by Ngozichukwuka Okafor
A more diverse pool of students has access to education today than ever before. With these opportunities come challenges for teachers and instructors. Being a part of the WIP program and interacting with fellow TAs has renewed my interest in aspects of the education process I have always pondered. Issues to do with assessment specifically are of great interest because I don’t consider myself a traditional student and never have. What might be easy for other students to assimilate to and interact with has not always come easily to me. In those times, my teachers, instructors and professors can either be a point of light; illuminating the path for me to find my way, or be further obstacles by their assumptions.
Often, as teachers and instructors we assume a great deal about our students. We assume that our instructions are clear and easy to understand. We also assume common prior knowledge and motivations. Worse still, we assume assessments are mainly about students demonstrating their capability. Unfortunately, these assumptions form the basis for our practice. Sometimes we teach for outcomes so specific, that we ignore other unmeasured but equally valuable processes that occur in the mind of our students throughout the learning experience.
This disconnect is not why we became teachers. We teach because amongst other things we are passionate about helping people learn, grow and achieve their full potential. However, when we get into the profession, our intentions can get overrun by deadlines, workloads, assessments, targets and outputs. We don’t have enough time to guide the students who don’t match our assumptions. We resort to failing them or getting frustrated by the (lack of) effort shown in their work.
“When someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is guidance to turn him around” —Jim Rohn
An alternative would be to view assessment not only as an indicator of a student’s intelligence, but as an assessment of our success as educators, in the knowledge transfer process. It is our responsibility to ignite a quest for knowledge that our students will pursue for a lifetime. A grade is therefore a shared indicator of student and teacher success. When they fail, we too have failed. Failed to inspire, ignite, explain, engage, teach or guide.
In conclusion, as we teach and assess, when our students demonstrate a weak grasp of the material, let’s not get frustrated, but fascinated and ask: ‘What can I do to help this student succeed?’
It’s a tough balance, but we are WIP TAs and reflective practitioners, chosen for such a task as this.
Ngozi obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Brunel University, England. She graduated with a Masters degree cum laude in Organizational & Occupational Psychology from the University of East London, England. She is currently a 1st year PhD student at the Institute of Higher Education, UGA.
Her interests in education span reform issues in comparative higher education; specifically factors which influence student access, persistence, and success. Her work and research activities have seen her travel to 34 countries, exploring education systems and culture. When she isn’t studying, Ngozi is a devoted fan of Nollywood and Naija music.