 
Week 3 - Outcomes and Standards
|  | Happy Chooks Put on More Weight |
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MR TERRY BALL
Queensland, Australia
MY FRIEND DAVID is a poultry farmer and over a breakfast with friends one Saturday recently he related that happy chooks put on more weight. Having served as a Quality Assurance Officer (Curriculum) for two years, and in that time having learnt a lot about the processes used in identifying quality, I asked him how he knew this. In these days of high-tech. science, I fully expected his response to encompass a range of techniques for monitoring, measuring and recording data related to the management of sheds containing some 100,000 chickens. The response was quite unexpected: 'I have been a chook farmer for 20 years and I just know'.
No Gymnastic Gyrations
There is a continual need for David to ensure a good quality product, produced efficiently, so it might seem a little puzzling to have such a simplistic approach, especially when compared with the gymnastic gyrations currently surrounding the gauging of educational outcomes in Queensland, and elsewhere. A simplistic approach maybe, but only on the surface. Behind David's statement lies a breadth of experience and, above all, considerable powers of observation.
David long ago realised that when his four-year-old grandson enters a pen and proceeds to herd 1,000 chickens into a corner amid much cackling and flapping of wings that the results could well be catastrophic - the upset prevents the chickens in this pen from gaining as much weight as do those in other pens. How does David know? After this happened a couple of times, the results were observable.
David places keen faith in his powers of observation, and it is evident that the community does not share the same faith in teachers' judgements of student progress - hence the worldwide trend for external measures of the learning outcomes of schools. It is true that David does not only rely on his own observations. Sure, he does use a thermometer to measure the temperature in his sheds (heat stress is critical - 9,000 chickens were once lost in a heatwave); he does measure the quality of feed and monitor the water which goes into each pen (poor quality feed means less weight gain, or more cost for the same gain). Sure, a range of measuring and monitoring techniques is used in the management of the whole operation. But overall, David relies on his own observation and judgement when making decisions. The same reliance should apply to teachers' judgements about learning outcomes in the classroom.
The Obstacle of Test Mentality
The test mentality, which has beleaguered the educational scene for the past generation, has severely hindered teachers and teaching. The question: 'Is this for assessment?' from students is an indication as to where their priorities lie (certainly not in true learning for the sake of it), as does the practice of using marks as motivators employed by some teachers (again, with a detrimental effect on learning).
There are two points which need to be made as a result of my discussion with David. The first is that teachers need to have more faith in their own powers of observation and the subsequent judgements made. I firmly believe that a competent teacher could teach a class for three months, then write a report card on every student in the class without conducting any formal assessment. I am not advocating that this occur but I do believe that such is the power of observation and the ability of teachers to know their learners. Formal assessment really only serves to confirm or justify teachers' observations, or provide detailed diagnosis of learning needs, particularly for the learning disadvantaged.
When applied to a practical situation such as Queensland's Year 2 Diagnostic Net, there is no necessity, in many instances, for teachers to collect volumes of test items or work samples to demonstrate that a child has achieved a particular indicator. In many instances, an annotation by the teacher showing when the behaviour was observed should be sufficient. If there is doubt, then more data may be required.
The second point is that you don't fatten a pig by weighing it. The same applies to chooks, and also to schools. The measurement mania sweeping the educational world might lead to more consistency in reporting of outcomes, but little in the way of improvement. If the beast is to be fattened, then feed it. Better quality outcomes from schools will only result from better quality inputs, not more measurement of outcomes!
Danger of Taking Testing Too Far
There is a danger that the current national testing program can be taken too far. A holistic approach is needed to ensure that the basics are met, then enrichment provided if we are to produce a better quality product. Accountability procedures should account for both, whether we are growing chooks, or educating children.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mr Terry Ball is Principal of William Duncan State School in the Gold Coast's hinterland. He has been a principal for 27 years, his last school Palm Beach being multiage in organisation. He is the foundation secretary of the MultiAge Association of Queensland and is Treasurer of the Queensland Association of State School Principals.
He served for two years as a Quality Assurance Officer (Curriculum), a position created by the reforms contained in the Wiltshire Report. He has a deep belief in developmentally appropriate education and is keen to make contact with other like-minded educators in Australia or elsewhere in the world.
Terry can be contacted by email at:
tjball@onthenet.com.au
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