Dialogic feedback for children and teachers: evaluating the ‘spirit of assessment’

Abstract

Assessment is often portrayed as impersonal or, if personal, rather negative or even aggressive. In schools, much assessment tends to lower the self-esteem of pupils, whilst in universities, feedback is often rated lower than other dimensions by higher education students. Yet assessment of work is generally the most intensively individual regular teacher–pupil or tutor–student communication. The work here presents an analytical framework, making use of questions developed through research on the spirit of the school, with those questions in turn piloted with a small group of 15 pupils, students and tutors. It is the combination of dialogue, learning, and community that make up what is described in the larger research project as being more spirited, a form of spirituality based on the relational principles of David Hay, in turn derived from the theories of community and dialogue of John Macmurray and Martin Buber. The research presents an analytical and pedagogic tool that links the work of teachers in schools to the preparation of teachers, and links written assessment feedback to the central purposes of learning communities.

Keywords:

• assessment
• feedback
• dialogue
• spirituality