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Asia-Pacific
Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 5, Issue 2, Article
8 (Aug., 2004) Winnie Wing Mui SO Assessing primary science learning: beyond paper and pencil assessment
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Asia-Pacific
Forum on Science Learning and Teaching, Volume 5, Issue 2, Article
8 (Aug., 2004) Winnie Wing Mui SO Assessing primary science learning: beyond paper and pencil assessment
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Introduction
This article discusses the foundations for the assessment of primary science learning with a focus on the place of assessment in the curriculum, the association between pedagogy and assessment, and the role of formative and summative assessment. Alternative strategies are recommended for the assessment of science learning at primary level, and some important qualities of meaningful assessment are suggested.
According to Hughes and Wade (1996), teachers need to assess for two main reasons. First, teachers need to gain information on the progress of individual pupils so that appropriate activities may be organized in the classroom to enhance their learning. Second, teachers need to provide records of progress for parents that are based on the data that is collected through assessment. These records can also be passed on to other teachers so that the schemes of work of different teachers may match the ability of the pupils more appropriately.
Although such information can be obtained through formal assessment, it is far more likely to come from informal and continuous assessment during class time. A large amount of teacher-pupil interaction takes place in class, as pupils ask and answer questions, request help and assistance, hand in work for checking and marking, and make dialogues and discussions. Teachers, therefore, obtain a certain amount of information on the abilities and achievements of their pupils by this means, and also find out about the difficulties that pupils face in their learning.
Copyright (C) 2004 HKIEd APFSLT. Volume 5, Issue 2, Article 8 (Aug., 2004). All Rights Reserved.
