Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect, Mark Barrow
I have an MA in Aesthetics and was keen to read how Foucault could be used in relation to assessment as I use other philosopher’s concepts in my teaching practice (eg. Merleau-Ponty touched-touching exercise for the microteaching session). The concept of “confession” as central to Foucault’s ethical ideas was intriguing. Reading about how inciting confession through assessment can bring about student transformation, through self-awareness, self-reflection, and self-adjustment was fascinating. This seems a more holistic approach to assessments than what the assessment matrix suggests. I found this reading a helpful guide towards writing and giving feedback, in the way it focuses on “strengths” and “weakness”, which I generally do but name “strengths” and “improvements” as I have found students particularly sensitive to “weakness”. Understanding how these relate to “confession” by enabling the student to connect their “self” with their work at first seemed obvious in the context of contemporary art where students make personal projects however, “telos” presented the notion of the student opening up to a moral self. I would like to use this approach towards current assessments for 2nd-year Contemporary Craft and Art student presentations. Considering assessment in the context of allowing a student to detach oneself from [work], to present [work] to oneself and question their meanings, conditions and goals (Rabinow, 1997) shifts how assessments can even be presented in class so they are received not with dread and fear but with curiosity and ambition towards self-awareness.
When Mezirow understands assessment as encouraging two movements beyond subjection in the student, firstly, away from alienation towards agency and secondly, away from lack of authenticity towards being ‘true to oneself’ (Mezirow, 1995, p. 48) he inspires how assessment exists not to isolate but motivate students towards authenticity. Reading how assessments can be used as a teacher’s individualising tool to get to know the student resonated as I have been giving feedback on 1st-year students’ draft assessments and personalities are being revealed, some of which are very challenging. Reading Foucault’s understanding of the journey to ‘judge, punish, forgive, console, and reconcile’ (Foucault, 1990, p. 61) made sense, and on recognition of which stage the student is at, I can encourage them to relinquish methods that are not of the contemporary craft/art discipline.
I appreciated that the article was explicit about a certain way of being or “self” appropriate to a discipline, and assessments are channelled through this lens while encouraging students to explore their “telos” as a means to be different from the norm. The phrasing around encouraging a student to be “‘political’ but without a political programme to give new forms to relational activities” (Barrow, 2006 p. 368) is particularly helpful in approaching assessment feedback on students developing ethically challenging practices. I also intend to implement reiterating to students during feedback on assessments how the assessment can give them a structure, not to cling to, but to negotiate with which was a student quote from the reading (Barrow, 2006 p. 368).
References
Barrow, Mark (2006) Assessment and student transformation: linking character and intellect, Studies in Higher Education, 31: 3, 357 — 372
Mezirow, J. (1995) Transformation theory of adult learning, in: M. Welton (Ed.) In defence of the life- world: critical perspectives on adult learning (New York, State University of New York Press), 39–70