Beyond the Tyranny of Testing: Relational Evaluation in Education

by Kenneth J. Gergen, Scherto R. Gill

Overview

Measurement-based assessment has dominated our educational systems at the expense of the learning and the well-being of students and teachers. In this book, Gergen and Gill propose a radical alternative to this broken system, which is based instead on an inspirational conception of schools as sites of collective meaning-making and a relational orientation to evaluation. The authors acknowledge that it is within the process of relating that the world comes to be meaningful for us, and equally, learning and well-being are embedded in relational process, which testing and grades undermine.

Providing detailed illustrations using cases from pioneering schools around the globe at both the primary and secondary level, this book demonstrates how a relational orientation to evaluation in education can enhance learning processes, foster students' engagement, vitalize relationships, and elevate the evaluation of teaching and the school as a whole. Featuring collaborative learning, dialogic pedagogy, and flexible curricula, relational evaluation truly speaks to the demands of a rapidly changing world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190872762
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	10/12/2020
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Kenneth J. Gergen is Senior Research Professor in Psychology at Swarthmore College and the President of the Taos Institute. He is internationally known for his contributions to social constructionist theory, technology and cultural change, the self, and relational practices. His major writings include Realities and Relationships: Soundings in Social Construction, The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life, and Relational Being: Beyond Self and Community. Gergen lectures throughout the world and has received numerous awards for his work, including honorary degrees in both the U.S. and Europe.

Scherto R. Gill is Senior Fellow at the GHFP Peace Research Institute, Visiting Fellow at the University of Sussex, and Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts (FRSA). Through research, international project development, and writing, she actively explores ways to foster practices of transformative dialogue, the ethics of caring, whole person development, and global peace. Her most recent books include Ethical Education: Towards an Ecology of Human Development, Human-Centered Education: A Handbook and Practical Guide, and Education as Humanisation.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1 Beyond the Tyranny of Testing
Chapter 2 Education as Relational Process
Chapter 3 Toward Relation-Centered Evaluation
Chapter 4 Relational Evaluation in Primary Education
Chapter 5 Relational Evaluation in Secondary Education
Chapter 6 Relational Approaches to Evaluating Teaching
Chapter 7 Relational Approaches to School Evaluation
Chapter 8 Relational Evaluation and Educational Transformation
Chapter 9 Toward Systemic Transformation in Education

Editorial Reviews

"This is a most welcome and timely volume that succeeds in developing an alternative approach to assessment, one that is not based on narrow definitions of performance, but one that centers on relational qualities of collaboration that lie at the heart of all good education. This is a volume written from the heart as well as the mind!" — Sharon Todd, Professor of Education, Maynooth University, Ireland

"The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education around the world has created an opportunity to reimage schools as communities of leaners and teachers dedicated to the co-construction of meaning assisted by advances in communications technologies. This volume is a must read for anyone interested in addressing this crisis through a relational vision that places human flourishing at the heart of evaluating learning and teaching." — Hanan A. Alexander (PhD), Professor of Philosophy of Education, University of Haifa; President, Religious Education Association; author of Reimagining Liberal Education: Affiliation and Inquiry in Democratic Schooling (Bloomsbury, 2015)

"Fully inclusive and equitable learning communities can flourish only when attention and care is given to nurture the relational process at the heart of education in general, and especially in its evaluation dimensions. With this new focus in mind and at heart, Gergen and Gill provide an innovative theoretical foundation essential for building more inclusive and equitable societies globally." — Patrice Brodeur (PhD), Associate Professor, Institute of Religious Studies, University of Montreal; Senior Adviser, International Dialogue Centre, Vienna, Austria, and co-author of Religion as a Conversation Starter (Bloomsbury, 2009)

"This is a most timely and important book. Timely because we now recognize the damage done to our educational vision and practice by the recent obsession with testing and accountability measures. This book is a justification for a different lens and one which does not polarise learning and relating but shows the deep connection between them and how they enhance each other. It also embeds the argument in strong illustrative evidence. Very important!" — Professor Colleen McLaughlin, Director of Educational Innovation, University of Cambridge, author of Implementing Educational Reform: Cases and Challenges (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming)

"Beyond the Tyranny of Testing demonstrates how evaluation of students, teachers, and schools can be done in an inclusive and relational manner that engages all members of the school community. It is a most timely book as educators are seeking alternatives to mechanistic and standardized forms of evaluation." — John (Jack) Miller , Professor of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto; author of The Holistic Curriculum

"This book pulls together a wealth of tried-and-tested alternatives to high-stakes testing that chart a clear course towards a fairer, more life-affirming education system that enables young people to locate themselves in a story of interbeing, rather than one of separation. I cannot recommend it highly enough!" — Dr James Mannion, Director, Rethinking Education; Bespoke Programmes Leader, UCL Institute of Education; co-author of Fear is the Mind Killer: Why Learning to Learn deserves lesson time - and how to make it work for your pupils

"In their fascinating book, Gergen and Gill share their relational vision of education. They provide a range of innovative relational practices of educational evaluation in primary and secondary classrooms, as part of teachers professional development, and of the entire school, unveiling the potential for the transformation of the learning process." — Thalia Dragonas, Emerita professor, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

"If you are concerned about education, read Beyond the Tyranny of Testing: Relational Evaluation in Education. Gergen and Gill's masterful treatise calls for a systematic transformation in education. Gergen and Gill point you toward a path that will help you become both the educator you want to be and the participatory leader every school and community needs in working with others to bring about the schools we desire." — Rolla E. Lewis, Professor Emeritus, California State University, East Bay

"In a world where testing has become a purpose of education in itself, Beyond the Tyranny of Testing argues in favour of a Copernican revolution in education: Social relations should be seen as central, not as a by-product of measurement regimes. With a focus on collaborative inquiry, this important, well-written and much-needed book proposes concrete evaluative practices for everyone in the educational system to see themselves as parts of this transformation." — Professor Peter Dahler-Larsen, Department of Political Science, University of Copenhagen, author of The Evaluation Society

"Gergen and Gill have provided us with a radically different way of thinking about education as a whole. Building on the idea that education is ultimately a relational process, they redefine what education is about, and develop a framework for educational evaluation from a relational perspective, with implications for pedagogical and curriculum transformation. A splendid book!" — Edmund W Gordon, Richard March Hoe Professor of Education and Psychology, Emeritus Teachers College, Columbia University; John M Musser Professor of Psychology, Emeritus Yale University

"This book is of great importance to education, as it makes a fundamental contribution to the dialogue on the role of evaluation in education. From a relational standpoint it invites new possibilities, including transforming students and teachers into learning partners. A must read for both educators and educational leaders!" — Loek Schoenmakers (PhD), Educational Specialist, Teacher Trainer, School Advisor, and CEO of Appreciative Change Works, The Netherlands

"Beyond the Tyranny of Testing has the potential to revolutionize education, and I am convinced that it is most timely for such a revolution to happen. This book can heal the trauma suffered by learners and educators under the system of traditional assessment, and bring new hope to the world." — Professor, Xinping Zhang, Dean, Nanjing Normal University, China

"What is the alternative to high stakes tests and top-down accountability measures that tell us very little about the quality of a student, teacher, or school? Gergen and Gill offer a provocative answer: relational accountability rooted in collaborative inquiry. Beyond the Tyranny of Testing is full of exciting ideas that have the potential to transform education." — Tony Wagner, best-selling author of The Global Achievement Gap and Creating Innovators

From the Publisher