Assessment as Learner Support

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Assessment as learner support.

Be Creative

Being creative and to thinking outside the box. Making each lesson exciting for the students, can capture their attention and help maximize their results. Implementing things like role-playing, debates, and games can all be fun ways to keep your students engaged and eager for future lessons.

Provide Relevant Study Materials

Most students will need some supplemental materials to help with their studies. One of the best ways to help students succeed is by providing relevant materials in the form of e-books, online resources, and past year papers. This allows students to get a feel for exam-style questions and assists dramatically with their preparation.

Accept All Students

No two students are the same and we often come across some that appear unprepared or disinterested. While this can be difficult to deal with at times, we as educators often need to adapt to the diverse needs of the classroom as a whole. We can start with an ungraded pre-test to get a good gauge of where the majority of our students are at in their studies.

Stay Up-To-Date

Another simple and most effective ways is to stay updated. Ensure that we are aware of all the latest news, educational advancements, and technologies. By passing this information on to our students, we can also ensure theyā€™ve got the most relevant knowledge to succeed.

Use a Variety of Teaching Methods

Repeatedly using the same approach may make it difficult for all of our students to engage with the lesson. There are four main types of learning; visual, auditory, reading/writing, and kinesthetic. To create the most well-rounded lessons possible, we can choose one type of learning to teach our students.

Set Achievable Goals

To engage our students throughout the school terms, we want to set challenging yet attainable goals for them. Working with them to determine goals that theyā€™d be happy with and how we can work together to achieve them. This can help hold our students accountable and allow them to reach their potential.

Encourage their Involvement in Academic Groups

Some students can really struggle with a strenuous workload and could benefit from interacting with other scholars on a regular basis. Involvement in these groups can allow our students to develop new insights and study methods that really help their results.

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In the Solomon islands as one one the developing country, I think learners really need the following to support them to succeed in their studies.

  1. Teaching and learning resource.
    There should be relevant teaching and learning resources to learners learning
  2. Financial support.
    Either from parent, guidain or even the government or Other NGO within the setting.
  3. Quality teaching.
    Attractive learning is the positive outcome of quality teaching. We need qualified personals to do this.
  4. Conducive learning environment.
    The environment must be relevant for learning.
  5. Guidance in teaching.
    Learners need to be assisted rather than doing things themselves.
  6. Parental/community support.
    Learners as the future leaders of the community, the really need support from these two stakeholders in order to succeed in their studies.
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Support learners need to succeed in their studies:

  • Set a learning goal.
  • Have a positive attitude.
  • Monitor their progress.
  • Parentsā€™ involvement.
  • Quality instruction and delivery in school.
  • Better school facilities to learn.
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1. Know your studentsā€™ learning strengths
While one student might excel in arts and creative subjects, their best friend at school might find that maths, sports and science are more suited to their skills.

2. Practical intelligence

This is also called ā€˜street smartsā€™. Students who are high in practical intelligence will have plenty of commonsense and be able to adapt quickly to changing environments.

  1. Creative intelligence:

Students who are high in creative intelligence excel at tasks that require invention, creativity, discovery and imagination.

4.Analytical intelligence:

Students who are high in analytical intelligence are great at tasks that require planning, critical thinking and analysis.

  1. Learn who your students are as individuals

Getting to know who your students are as individuals can help you to provide an inclusive, respectful and accepting classroom environment. Chat with a student who enjoys gaming about the latest video game, or suggest a book to a student who you know likes to read; this can build trust and show students that you are genuinely interested in their lives outside of the classroom.

  1. Provide students with opportunities to explore key interests

Understanding your studentsā€™ interests will help you to provide them with quality learning opportunities. By giving them the opportunity to explore areas they are interested in ā€“ for example, the environment ā€“ they will be more likely to engage with the learning process.

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Support for learning means giving the children the extra help or guidance so that they get the most out of their education to reach their goals. these can be in various forms which depends on the different learning ability of the child.

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Contexing learnersā€™ support in the context of online support (most of my past teaching, and current are F2F), to name a few:

  1. Provide accessibility to the internet (affordable or for free)
  2. Trainers should have accessibility during their learning time to the trainers, supporter
  3. Course contents and lesson activities should be simple, clear, and suitable to the learners past learning preferences.
  4. Immediate and timely feedback to the Learners needs
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Remote learning can be challenging, especially for students in remote areas. Here are some strategies:

  1. Focus tasks on worthy goals and meaningful learning: Plan learning experiences that focus on applying ā€œanchor standardsā€ of E/LA, the Practices in Mathematics and Science, Historical Thinking Skills in Social Studies, and the creative processes in the arts. Assignments and tasks should be performance-based and set in realistic contexts as much as possible.

  2. Specify the task directions and success criteria: Clearly communicate the task directions and success criteria to students.

  3. Provide differentiated support and encourage studentsā€™ ā€œchoice and voiceā€: Provide students with assignments and tasks that challenge them to find information from various sources, critically appraise what they find, and use what they learn to address interesting issues and genuine problems.

