2 minute read
Education Assessment, and Classroom of the Future
Re-evaluating the GCSE curriculum and introducing a multi-modal approach
I would like to conjure two images. The first, an imaginary workplace with space for quiet working and areas for meetings and collaboration. There are powerful computers that drive new technologies. Teams of people, diverse in background and skills, are working together both in person and virtually. There are deadlines, but it is accepted that new ideas can be messy and that there will be risk. It is better to try something and fail early than not to try at all.
Now we see an exam room: desks separated, rigidly aligned, front-facing. Collaboration is forbidden, breaks are supervised, notes and research are left at the door. Access to the outside world has been disabled. Those with dispensation to use computers are confined to another room. The task is strictly timed and an “off day” is not to be countenanced; there is only one chance to get it right and the answers are predetermined.
The contrast is stark. There is, of course, a place for exams. The ability to work under pressure is important. They can act as a powerful motivator, and memory is a muscle we need to learn how to flex. But over the past few years, rote learning has taken root and stress levels have risen inexorably. The need for mass produced tests and the chimeric search for “reliable” grades has driven out the openended questions that might invite deep thinking, support a growth mindset, and encourage fresh ideas. Academic success has trumped fabrication and technical skills and narrowed the relevance and appeal of what we teach.
It is time to re-evaluate our approach.
A slimmer curriculum at GCSE would free time for creative, collaborative enquiry, and enable a more personalised approach. It would offer scope for interdisciplinarity, critical thinking and ‘wicked’ problem solving. A renewed focus on digital skills, technical proficiency and the creative and performing arts would prepare young people for the broader challenges of the 21st century, hand, head and heart, while investment in technology would enhance collaboration across sectors at home and abroad. Fresh ideas and opportunities, underpinned by a multi-modal approach to assessment, would breathe new life into the curriculum and enable us to nurture the wellbeing, personal growth and multifaceted talents young people need to thrive in the modern world.
The classroom of the future could be an exciting place, rigorous and demanding, but individually affirming and rewarding too.
MRS SARAH FLETCHER, High Mistress – St Paul’s Girls’ School www.spgs.org
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