Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Drawing on the research of the Portsmouth Learning Community project (2002-2007) which involved schools and centres within Portsmouth Local Authority and the University of Sussex, John Blanchard argues that assessment should be focused on supporting learning.

The book introduces the notion of formative approaches and sets out ‘ten things to be clear about in teaching and learning’.  Blanchard presents a case, urging staff to think about ethos, prior knowledge, intention, interest, criteria, method, resilience, achievement, improvement and application.  For each, Blanchard devotes a chapter, using quotations from students and teachers to illustrate the points he make. 

Helpfully, the book is broken down into small sections, with reflective questions and space for notes.  This book, then, is targeted at practitioners who want to deepen their understanding of formative assessment and are keen to apply this within their classrooms.  It is also suitable for school leaders or CPD organisers who want to pull out key ideas relating to formative assessment and share these with a wider audience.

The book aims to be a practical guide, and so an appendix full of ideas will prove useful to many.  These include suggestions for running a moderation meeting, developing policy and overviews of lessons observed.

 213 pages