Forwarded for Jan Eldred:

From: "Jan Eldred" <jan.eldred at niace.org.uk>
Date: February 27, 2008 9:57:27 AM EST
To: "John Vorhaus" <J.Vorhaus at ioe.ac.uk>, <specialtopics at nifl.gov>
Subject: RE: [SpecialTopics 759] Formative assessment in adult  
foundation skillsin England

This is a fascinating discourse....I've not been very active in it  
but have followed the work along the way, keen to learn and understand.

Much of John's [ John  Vorhaus'] analysis makes sense to me...the  
nomenclature, what's being learned from very different case studies
and what we seem to be understanding from observation.

some thoughts:

It strikes me that perhaps there isn't a tension between what we see  
as good teaching and learning and formative assessment but that  
perhaps what we're doing in our work is surfacing/highlighting/ 
pulling together those features of teaching and learning which are so  
implicit that teachers and learners aren't always aware of what they  
are, the impact and the significance of them.  Perhaps what we're  
describing as formative assessment is a series of on-programme  
assessment processes and activities which we're identifying,  
observing and describing because they appear to lead to the outcomes  
of learning we feel are of the highest order ie autonomy, learning to  
learn, achievement etc etc etc...

When teachers protest that they are doing them perhaps the difference  
is the consciousness, the planning, the awareness of what is being  
looked for in the process and the involvement of the learner in the  
process which is different.  So identifying something,naming it and  
indicating the value for learning justifies classifying it as  
something which is not just good teaching and learning.....but we  
would say that formative assessment is part of good teaching and  
learning.

Or am I rambling??
Do tell me!!

One small point, I'm a bit uncomfortable with the term  
instruction....unless it's used to describe particular pedagogical  
activities...

Jan