Assessing Emergent Learning

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Peter Rawsthorne -
Number of replies: 10

Is it possible to assess emergent learning? I would thinks so... but why? What is the purpose of the assessment? To provide meaningfull feedback to the learner? or to become a part of an assessment for coursework or progress toward a learning goal / objective. I think with emergent learning this is an impoartant distinction which will assist in answering the subsequent questions.

How do you 'capture' learning that is not expected? Capture?... if the person has learned it... they have 'captured' it. How is unexpected learning recognized by both the learner and others... I believe through reflective activities and writing or creative works that externalize the learning. If an artifact of some kind can be created that includes, and identifies, the unexpected learning will have been 'captured'. I do believe having the ability to be mindful and self-reflective is very impostant.

How do you measure or value it? Why the need to measure? This goes back to my first question about why assess. In could be measured via the person shows increasing mastery of the subject domain, peers and others also recognize the mastery. But if it was completely out-of-the-blue emergent learning the measure would come from the depth of self-reflection and subsequent artifacts. The value comes in a progressive or transformative way... if learning has an impact and increases a persons knowledge, or progress toward a learning goal, or helps them feel more aware in a new subject domain, etc... it has value. Again, why the need to measure? A more important question IMO.

Are they the right questions or ar they flawed? absolutely! ;) ...

Not flawed and are a 'right' question. I think we need to get better at honouring all learning. emergent, transformative, formal, informal, etc... I don't think the assessment is nearly as important. People learn many things in many ways, and just because it can't be measured doesnt mean it didn't happen. The need to assess is flawed.

My son who was in K6 school on west coast of Canada was always approaching expectations according to thier approach, assessment techniques, curriculum. (he was losing confidence) Now on the east coast of Canada he has become star student according to a different set of expectations... the child didn't change, the assessment did. Assessment is flawed, we need to honour everyones learning, and how they learn, their pace, their depth... we need to encourage people to self-direct their learning... When we stop assessing to a framework or curriculum everyone becomes a star, become confident in themselves, a beautiful thing to see. Assessment ruins lives!

Don't get me wrong we need assessment when training surgeons. But most of the time we should do away with assessment.

In reply to Peter Rawsthorne

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by tony cairns -

I agree with Peter Rawsthorne


Is it possible to assess emergent learning? In science the testing fixes and creates the product, process and phenomena. So testing actually makes it so. Do testing to see if the circumstances, teaching learning is effective if only to learn how to teach and learn better but it’s a snapshot imperfect tool that excludes more data than it captures. The effect of testing may create the phenomena, will influence the phenomena and may destroy the phenomena rather than reinforce it. it certainly closes out other options.

I think self-assessment, peer assessment and digital tracking without intervention may be valid but testing may not tell you what you think it is telling you.

How do you 'capture' learning that is not expected?

I think all learning, discovery and original science is unexpected - if we expected it - it wouldn’t be unexpected. I think it’s hard to know what students and teachers, know, learn and think. Memories are made up of dream fragments that we assemble on the fly so there is no future or past just a present becoming and making both through making meaningful stories. If there is a past then there is no reason why it isn’t the future and vice versa i.e. they both plot, progress and proceed the same. i think it’s all down to choices we make on a moment by moment basis at a nanoparticle, micro and cellular level - most of these cells are not ours but bacterial or fungal or even viruses. So we are a sort of a multispecies hive or ecology lurching into other ecosystems in both time and space. Capture is the wrong word, track, discover, manifest, measure, assess, 

How do you measure or value it? 

If you measure it then start with self-assessment through reflection, journaling and meta data analysis, move to more interventionist approaches but avoid detection of assessment, videoing simulating and drama. Finally if you must invent a totally artificial paper based time resource support and location limited test based on comprehension, writing, numeracy and scientific literacy skills and inflict that on all students of a certain age based cohort on an annual basis and tie careers, lives and income to such spurious measure at your and their peril. But don’t fool yourselves, students, managers, bosses assessors and professional peers and colleagues that it is anything more than your ability to create a newer swifter more attractive mouse trap – ie mouse dead - cheese safe

Are they the right questions or are they flawed? 

