6. Assessment and feedback for learning

At the end of this chapter, you will lead teachers to understand how:

  • formative assessment helps learning during the whole learning process
  • sharing assessment criteria with the pupils impacts on learning
  • to develop feedback strategies that will motivate pupils.
  • Summative assessment looks at the past and assesses what has already been learned. It generally entails tests and written grades that indicate the pupil’s level of success in a particular subject or task. It does not play a significant role in the learning process.
  • Formative assessment or assessment for learning is used as part of the learning process (for example: when teachers ask questions to check whether pupils understand). ‘Assessment refers to all those activities undertaken by teachers, and by their students in assessing themselves, which provide information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged’ (Black and Wiliam,1998, p. 2). According to Nouguier-Barriol (1999) this implies that we address the learning gap and it is related to a pedagogy of success.

Lesson planning form

6.1 Formative assessment