadth of study; the DP gives students the opportunity to select their strongest subjects to study at higher level, alongside three at standard level.


Ryan Kelsall, Principal of Impington Village College in Cambridge, which offers both the DP and Career-related Programme (CP) to students says that it’s the range and depth of subjects tha t really makes the Programmes stand out: “The DP enables a breadth of study that is unrivalled. The division of the six subjbjects equally between higher


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