The concept of ‘Assessment as Learning’ is linked to a socio-constructivist approach to teaching and learning. It encompasses concepts such as self-regulation, self-efficacy, metacognition and feedback in learning and assessment practices (Shepard, 2000; Dann, 2014; Winstone et al, 2017; Swaffield, 2011). Many initial teacher education programmes incorporate modules focusing on assessment pedagogy and theory, however there is a lack of research on student teachers’ experiences and enactment of best practice in this area.
This paper will describe a cross-border project which explores the learning needs of student teachers in Ireland – North and South – in relation to assessment as Learning principles and practices and the planned response to these identified needs. It will describe how this project was designed, some initial findings, and the collaborative interactions that form the basis of continuing work on this project. This research study received SCOTENS seed funding and is aligned to the SCOTENS mission to facilitate teacher educators – North and South– in exploring education issues of common interest and establishing a sustainable education partnership on the island of Ireland.
The first phase of the project involved the distribution of a detailed online qualitative questionnaire (n=22) to initial teacher education students in University College Cork and in Stranmillis University College. The design of the questionnaire was focused on the what and how of student teacher practice in this area. The “what” questions were informed by a social constructivist understanding of teaching, learning and assessment (Shepard, 2000). The “how” questions were based on the ecological model of teacher agency (Priestley et. al., 2015). Informed by the intersection of these what? /how? questions, the survey ascertained the views of student teachers on the opportunities and challenges in developing early-career teacher assessment knowledge and captured their experiences and values in relation to assessment as Learning.
The initial findings of this study reveal the range of challenges and opportunities identified by student teachers in enacting best assessment practices on school placement. A core value around the ambition to implement creative assessment practices was often in conflict with the pressure of accountability and the lack of time, confidence and opportunity while on placement to develop these practices in a meaningful way. The paper will conclude with a discussion describing the initial design of a cross-border, online module to develop student teachers’ agency and collaboration skills, as well as their responsive approach to pupil learning, in the area of assessment as learning.