  4. Provide feedback along the way: Provide feedback to students throughout the learning process.

  5. Encourage studentsā€™ self-assessment, reflection, and goal setting: Encourage students to reflect on their learning process, assess their own progress, and set goals for themselves.

  6. Resist traditional grading: Consider using alternative forms of assessment such as self-assessment, peer assessment, or project-based assessment.

  7. Request an ā€œhonor codeā€ pledge from students and parents: Encourage students and parents to sign an honor code pledge that emphasizes academic integrity.

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To support learners in the rural islands to succeed in their studies, several key areas should be considered:

  1. Access to Resources: Ensure that learners have access to sufficient educational resources, such as textbooks, learning materials, and digital platforms. This may involve establishing well-equipped libraries or providing e-learning opportunities.

  2. Internet Connectivity: Enhance internet connectivity in the rural islands, as it is vital for accessing online resources and e-learning platforms. Collaborate with telecommunication providers or explore options like satellite internet to overcome connectivity challenges.

  3. Qualified Teachers: Recruit and retain qualified and motivated teachers who are willing to work in rural areas. Providing financial incentives, professional development opportunities, and supporting teacher housing can help attract and retain talented educators.

  4. Infrastructure Development: Improve and maintain school infrastructure, including classrooms, laboratories, and libraries. Ensure that learning spaces are conducive to education and provide a safe environment for students.

  5. Transportation: Establish reliable transportation systems to help learners commute to and from their schools. This can include school buses or other affordable transportation options, particularly if schools are located far from residential areas.

  6. Community Engagement: Foster collaboration between schools, families, and the entire community. Encourage parental involvement and volunteer support to create a supportive learning environment for the students.

  7. Financial Assistance: Provide financial assistance and scholarship programs to help economically disadvantaged students pursue their studies. This can reduce the financial burden on families and enable more students to access education.

  8. Mentorship and Counseling: Implement mentorship programs that connect learners with professionals who can guide and inspire them in their studies. Additionally, offer counseling services to address any academic or personal challenges that learners may face.

  9. Personalized Learning: Incorporate personalized learning approaches to cater to diverse learning needs and preferences. Emphasize project-based learning, interactive teaching methods, and individualized support to enhance student engagement and achievement.

  10. Health and Nutrition: Address health and nutrition needs by establishing school feeding programs, conducting health check-ups, and providing access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities. Healthy students are more likely to succeed academically.

By addressing these areas, learners in rural islands can receive the necessary support to thrive in their studies and achieve their educational goals.

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Learners in my context (Fiji) need the following support in order to be successful in their studies:

  • Access to quality resources and learning materials. This includes textbooks, workbooks, stationery, and computers with internet access.
  • Support from teachers and other educators. This includes clear instructions, feedback on work, and extra help when needed.
  • A positive and supportive learning environment. This means feeling safe and respected in the classroom, and having the opportunity to learn at oneā€™s own pace.
  • Nutritional support. This means having access to healthy food and drinks, so that students can focus on their learning.
  • Emotional and mental health support. This includes having access to counseling and other services to help students cope with stress, anxiety, and other challenges.

Some specific examples of how to support learners in Fiji:

  • Provide students with access to digital textbooks and other learning materials, so that they can learn from anywhere.
  • Train teachers on how to use technology to support learning and provide differentiated instruction.
  • Create a safe and inclusive learning environment where all students feel respected and valued.
  • Provide students with access to nutritious food and drinks, such as free school lunches and breakfast programs.
  • Offer counseling and other mental health services to students who need them.

By providing learners with the support they need, we can help them succeed in their studies and reach their full potential.

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Assign small doable assignments, or break large assignments into small ones** , so that students can be successful. Know how your students are doing and make adjustments. Apply content through experiential learning opportunities. Set up the class so that students feel supported by their peers through group work.

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The support that learners needs in terms of academic are:
1.The varieties of learning resources and aids to each and every students to use for their studies.
2. The academic support from parents and guardians to motivate the learners to learn.
3. Providing students with greater opportunities to explore their key area of interests.
4. Conducive learning environment

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Students needs fully support through their learning.
Support from their parents,their teachers.
We must support students like us teachers be more creative and resourceful so that they will succeed, experience through their learning skills and achieve what they aim through it.

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  1. Offer online office hours: Instructors can make themselves available to learners during set periods of the day or week to talk to them.
  2. Be generous with your feedback: Providing constructive feedback can help learners understand their strengths and weaknesses and improve their performance.
  3. fast response time on emails: Learners may have questions or concerns that require prompt attention. By promising a fast response time, instructors can help learners feel supported and valued.
  4. Be lenient when possible: Instructors can be flexible with deadlines and grading policies when appropriate. This can help learners feel less stressed and more motivated.
  5. Provide accountability: While being lenient is important, itā€™s also important to hold learners accountable for their work. Instructors can set clear expectations and provide consequences for missed deadlines or poor performance.
  6. Be proactive in reaching out to learners: Instructors can check in with learners regularly to see how theyā€™re doing and offer support when needed.
  7. Communicate: Clear communication is key to supporting learners. Instructors should be transparent about their expectations, policies, and procedures.
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Learners in my context need support with regards to:
-First and foremost, moral guidance. With exponential increase in social issues and over indulgence with social media and other platforms, the classroom environment can be the moral climate for the students. This will assist in reducing discipline issues, thus producing a more conducive learning environment.