Assessment is more for the teacher’s managers to rank and negate/reward teachers. They interfere with learning and become the purpose of the process. Teachers teach to the test and to the assessment questions – they forgo learning and teaching and replace with cramming, revising, reiterating, repeating, replicating rather than discovering, exploring and learning. Learning is replaced with grading. It is part of but not the reason for education it seeks to measure but there is no transferability, objectivity or point to it apart from ranking students and teachers and making rewards and disincentives easier to administer

The problem with not assessing brain surgery is the dead bodies of those that did not adopt the strategy that resulted in the best outcomes for the patient, family community and professions – both surgeons and patients – but few things are as extreme as this – most are incremental and not mission or survival crucial. Also brain surgeon’s and surgery changes over time from shamans to trepanning, to laser surgery and so should assessments and processes – robotic surgery and assessment simulations are now coming into focus

In reply to tony cairns

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Jenny Mackness -

Wow - this is quite a forum thread - such a lot to think about and digest. Thank you Peter and Tony for your thoughful responses to the questions I posted, which seem to not only align with each other but also to the posts of others.

I think the key points that have come out of all these responses for me are:

- we should honour all learning, not only what can be assessed,

- capture - is probably the wrong word to use in relation to emergent learning.

- assessment that is aligned with emergent learning will probably need to focus on self-assessment and reflection

- and finally - a thought that has come through this for me - and which has cropped up before from time to time - is - does the act of 'measuring/assessing' destroy what it is trying to 'measure/assess'?

So, by considering whether to assess emergent learning, are we in danger of destroying possibilities for emergent learning? Is this what you were getting at Peter when you asked why we should assess emergent learning?

And if we don't try to assess it - how can we ensure, in our current educational climate - that it is valued and encouraged? I think some of the answers are in the posts already made, but I am just marking this question.

In reply to tony cairns

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Phillip Rutherford -

First up I must say that I am excited to find this group. I first came across the concept of emergent (and transformative) learning while researching for my Ph.D thesis. I have progressed my thinking and experience a long way since then but have found very few thinkers who really understood the question of emergent learning (much less understood the answer).

Nevertheless, I am responding to this point so had better move along.

One of the issues I find is that so much of learning has attempts made to measure and evaluate it by the training/teaching which went into it. Unlike measuring the speed of a car by how much pressure is placed on the accelerator, learning cannot be measured by how much or what is taught. It is a phenomenon which occurs within a context and environment, much - most - of which cannot be influenced by the teacher, or even by the learner. So attempting to measure learning by what a teacher or trainer does is fraught.

Emergent and transformative (if it is to be real learning and not simply responding to a stimulus) learning finds its roots in the theories behind complexity and chaos. It is these concepts which, when underpinned by the studies into neuroplasticity, gives us a clue as to how the environment can be shaped in order to generate emergent learning.

If the learning is truly emergent and transformative it cannot be by definition be measured and evaluated. Therefore, it is my contention - drawn from a lot of years actual experience - that what should be assessed is not the learning but the learner's reaction to the environment and how his/her knowledge is shaped as a response.

 

In reply to Phillip Rutherford

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Jenny Mackness -

Hi Phillip - many thanks for all these ideas. I am interested that you mention studies in neuroplasticity. Do you have any more information about this you could share?

In reply to Jenny Mackness

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Phillip Rutherford -

Jenny,

Try the work of Dr Norman Doidge (author of The Brain That Changes Itself) or Barbara Arrowsmith-Young (author of The Woman Who Changed Her Brain). Very interesting research into how the brain can be trained to allow for new ways of learning.

 

In reply to Phillip Rutherford

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Nick Kearney -

It is hard to put a finger on what the "learning" is anyhow, but moving beyond that Philip what you are doing is to move the goal posts. Shame on you!!! :)

The issue about emergent learning (or whatever you want to call it) is that it escapes the prior definitions we have worked with in the field. There are three reactions, and they are present in this debate.

One tries to lassoo the coltish concept and drag it back within the fold. Once the emergent learning generates evidence it becomes manageable within a system that fails fundamentally to trust the individual (this is so ingrained we mostly dont even notice it).

