Sound the alarms, we need to manage the crisis!
At first, we rushed to plan lessons or find platforms to use for distance learning, then, we conquered live streaming and battled with safeguarding concerns. Somewhere in the middle, we had to adjust to working from home, sharing laptops and wrestling for toilet paper in supermarkets. Just as we started getting into the swing of things, lurking in the shadows, the sudden thought of homework and student engagement started creeping in. Simultaneously, anxiety levels rose as the number of positive COVID-19 cases increased. But, let’s not get distracted, we need to focus on assessments.
The team here at Teacherly sat down with the inspiring and passionate, Francis Jim Tuscano, an internationally recognized and award-winning teacher based in Manila, Philippines. Jim is a Digital Learning and Innovation specialist with international recognition as one of the 50 best teachers in the world in the 2017 Global Teacher Prize, and the first Filipino teacher to represent the Philippines.
When I asked Jim the question ‘Is it ethical to assess students during a pandemic?,’ he had been reflecting on this for a while, in fact, he had already been blogging and posting on social media a lot about the nature of assessments during a pandemic.
He begins our discussion — by unpicking the word ‘ethical’ and goes on to say:
“It might be a very heavy word, but if I were to think of another word that would really put out what I want to ask is — does it make sense or is it even relevant to still grade students during this time of the pandemic?”
During these unusual times, Jim adds that it is common for students to face high levels of anxiety, some are questioning their security and safety but for most, their health is at risk. Therefore, Jim poses a relevant and focused question about assessment to those less fortunate countries that are extremely affected by the pandemic:
“What’s the point?”
Irrespective of a pandemic, Jim states that the education industry was discussing the relevancy of standardized testing.
“We, as a community, should be grasping this opportunity to take a moment and reflect on assessments. The goal is not to provide all students with a free pass, it’s really more about taking a breath and embracing a big pause. Holding up the type of assessments we normally ask students to engage in, but turning to a new form of assessment that’s perhaps more creative and in tune with the situation we are all going through. This pandemic presents a lot of opportunities for us:
Why not focus on mastery of skills?
Why not focus on helping students to reflect and focus their energy on improving themselves?
Why not focus on students’ progress rather than the result of a test?”
Jim hopes that teachers will not hold students accountable for their grades,
“At this time, students are not choosing to fail. Maybe their parents are essential workers and they don’t have support at home, maybe they don’t have access to WiFi or their own device… things like this make a difference.”
Italy has been severely affected by COVID-19 and their focus is on the education that occurs outside the traditional classroom. Jim tells us about his friend in Armando Persico in Berragamo who claims his students are learning about entrepreneurship as they create face masks for redistribution.
Jim urges teachers to find inspiration outside the classroom, to focus on the skills that are helping us to survive right now:
“Solidarity, empathy, resilience… these are the essential skills that are not being measured or taught via summative assessments. Kids won’t fail at life if they forget something, there’s the internet. But, if they miss the chance to learn solidarity and empathy at this moment, this will have a longer-lasting impact on them.”
Jim left our call asking one final question: “Why not teach on the situation right now? Use the context right now to deepen the learning?”
Teachers like Jim have demonstrated the scope to which empathy can be placed in the classrooms whilst managing a full curriculum. He provides us with a lot to think about by asking us to focus on the bigger questions. Looking back at this pandemic, a few years down the line, do we want our students to remember their ‘rewarding’ A* in mathematics, or do we want them to remember a time where they learned and demonstrated strength, empathy and compassion to the world?
We haven’t had enough of Jim just yet! Later on this week, we will dive further into a discussion on the future of exams in our newest podcast episode, you can subscribe to our channel below or visit www.castteacherly.io
