Gone are the days when children and students are only meant to be seen rather than heard and listened to. Embracing children’s views is an enshrined right by virtue of article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which emphasises their right to voice their opinion, and for adults to take it seriously.
In education, this right is translated into what we call a student-centred approach, which means that the student is given the space to take a central role in the teaching and learning process. With the complexities that such a process entails, numerous research studies have been, and are still being, carried out about these phenomena, and when such activities involve students, it is only ethical to include their voices given their central role in – and being also the ultimate beneficiaries of – the teaching and learning process.
In previous articles (The Sunday Times of Malta, January 10 and 24), students’ and teachers’ interactive roles in formative assessment has already been pointed out. A doctoral research study about formative assessment, carried out in 2018, for the first time captured Maltese students’ voices about the use of particular formative assessment strategies in their learning.
The students were allowed to air their position in three focus groups involving students aged six, seven and 10. The outcomes may be classified into those in favour and those who challenge formative assessment. The former group were in favour of the use of success criteria said it had made a positive difference to their learning experience.
Some of their views include: “…with [formative assessment success criteria] we do not need to study much. I am even using them when preparing for football sessions and when playing the guitar” (a six-year- old); “…they will help us in tests and exams….” (a six-year-old); “…now I know what I have to do and can understand more… I got fewer things wrong…” (a seven-year-old); “…steps that give you hints, without the rules we risk to have poor work”; “…I followed their order which assisted me in avoiding mistakes and to remember” (a seven-year-old); “… I can now say that I know how to work my maths as I follow through the steps…”; “…even mum found them helpful to help me with the HW… when I get stuck, I use them…” (a 10-year-old).
Interestingly, the students who resisted them or attempted too, expressed a preference for the traditional style of teaching and learning where an over-reliance on the teacher predominates. In fact, one 10-year-old admitted his/her preference to ask the teacher or adult siblings rather than be independent and take control of his/her learning. Another concluded that students should make more effort to learn.
The younger students mentioned that “…when things are easy they do not use to use them”, or “…I know what I have to do and do not need them”. These voices are telling us clearly that students need to be taught certain skills like self-assessing, analysing and giving feedback on other’s work in a way relative to their age. Such involvement would not only contribute to the effectiveness of formative assessment but would also be in line with Malta’s Framework Strategy for Education (2014-2024) and the National Curriculum Framework, among others, which aim to have active and employable citizens with a lifelong approach learning to be a 21st-century competent citizen.
Further details about this work may be downloaded from the website below.
Doreen Said Pace is an education officer for curriculum in a State college, a part-time lecturer at the Institute for Education and a dissertation supervisor and a teaching practice examiner at the Institute for Education and the University of Malta. Her research interests are formative assessment, inclusion and action research.
http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/21381/