9-1
Examinations and
CHAPTER
9Evaluation as a Learning Process
TESTS AND EXAMS
The purpose of tests and exams
needs to be carefully reconsidered
In the typical school, exams provide
a way for the teacher to judge (to ‘pass’
or ‘fail’) the students. Yet students
are given little opportunity to criticize
the teacher. The teacher is on top, the
students on the bottom—especially at
exam time!
Also, the use of number or letter
grades for exams encourages
competition rather than cooperation.
Students who get high marks are
usually praised and moved ahead. Those
who fail are punished or left behind.
In education that resists change, test* and
exams make it clearer than ever that the
teacher has power over the student.
In ‘education for change’, tests and exams serve a different purpose: to find
out how effectively the instructors are teaching. The exams let everyone know
what subjects have been covered well and which need more review, or a different
approach.
Also, in education for change it
is the responsibility of the entire
group instructors and students-to
make sure that those who learn
slowly get the help they need. The
quicker students become teaching
assistants, helping to explain things
to those who are slower. Then, if
a slow learner does not do well on
a test, the quick learner and the
teacher share in the ‘failure’. Praise
is given when everybody does well.
In education for change, tests are a way
of finding out how well both teachers and
students are doing. They help teacher and
student feel more equal.
This approach helps keep quick
learners from getting bored, and
slow learners from falling behind.
The quick students learn not only
the material studied, but how to
teach it.