Assessment, Learning & Teaching Reflections |
Friday 13 January
How can we assess reflection? Reflecting is important in learning, in teaching, and in being a professional in any field. Since Schon, ‘reflective practice’ is in our vocabulary. We should surely assess something so important, but do we? Can we? Through a glass darkly. I looked at some assessed essays where students were required to reflect on their practice. The best got 80%, the worst 30%. The best essay was indeed best – but at what? The content was better; the spelling, grammar, syntax, structure and punctuation were better. But was the reflection better? Not nearly as much as the difference between 80% and 30%.
Reflecting on this, we end up assessing essay writing, not reflection. Students strong at essay writing thrive and prosper, while those weak at essay writing sink and drown. Do we end up awarding 1st class degrees in essay writing, 2.1s in essay writing and so on (rather than in history or psychology or sports sciences)? And then Masters in essay writing, and PhDs in essay writing? Is the thesis just a bigger essay?Is it the essayists who shall inherit the Earth? Or should it now be the bloggers? Reflection is perhaps in sharper focus in blogs.
Professor Phil Race
