EVALUATING THE CHILD

The present system of evaluating the child only causes stress and tension
By SHARDA DORAISWAMI

Educational Institutions use different methods to evaluate a child’s understanding. A few schools use a non-formal approach in assessing performance. This approach evaluates the child based on his/her personality traits, food habits, personal hygiene and perception or ability to grasp. This is the approach at the primary and upper primary level. The other is to conduct tests periodically.

A BETTER OPTION

This system of evaluation at the primary and upper primary levels could be done away with as it creates a lot of tension and worry for the child, parents and teacher. It would a better idea to conduct a series of class tests, oral and written, in the core subjects like English, Maths, Languages, Science, Social Studies (EVS) to assess the level of understanding in the class. For graded subjects like S.U.P.W., Arts and Crafts, value Education and Scripture diagrams, stick on pictures and charts can be shown to the children as examples.

After a lesson in the main subjects, dictation and a few questions (oral or written) could be given. Other ways of making learning a pleasurable experience are television programmes of channels meant for children. Children can be asked to write a small paragraph in what they like most. This helps increase writing skills and vocabulary. Teachers handling the age group of six to 10 years might find children very slow in grasping subjects or writing different syllabi should be able to guage children with this ability and handle them accordingly.

It is necessary for educationists to make changes in the present system of evaluation at least at the primary and upper primary level because at this stage children are only just beginning to learn to cope with different subjects/topics.

The author is a teacher at Delhi Public School, Ban galore

Source: The Hindu, Young world