Assessment in the Course of Teaching:
Preparing report cards is a way for the teacher to think
about each individual child and review what she/he
has learnt during the term, and what she/he needs to
work on and improve. To be able to write such report
cards, teachers would need to think about each
individual child, and hence pay attention to them during
their everyday teaching and interaction. One does not
need special tests for this; learning activities themselves
provide the basis for such ongoing observational and
qualitative assessments of children. Maintaining a daily
diary based on observation helps in continuous and
comprehensive evaluation. An extract from the diary
of a teacher for a week notes the following: "Kiran
enjoyed his work. He took an instant liking to the books
that were informative and brief. He says that he likes
simple and clear language. In noting down facts, he
goes for short answers. He says that it helps him
understand things easily. He favours a practical
approach." Similarly, keeping samples and notes of
the child's work at different stages provides both the
teacher and the learner herself or himself with a
systematic record of his/her learning progress.
The belief that assessment must lead to finding
learning difficulties to then be remediated is often very
impractical and not founded on a sound understanding
of pedagogic practice. Problems regarding conceptual
development cannot and do not wait for formal tests in
order to be detected. A teacher can, in the course of
teaching itself, come to know of such problems by
asking questions that make children think or by giving
them small assignments. She can then attend to them in
the process of teaching–by ensuring that her planning is
flexible and responsive to the learners and their learning.
