Analise_the_Purpose_of_Assessment

ANALYSE THE PURPOSE OF ASSESSMENT. This essay will answer the question why do teachers teach' It will look at the different stages of assessment used within Leonard Cheshire disability and how these assessments meet the needs of the individuals on the course. Petty believes that the majority of all successful learning comes from experiences (petty 2009). This can be linked to Kolb’s learning cycle. He describes that in order to learn from experience, the learners needs to reflect on their understanding and experiences- be it positive or not. The first assessment is carried out in the initial stages of employment; this allows any needs that the learner has to be supported. It also allows any previous experience the learner has to be taken on board. For example the level of moving and handling training the learner depends on their abilities and experience. Without this assessment it would be unclear at which stage the learner was at and how a trainer could help them to move on with their learning. There are different types of assessment. Initial and diagnostic, this tends to take place at the start of a course or during induction. Formative is an on going assessment running along side the course. It is used to ensure that learning is and has been successful. It also allows trainer’s the opportunity to offer feedback to the learners on their progress. “Careful feedback can motivate, enlighten and provide a vehicle for development. Bad feedback can destroy confidence.”(Wilson.l pg118).During first aid training I observe the learners carrying out role plays this, allows me to assess there skill levels and ensure that they have understood the instruction. By giving positive feedback it can motivate students who lack confidence to reach that self actualisation as stated in Maslow’s Hierarchy. (Maslow, A (1954) pg236) Summative assessments measures learning at the end of the course. This measures the skills of the learner and also the trainer. During first aid and medication to meet the criteria for the qualification the learners have to reach a certain standard. When looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, it states that employers need to provide a workplace environment that encourages and enables employees to fulfil their own unique potential (self-actualization). The different stages of assessment aim to meet these needs and recognising that as learners we all learn in different ways. Bloom stated that there are three main domains in relation to learning. Learning that is transferring knowledge- Cognitive Domain. Learning that is developing attitudes- Affective Domain and learning that is generating a skill- The Psychomotor domain. (Wilson.L(2009) pg159). These Domains are used to determine the level of assessment, for example looking at the first Domain in relation to medication training there are three levels of assessment the first level requires the learners to have knowledge of the subject and be able to recognise what the process is of giving medication is but they will not play a part in the administrating of medication. The next level requires the learners to have comprehensive knowledge of the process and identify when the process is not being carried out correctly, they would not administer medication alone but they may be working alongside the senior. The third stage requires the learner to be able to administer medication following the 5 rights, ordering medication and checking in the new medication. They will be able to identify mistakes and know the process that is followed in reporting errors. The final stage is for managers and includes all of the above plus the added responsibility of checking staffs competency in administrating medication. This is following Blooms taxonomy for the Cognitive Domain.(Wilson.L (2009)pg 160). If learners were placed on the final stage of medication the level would be set to high for them and leave them feeling de motivated. On the other hand if you place a learner on the lowest level when they have the skills required to achieve higher they can feel de motivated. This is assessed during the initial induction stage of employment and also in accordance with staff’s job roles. There is room for staff to develop and archive higher goals and these are determined through the supervision stage when learners can identify there future goals. Looking at the Taxonomy of the Affective Domain this is the process of developing a skill, again this goes in levels. Moving and handling the levels range from being told to adopt a semi stance squat, next level they carry out the semi stance squat, next level they know the dangers of not carrying out safe moving and handling. Next level they correct others in relation to manual handling and at the highest level they teach the technique. Finally Psychomotor the generating of a skill this ranges from doing what is being asked all the way to doing the right thing without thinking. Blooms model offers a descriptive word to summarise each level and I believe it provides an indication of the behaviour that should be demonstrated. In conclusion the reason teachers teach is to allow learners to meet there full potential, there is not a one size fits all. By offering learning at different levels and having assessments throughout will motivate learners to reach for there goal. For a lot of the courses that are develop within Leonard Cheshire there is the room for trainers to vary the assessments according to the needs of the learners but for the higher level course’s that are accredited if the awarding bodied requires an exam then that is the method of assessment that must be used. Support would still be offered but the flexibility would not be there to change the questions.