Testing is often the most daunting stage of the learning process. Its effects on learners come in many forms. It may either be a booster or a killer of self-esteem. For a highly-driven person, getting full marks in tests is their ultimate goal. For those who do not care, escape becomes their therapy. Still for others, indifference is the way to go.
Testing is often perceived as no less or more than a paper and pencil-based exam. The recognition of the limits of this form of assessment paved the way to the concept of alternative assessment, of which blogs and DST are good examples. Blogging is an opportunity for learners to let their minds speak. This is quite beneficial to timid students with good or advance writing skills. But even for those whose writing is still underdeveloped, this is a good opportunity to hone one’s skills.
DST project offers learning for meaning-making using different modes and semiotic effects. It is a unique exploration and discovery of affordances of multimodalities. More importantly, it taps into and harnesses multiple intelligences. For a DI like me, it comes as a form of a problem that ought to be solved through proper channelling of all the resources, making use of new skills and correct attitude to learn something new.
The road ahead is bumpy but as the saying goes, “It is not only the attainment of goal that counts; the learning journey equally matters.”
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Hi Eulalia!
ReplyDeleteyou are right about the very "bumpy' road ahead! Many schools are 'experimenting' with DL as an alternative mode of testing but I do encounter concerns from parents (and educators) as to how this might help in their children's national examination results. I am afraid that at the moment I think we do not have enough empirical data to support a change in assessement mode. Somehow, I do feel that in Singapore, the assessment 'style' may not change just yet. :)
Good thinking there, Rachael! It is probably the reason why MOE is currently experimenting in ICT on four schools first. In terms of assessment, it may probably take a longer way to go...
ReplyDeleteAgree!!! I do not think MOE is looking to move towards alternative assessment as yet, although they do have testing components which come in the form of portfolios for certain subjects (like design and technology and computer subjects) for the GCE 'O'. I am really interested to know what they will be tested on when they take the subject "Computer Studies" or "media studies" aint too sure the correct name for that, it appears in the straits times and I was not paying too much attention to the name). Wonder if DST can be adopted as one of the testing components.
ReplyDeleteXernieve: It's Media Studies. Kuo Chuan offers that as an O level subject coz my friend teaches there. Basically, those who are taking the course are digital literate, more so than their peers. I'm not sure about the assessment though but I would think it's a combination of pen and paper and the creation of an artefact, just like Design and Technology.
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