To learn, To evaluate, To grow : Assessments and Evaluation from Tutopiya
Why do we really need to stick to a set syllabus that has been pre defined by a board of intellectuals who get to make the call on how much or how little a student has to study for each age? Why are exams even a thing?
As part of being a student, all of us at some point of our lives wonder why some subjects have to be so difficult and eventually when the exam fear overtakes us, we shudder at the thought of how tough the evaluation may be.
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Within the course of this blog, the aim is to touch up on some of the commonly faced questions by the students in their academic journeys and bring attention to the true importance of the correct evaluation methods which need to be practiced.
To shed light upon the major topic of discussion, the true purpose of education and a syllabus has been misunderstood by the majority of students and even parents. It is far beyond a full score report card or perfect grades across all subjects where students stick to textbooks and regurgitate the same content in their exams.
Education is a right for all students to explore and enhance their knowledge on the different aspects of life with the objective that the wisdom gained will in some way help them lead a better one in future.
The primary goal of education is to equip growing children, who will be the future of a nation, with the right skills and knowledge to be well molded and wholesome individuals of the society such that a healthy and co existent society will be created.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
Unquote : Nelson Mandela
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The Importance of a Positive Mindset
If from the start of a child’s pre-school education, we are able to instill the positive mindset surrounding education, the chances are that the child would grow with the thirst for acquiring knowledge, contributing to enhanced academic growth.
This will impact their overview on life as a whole and eventually give rise to a mentally sound well rounded individual who could massively contribute to society.
Therefore, it is essential to comprehend the vitality of introducing the right purpose behind education to our children. So in this sense, one may ask.
So why do we have a defined syllabus? Why are there several subjects and why should one study all subjects? What is the purpose behind grading and ranking?
To put it in a nutshell, educationists and academic intellectuals have come together in compiling the bandwidth on each different field of study which a child can grasp pertaining to their age.
As a child grows, their capability to learn from their surroundings is much higher in comparison to a grown adult as their neuro pathways are yet easily subject to change enabling them to perceive more information from their environments.
Therefore, the best time in a human life to dedicate towards education are the primary growth years until adulthood is met.
In this process, it is important that we establish structure and correct organization to the content that is being introduced to the children. Which is why a syllabus structure is mainly in place.
It is a practice in all educational institutions to impart theoretical and practical applications of knowledge at the start of an academic year and have an assessment procedure in periodic intervals to understand how far the child has grasped the required concepts in pertinence to several aspects such as theory, practical application, analysis and judgment.
The way in which assessments are conducted vary according to grade and the level of education concerned while several concepts of evaluation have been developed and are still being developed by taking into account the integral segments of child psychology.
As observed by the most renowned examination boards and educational institutions, written examinations under controlled conditions within a certain atmosphere take a primary role in assessment types.
In addition, as students level up in their grades, assignments and projects are also introduced sometimes individually and also as a group with the objective of making them accustomed to developing their skills in research and analysis.
Most students up until their secondary education follow written examinations which is a proven method by which the academic standing of a child can be assessed.
As they progress towards the final board examinations conducted sticking to international standards, students face what we call as “Mock Assessments” which are exams taken before their finals as a practice test that follow the same format as that of the board examinations under similarly simulated conditions so as to provide an exposure to the students on the experience they will have at their finals and to diagnose the strengths and weaknesses they may have in their academics.
Have a Look: Mock Assessment Structure
What are the benefits of the Mock Assessment?
1. Assessing academic performance for peak productivity :
Year long tuition and regular lessons carry the main objective of guiding students to attain better grades. Therefore in order to assess the effectiveness of this process, conduction of examinations prove to be phenomenal in gauging where the student stands in their studies and what necessary steps need to be taken for improvement.
Despite it being either personalized tuition or a mass group setting, each student’s standing differs from one another. This explains the need for educationists to precisely assess where the learning gaps of a student may lie. In the absence of a well defined evaluation system, a child may not be able to figure out the areas of weaknesses they possess.
Simply sticking to theoretical gain will not allow the student to analyze one’s own strong and weak fortes, and in order to address this challenge, a fully fledged evaluation in the form of a Mock Assessment would come in real handy.
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2. Receiving the ideal academic guidance :
Upon reviewing the performance at the Mock Assessments, students can then turn to reliable individuals either tutors or academic coaches who will take up the responsibility to guide the student in the respective subject field by communicating the areas of poor and outstanding performance.
This paves the pathway for the tutor to gain a holistic view on the student in addition to being able to provide guidance in the right way as required by the student.
