Isn't it about time we started to measure what we treasure?

By Mark House

In the past we have written about the negative influence of assessment washback. We have also noted that in terms of curriculum choices we tend to treasure what we measure.

A presentation by members of the Dance Adjudication Newtwork at the recent Symposium laid down a clear challenge - think much more clearly about what you value and then build assessments that encourage rather than discourage value creation.

Isn't it time we started to measure what we treasure?

Dance Adjudication Network

You can read more about DAN and the work they completed around Breaking at the Paris Olympics in this recent blog post. With a deep understanding of breaking culture the group have developed an approach which allows them to 'meassure what they treasure'. They have done this is the face of assesment orthodxy to retain a holistic approach that is built in freedom and self expressions. The core values are epressed on their simple acronmym called F.A.C.T.S.

Trivium

The Trivium is a foundational concept in classical education, comprising three interconnected stages of learning: Grammar, Logic (or Dialectic), and Rhetoric. This educational model has its roots in ancient Greece and Rome and was further developed during the Middle Ages.

The DAN have used this approach to build their own Trivium that is the basis for their judging system.

Disputation

Another approach the group use is through disputation which requires requires students to compare and evaluate different positions, developing their reasoning and argumentation skills. We were fortunate to see this in action in London as part of a judge training workshop.

"But why don't you just use scores?"

By talking a comparative approach to assessment DAN are able to release themselves from the tyranny of scoring. Interestingly (and depressingly), the IOC it seems were unable to resist the draw of scoring. Despite having a clear understanding of the rationale behind the DAN system they adopted, the Olympic organises still managed to strap a somewhat bizarre scoring system onto the elegant system they had been presented with. In doing so they had their scores, but lost a bit of the value they could have had.

The challenge of leaving scores behind is one we see everyday,

One comparison at a time

We continue to work with the DAN - they get it! Like us they know that changing hearts and minds is an ongoing process, but perhaps change is in the air.