  • Resources: apart from the class notes and activities, students need extra resources from their teachers to keep them engaged and motivated in learning.
    -Counselling when needed. Apart from the core activity of teaching and learning in the classroom, situations do arise where students would need help in terms of counselling.
  • Partnership with all stakeholders. As the age old adage says ā€œIt takes a community to rear a childā€.
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As primary teachers, I would prefer that our teachers who teach the learners in our rural communities need support on the ground right now. Teachers should be encouraged and supported on how to spot on when using our revised syllabus and the new teacherā€™s guide successfully inside the classroom. This is especially true for our lower primary from kindergarten to year 8. Most of our teachers do not align themselves with our curriculum and in the end, learners are not successful in implementing what is required of them.
2. Learners need full support from the teachers, parents and the Vanua ( District & Province )because students are part of them. Teachers are the medium of constructing and delivering teaching and learning strategies inside the classroom. Constructive learning using high teaching strategies should be centre focus on our student learning where Teachers lay the platform and cultural environment for the students to construct their ideas and knowledge inside the classroom rather than the teachers being out of scope from our curriculum. Our curriculum development unit is the one that designed our curriculum and also picked sets of questions for our year 8 students before moving on to high school so the ball is in our hands to make sure we teach the right thing to the students and vice versa to suit and develop students learning in our community.

  1. Extracurricular activities
    We should encourage farming, sports, cooking, drawing, learning musical instruments, singing, entrepreneurship, soft skills etc. Most learners do not successfully finish their studies when they move further to high school but lack confidence in basic life skills when they go to their community.
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Learning needs of students differ based on the class and environment.
some of basic needs includes:
1.conducive learning environment,
2. sufficient resources such as, textbook, teachers summarized notes, ICT and white board to facilitate diverse learning abilities of students.
3. Financial support-in terms of transport assistance and lunch pass.
4. Academic and Discipline monitoring.
5.Positive reinforcement in cases of Failure or an indiscipline act.
6.Dynamic and versatile teachers for preparing students for future.

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Here are some ways that students need support of to succeed in their studies:

  1. Self-regulation - the student needs to manage his/her attention, emotions, and behaviors to succeed in is their studies.

  2. Growth Mindset - Students can learn more and overcome challenges they face everyday.

  3. Good Values - Good values can guide the students in the right path of life.

  4. Allowing Mistakes - Allowing students to make mistakes helps build resilience and is essential to building the studentā€™s confident. They need to learn from their mistakes to do better than they were while you as a teacher guides and encourages them to learn and succeed.

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A big part of a learners life is the support they get in order to be motivated to succeed in their studies. Hereā€™s a few of the many support system I have gathered for this discussion;

  1. Access to quality learning resources
  • ensuring students have access to technologies, textbooks and other learning materials to support their studies
  1. Safe learning environment
  • this would boost a students motivation and eagerness to look forward to attend classes of a safe and free of discrimination environment
  1. Involvement of parents and guidance
  • when thereā€™s a good support system at home no doubt the student will excel academically
  1. Health and well-being
  • access to proper health support would help students mentally and physically
  1. Motivational peer group support
  • encourage peer support learning
  • study groups
  • enhances positive interactions amongst the students
  1. Effective innovative teachers and teaching methods
  • having experienced, passionate, with innovative teaching skills teachers, is the most important need of a student in my opinion
  • regular professional development sessions enhances a teachers style of teaching, character and skills
  1. Financial support
  • funds, scholarships, grants, assistance for transport and food for the disadvantaged
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What support do they need to succeed in their studies?

Student needs vary. Some students may need:

Academic support like tutoring, extra classes, group teaching, mentoring etc.

Emotional support like counselling in terms of mental health, stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional challenges.

Financial support such loans, grants and scholarships for tuition, accommodation , textbooks and stationery, and transport.

Career support such as career counselling, available jobs, available courses, etc.

Technical support such availability of computers, laptops, networks, internets, libraries etc.

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In the Fijian context, learners need comprehensive support to succeed in their studies.

  1. Resource Access: Many Fijian learners face resource limitations, including access to textbooks, technology, and educational materials. Ensuring equitable access to these resources is crucial for their academic success.
  2. Qualified Teachers: Highly qualified and motivated teachers are essential. They should receive continuous professional development to stay updated with best teaching practices.
  3. Curriculum Adaptation: The curriculum should be adapted to reflect the Fijian context, incorporating local examples, values, and customs. This would make learning more relevant and engaging for students.
  4. Parental Engagement: Encouraging parental involvement and fostering a supportive home learning environment is crucial. Parents should be informed about the importance of education and how to assist their children in their studies.
  5. Inclusive Education: Implementing inclusive education practices ensures that all learners, including those with disabilities, have the opportunity to succeed. This may involve tailored support and resources.