To Test or Not to Test

One issue that has arisen with my latest college class is the debate over testing. I, personally, do not see that testing is effective. In fact, it is counter-productive. With the fear of a test hanging over a child's head, (s)he is going to learn what is required long enough to pass the test. No real knowledge has been attained. No real learning has taken place. To me, observation and documentation is much more effective than testing. When I do learning activities with Taliesin and Nathanael or with the daycare children, we practice together and then I allow them to explore on their own. I make notes about how well they understand the concept. It is just so sad to me that people all too often do not realize that children will learn if they are given the opportunity to learn naturally, at their own pace. What do you think? I would love to hear others' opinions.

Kandy