“The way a question is asked limits and disposes the ways in which any answer to it – right or wrong – may be given.”
– Susanne K Langer, American philosopher
A funny instance
Young Ramu stopped by the stationary store and said:
3 pencils at Rs 1.25/- each
2 erasers at Rs 1.50/- each
“How much does that come to?” asked Ramu.
“Six rupees and seventy-five paisa”.
“If I gave you a ten rupee note, how much change would I get?” said the boy.
“Three rupees and twenty-five paisa,” stated the clerk irritated by the questions. Ramu said, as he disappeared through the door, “I don’t want to buy the items… that’s our math assignment for tomorrow, and I needed some help with it.”
Why assessment?
The months of February and March are synonymous with exams! In fact, for many of us, both teachers and students, they are the “dreaded months”. In trying to understand why educational assessments are so important, one could see them as measures of:
- a student’s ability to understand, correlate, and apply what is taught in school
- a teacher’s competence in aligning what the student learns with intended objectives
- an institution in overall development of children
- the policy makers and educational system in delivering “finished products” to the society.
The article has been contributed by Butterfly Fields, a company working in the domain of innovative teaching learning techniques. To know more about the work the company does visit www.butterflyfields.com or call
040 2771 1020.