Another notices emergent learning as an interesting anomaly, something worth studying, and of course measuring, and scoping and observing. Welcome of course, but I dare say, eternally marginal.

Then there is the view (not a new view) that understands emergent learning, once it is recognised as existing, as a fundamental and profound challenge to the way our society understands learning, knowledge and socialisation. If you recognise it you have to rethink education.

In this rethink as Philip puts it, it is all about the learner and her reaction to the environment, that interaction is central. Schools are a relatively limited part of it, and most of the influences that shape our society could be construed as emergent (though in many cases not accidental). There is an urgent need to address the issue.

I would be interested in building footprints of emergent learning experiences around events such as any episode of  the X factor :) or CNN news.

 

In reply to Nick Kearney

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Phillip Rutherford -

Moved the goalposts or learned that they were actually somewhere else? :-)

You are so correct - emergent learning does escape the 'prior definitions'. It is, after all, emergent  :-)

Seriously, I believe that emergent learning is un-lassoo-able (if there is such a word). The concept, perhaps, but not the phenomenon. IMHO for too long educationalists and training folk have tried to box learning in so that it could be controlled. But learning is continuous and happens without us even knowing. We see directly ahead but our conscious is scanning what is happning to the left and right of us. All of that is mixed with our prior experience and learning to contextualise and create what is happening to us. This is why learning is such a fluid, individual thing.

It is also why so many students learn very quickly what they must do to satisfy the examiner, and not necessarily their own curiosity. It is also why, in my experience, there is a real need to adopt your third point - the need to recognise the truths about learning and rethink education.

 

 

 

 

In reply to Phillip Rutherford

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Kathleen Zarubin -

I so so agree with you Phil re: It is also why so many students learn very quickly what they must do to satisfy the examiner ... 

in fact in the recorded webinar I saw someone write in the chat ....  (words along the lines of ..)

...  Students say ...  "just tell me what to do" 

 

I have said this myself - or even more overtly ...  'LOOK - tell me what you want &  I will give it to you..."  

Especailly when I am doing some 'learning' because I have to ..   in fact I often go straight to the assessment requirements and begin 'there'. 

I am not saying this is 'good'  (or even bad I guess) - It is what it is - especailly  when Person X holds the 'ticks'  and I NEED x amount of 'ticks'  to get Z outcome (almost always a bit of paper)  so I can (most often) give it to Authority Z  ...

So (most often) Authority Z can put a really BIG TICK against my name (and then everyone is happy :) 

I know it sounds cynical and it is, I guess.  In many ways I am sad to say Uni taught me this the most.  (but to be fair that was a long time ago & I am sure things have changed now ) 

and also - please don't get me wrong.  I was the FIRST in my extended family to even go to Uni -  complete with a number of people in the street to see me drive off on my first day .....  and I do have much 'fondness' for my degree and I really did learn how to play  the game ...  a skill which has helped me in life and one I did overtly encourage my children to learn as well ......  (AND I also did learn other things ) 

Maybe a classic case of Emergent Unplanned Learning -  unassessable (except for the fact I got 'good' grades - even from the 'hard markers' lol ) - but valuable learning for some situations nether-the-less :)    ??

In reply to Kathleen Zarubin

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Joyce McKnight -

Kathleen: From becoming acquainted with you in other venues, I would say you play the game well indeed and still manage to learn a lot and connect many diverse ideas well so it is possible to play the game, get the "ticks" and still win...too bad all the "ticks" often discourage folks.    I too have gone for some big "ticks" next to my name, but mostly while I was learning the really important things in life elsewhere and sometimes actually getting to apply that "real" learning to the "tick collection"...the real trick is to somehow find ways to get both "ticks" and satisfying learning...those who do have a right to feel smug about it!  :-)

In reply to Phillip Rutherford

Re: Assessing Emergent Learning

by Pat Tymchatyn -

I would agree with you Phil - "just tell me what I need to do . . .".  This is not only the attitude of students but professors - rubrics so that they can quantify the learning in some way and they tell themselves they are moving from subjectivity to objectivity - and what happened to expert opinion?  HOw to get to the "rethinking of education?"?