Functions of Student-Centred Approaches to Assessment in Teacher Education

Abstract

This chapter attends to learning-centred (also referred to as student-centred) approaches to assessment in teacher education. The term student-centred is used in this chapter, since learners in the South African context refers to school-going children, while students denote those individuals who are registered and studying at tertiary institutions. The student-centred approach is nested in constructivist thinking, assuming a dynamic relationship between the teacher-educator and the student-teacher, where the teacher-educator assumes the role of coach and mentor and the student-teacher is an active participant in the assessment process. This relationship implies that assessment is not solely the domain of some removed intellectual authority. Instead, the student-teacher plays an active role in learning and assessment, through a process of collaboration and dialogue. A constructivist approach suggests active participation in and interaction with assessment tasks, which are facilitated by the teacher-educator. For example, dialogue between the teacher-educator and the student-teacher can be fostered through the negotiation of assessment task criteria. Such dialogue can lead to authentic, functional and individualised assessment in a learning context that is meaningful for the student-teacher. The inseparably linked elements of student learning and assessment, assessment for learning during learning task execution, and the principles of good assessment are the core beliefs underpinning the learning-centred approach to teaching assessment.