All Formative

Sechelt Indian Band & District of Sechelt Fireworks 2013

Boom… it just dawned on me about FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT.  It’s a hot topic amongst educators.  What is it?  How does it differ from summative assessment?  What is the difference between descriptive feedback versus judgmental feedback?  I think the best way to think about formative assessment or “Assessment for Learning” (AFL) is tutoring.  After a 16 year teaching career, I’ve been tutoring secondary mathematics for the last 3 years while I spend time with my daughter and work on my dissertation.  Truthfully, tutoring has honed my teaching practice beyond my expectations.  Not only do I have to teach on the fly and quickly learn what the student needs, but I am constantly giving formative feedback.  It’s not evaluative.  It’s not worth marks.  It’s all about the learning.  As a tutor,  my job is to establish what is, identify what needs to be, and suggest ways to move forward.  So maybe a way to look at formative assessment is to pretend to be the students’ tutor.  #somethingtoconsider