Headlines By James Saunders 30th November 2018
We have almost completed our mock exams and in the new year there will be a mock results day to simulate the feeling that learners will have in the summer. There will however be a difference - that feeling will not be set in stone. If learners are not happy with the outcome they now have time to do something about it. I have however, heard quite a few times comments such as this: ‘they are only mocks, not the real thing’; ‘it doesn’t really mean anything anyway’; ‘they are not the grades I will get in the summer’; ‘I don’t like sitting exams’; ‘I can’t do it - I get anxious in exams’. These are not uncommon feelings toward this period on the academic calendar and guess what? No one really likes exams - I know I don’t. However, I would argue that they are an important part of a learners journey. To unpick that I have started to think about what the point of testing is in the first place. I started to think of the possible things that require a test: a driving test; a blood test; a test match; a fitness test; a crash test. A driving tests checks whether you have met a certain standard of knowledge and skill to be able (trusted even) to drive independently. A blood test is designed to diagnose you - to test whether there is a problem. A test match is a simple test to see who can perform the best. A fitness test diagnoses how fit you are. A crash test identifies weaknesses. So what is the point of a mock exam or test. Well I think it is all of the above. Teachers will want to assess whether a learner has met a standard appropriate for their age - that they have made the right amount of progress; that they are able to independently master a certain body of knowledge and understanding. They will want to identify any problem areas so that they can then address these in their teaching. They will want to diagnose how much a learner has learnt and they will want to identify the weaknesses that need addressing. Sitting exams is tough. It is mentally and physically exhausting. It is perfectly normal to find this a struggle, to not want to do it in the first place. That gut wrenching feeling when entering an exam hall is very common. If you feel this you are not alone. Even today I feel this way if you put me in a high stakes test situation. However, what I have come to realise is that a little anxiety around exams is quite normal. We want to do our best.
We care. It means a lot to us. That’s why it can often cause us pain. But that pain is short, it does not last forever. In fact the only certainty regarding an exam is that after two hours it will be over and so will the pain. Whatever your opinion is of Lance Armstrong and the choices he made, I think the following quote bares some relevance to what I have been talking about. ‘Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.’ Teachers will not be giving out the final outcomes from the mock exams until 11th January so that learners have a genuine experience of waiting and experiencing the nervousness of opening that envelope. We will then of course be creating action plans as a result of this experience to support every learner to achieve their very best in the summer. Science and the new fifty pound note The Bank of England are currently accepting nominations for who will grace the fifty pound note. The theme is science. Nominations must be people who have contributed to the field of science; be real; have shaped thought, innovation, leadership or values in the UK. Who’s contribution to science has had an impact on your life? If you are interested in nominating someone you can do so until the 14th December: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/50pound-note-nominations Congratulations To: Xanthe Goodman (8JLa) who, this week, received an invitation from the UK Polocross Association inviting her to become a part of the UK Under 14s Player Development Pathway. This is a great achievement for Xanthe. She will be coached by the UK Squad coaches with a view to playing internationally. Well done Xanthe.