A suitable study plan or perhaps even a personalized academic schedule would be recommended to students that have been proven to be effective in the long run as it sets a structure to the study patterns they need to follow and thereby generates positive results if followed precisely.
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3. Attaining comprehensive exam writing practice :
Although there could be several text references for a student to study from, such as text books, magazines, articles and much more, they are sources of mere factual information. The real challenge arises when a student has to apply the knowledge gained at an examination.
A common obstacle majority of students face at present is the inability to tackle exam questions although they are well versed in theory. They tend to struggle in explanations, briefing, analysis and conclusions as they are inexperienced in the skill of exam paper writing or paper answering.
Mock Assessments provide a sound solution to this challenge by giving students the opportunity to learn from their mistakes on how to approach differently styled exam questions, and upon review of their performance, they can gain grooming on the right way by which exam questions need to be tackled.
4. Boost in Confidence:
Every child is naturally prone to relying on their parents or trusted elders to validate them in their achievements and progress.
In the growing phase, it is of utmost importance to ensure that every child is being constantly uplifted by words of encouragement and support which will strengthen their belief in themselves.
Studies have shown that positive reinforcement of a child’s learning journey has shown upward learning curves which have resulted in highly intelligent and confident children.
In which sense, upon having sat for Mock Assessments, a student’s need to perform better and achieve a certain goalmark increases as they are encouraged to believe in the potential they carry.
Upon seeing the results of the hard work pay off and the efforts in following study timetables reaping fruitful outcomes, it is more likely for the levels of confidence and self esteem in students to increase drastically thereby positively influencing their outlook on studies.
What are the different subjects covered in the Mock Assessments?
Mock Assessments are mainly conducted for the students of higher grades starting from Year 7 upwards. In this sense, it is often known that Mock Assessments are conducted for the main science subjects of Biology, Physics and Chemistry along with the subjects of Mathematics and English Language.
These 5 subjects take a primary front for which most students are given a more vigorous training before their finals, as they carry a larger and more complex content matter in comparison to the other subjects.
Among the secondary subjects for which Mock Assessments are offered, subjects such as English Literature, Computer Science, Business Studies, Economics and Accounting take major precedence.
All subjects being offered for the Mock Assessments follow the same format as that being followed at the final examination board standards.
The allotted time duration, the question structure, mark allocation, grading scales are a few of the crucial factors which are strictly observed in Mock Assessment structuring.
FAQs.
1. How do I know when the best time to take Mock Assessments should be?
A. Mock Assessments are best fit to be attempted once the full syllabus coverage has been completed and the student is well equipped with the theory knowledge on the respective subject field.
The correct diagnosis of question pattern answering style and perception of theory can be done only if the student has surrounding knowledge on the specific area of concern.
However, certain institutions do also offer the opportunity for students to sit for Mock Assessment prior to the full syllabus coverage thereby giving them the opportunity to gain an early start with identification of strengths and weaknesses. So the real decision on when the best time would be for attempting Mock Assessments is a call to be taken by the student themselves upon self reflection of their preparedness.
2. How does the concept of Pre Mock Assessments and Mock Assessments structure itself?
A. Pre Mock Assessments and Mock Assessments mean pretty much the same thing. Instead of arranging for a one time pilot examination, academic institutions incline towards arranging for a series of pilot examinations often termed as the Pre Mock Assessments and the Mock Assessments. This provides students with more opportunity in facing examinations often with a tougher level followed in the latter in comparison to the former.
3. Do the Mock Assessment results guarantee the same grade in the Final examinations as well?
A. This may be subject to various opinions. While there have been numerous instances in which students who tend to perform well in their Mock Assessments, perform even better at the final examinations with the ability of securing even a world prize, students who showcase a considerably poor performance do also work harder in portraying a much better and improved performance at their finals.
It is seldom to come across students who have faced their Mock Assessments well but do not perform the same at their finals unless and otherwise any external factors such as a sickness has been inflicted upon them.
All in all, to place the cherry on its cake, Mock Assessments could be a great and powerful way in which students can gain multiple benefits in their academic journey.
Although Mock Assessments have been stigmatized way beyond what they should be, parents must refrain from pressuring their children excessively over Mock examinations. This could generate quite the opposite results where the scope for the child to perform has been barricaded by the added pressure received from their surroundings.
Mock Assessments are an opportunity for students to give their best attempt in the subject so they can be correctly evaluated. Only then would this initiative be the most fruitful for the student.
While many may bear different viewpoints on Mock Assessments, it is important to note that Assessments carry a significant worth in the admission to colleges or any other higher education institutions in a child’s future.
Therefore, investing in the right pathway which proves to be truly helpful for the student in preparation for their final board examinations can never go in waste.
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