Activity 3.8

Questions About Culture and Assessment

Purposes:

  1. To expand awareness of cultural factors that affect students' ability to clearly demonstrate their learning during alternative assessments and our ability to interpret the quality of their work

  2. To reflect on and discuss questions that are sometimes given little attention in assessment planning

Uses:

This is an awareness level activity that can be used in Chapter 1 to illustrate potential sources of bias and distortion, or in Chapter 3 as an opener for a much deeper examination of the interaction of culture, language, and assessment.

Rationale: When alternative assessments are planned and implemented as part of systemic initiatives, there are profoundly important questions to ask and answer about culture. Examining the interaction of culture and assessment is essential in order to assure that all children have the best chance possible to create an accurate portrait of their knowledge and capabilities.

Materials:

Time Required:

90 minutes

Facilitator's Notes:

  1. (2 minutes) Use Overhead 3.8,O1—Questions About Culture and Assessment Purposes, as needed, to explain the purposes of the activity.

  2. (10-20 minutes) One way to begin this activity is to open the session with the question—What's the vision of the community for the future of its children?

    In situations where parents and community members are invited to take part, this is a starting point that builds bridges between educators and families. Often the dreams that teachers, administrators, families, and communities have for their children are strikingly similar. Small role groups can brainstorm and share their answers, with the facilitator helping to emphasize the common dreams.

    In some cultures, separating the children from their community is inappropriate—they are part of the wholeness of the community. Thus, starting questions for vision building would include "What is the vision of the community for its future?" as well as "For the future of its children?")

  3. (60-80 minutes) Following this consensus building, participants can be given handout A3.8,H1—Critical Questions and asked to select one or several questions for reflection and discussion. If your purpose is to create awareness of the multiple ways in which people answer these questions, cross-cultural groups might be effective. In all instances, individuals should be given the opportunity to self-select both the grouping preferred and the question(s). When participants work in "same culture" groups, you can use a jigsaw strategy that draws on the knowledge of each group and makes members responsible for sharing answers across cultures following the "same culture" discussions.

    Groups can consider all questions or divide up the questions depending on time available and whether or not this activity is part of an ongoing process for improvement. Groups may be brought back together for whole-group discussion if appropriate.

    (Note 1: Answers to the questions outlined in Handout A3.8,H1 may differ even when participants and students share a common culture. The activity can then become a reminder of cultural factors to be consciously considered in alternative assessments. When participants bring separate cultural perspectives and experiences from those of their students, these critical questions need to be addressed in partnership with students and others whose knowledge of the culture(s) can be tapped. The language(s) of the discussions in this environment should be based on the needs of participants to communicate in the language in which they can best express their thoughts.)

    (Note 2: When answers to critical questions are to be shared more widely and formally beyond the group, keep in mind that some participants may be free to speak for their culture, others may not. In several groups engaged in this process, members wished to consult with cultural leaders and respected elders to validate their preliminary responses.)

Discussion often raises points such as the following:

a. The Role of Context:

High context cultures (such as those found in the South Pacific and Micronesia) tend to use communication strategies in which most of the essential meaning is embedded in physical and non-verbal means. Low context cultures, by contrast, tend to use communications in which meaning is made explicit through detailed and sometimes elaborate verbal or written messages. What are the implications for assessment? Members of high context cultures interpret "over-elaboration" as an indication that the speaker believes they don't "get it." When the home culture values high context communication, the pressure for elaboration within school assessments presents a significant challenge to students. How do we build bridges for children across contexts so that they can be successful within the school culture without dishonoring their home culture?

b. When Does Positive=Negative?

Feedback about the quality of student work is greatly affected by the role of feedback in a culture. Positive feedback provided publicly to individuals or groups is inappropriate in some cultures. Overly positive feedback in some cultures (such as those in the South Pacific and Micronesia) is used to call attention to the weaknesses of the work. Awareness of the role of feedback, appropriate ways to give it, who may give it, and the power of positive or negative feedback is essential.

c. What's the Role of Questioning?

Who may ask questions differs widely across cultures. Some cultures (such as those in the South Pacific and Micronesia) consider student questions of the teacher as challenges to authority. Can distinctions be made between questioning to learn and questioning to challenge? How do efforts to promote critical thinking and inquiry impact culture and family relationships?

  1. Facilitators and participants are encouraged to brainstorm additional critical questions. Some of the most fruitful discussions come from the questions raised by participants. This is an activity which can be very hard to close. Depending on your time limits, you can close by emphasizing that the handout is food for further thought and action.