Bridging the Gap Between School Life and Real Life

[Admin]

In an age which has seen the emergence of new ways of thinking, education is struggling to adapt; this is particularly noticeable in a retro approach to assessment. A schoolmaster from 100 years ago would feel comfortable in an examination hall today. Outside the classroom learners create collaboratively with almost constant access to Google. If we force a child to sit in a big room, not permitted to speak, use the internet or a computer; without the help of colleagues, then which world are we training them for?

Prensky suggests we are either 'digital natives' or 'digital immigrants', depending on our relationship with digital media. The digital natives have developed distinct learning styles:

1. Active learning rather than passive receiving of knowledge
2. Collaboration not competition
3. Searching (Google) not memorization

Is it right to assess students on their independent regurgitation of memorized information, when in the real world we work collaboratively, in noisy, multimedia environments, with Google always at our fingertips? What skills should we be assessing? How can we assess 21st century skills such as creativity, collaboration, manipulation of digital data? How can we reduce the ever-increasing chasm between school and 'real' life?


[adapted from Elliot,B. (2007), 'Assessment 2.0'
Prenksy, 2003]

[sam]

A schoolmaster from 100 years ago would feel comfortable in an examination hall today.

This is startling because it is so true. It will be very interesting to see how our education systems adapt to the changes in how people are learning, and how our approach to assessment will be affected.