Education 2.0 Part 3 - Evaluate to Improvise, not to Eliminate!

I am not a big fan of the grading system, but I do understand that it is important to assess whether the learning objectives are being met or not. However, that does not mean that we fail and ditch those students who come in the way of achieving this objective. How can we forget that, after all, these students are the objective.

The goal of the evaluation system should be to identify the flaws in the system and improvise rather than eliminate the participants who were unable to match upto it. Its the failure of the teaching mechanism and not of the students. How can we blame the students for the failure? How can we ditch them, when we should actually be trying harder to make sure that the learning objectives are met.

And yes, it makes complete sense to make these assessments, evaluations at as short intervals as possible rather than having full syllabus examinations at the end of a year or term. Because by then, it's too late to figure out that the students aren't learning and hence the easiest way out is to blame the students and "Fail" them.

Every class/session can have a feedback session at the end of it, a checklist cum summary of what was covered/discussed. The best thing would be letting the students summarize it. If anything uncovers to be doubtful, it can be clarified then or in the next class before proceeding to the next topic. In fact, if the idea of collaboration works, even if a few students are clear on the topic, they will ensure that the others are clear as well.
Education will spread like a VIRUS :-)

It is extremely important, however, for the teacher to not give up on the few "slow" students. For it is not their fault, that they did not understand as quickly as the "quick learners". It's just that the mechanism adopted by the teacher was suited to some while it wasn't suited for them and hence they cannot and should not be termed as slow. Over a period of time, students get used to a particular style of teaching. Over a period of time, students and teachers get tuned to a common wavelength. And this can only happen if the teacher has the patience and a strong intent to ensure that each and every student should learn in this class.

It is the strong intent that will drive the teacher to assess, while teaching itself, whether the students are understanding or not, and to try something different, make things as simple as possible, to adopt different ways for different students. And if such is the strong intent of the teacher, EVERY student will automatically develop a strong intent to learn and WILL LEARN!