Problem Solving Assessment

PROBLEM SOLVING ASSESSMENT- the unsung story

Off late CBSE had launched PSA tests which had created a havoc in the schools across the country. Bound by boundaries of curriculum, syllabus, practice- it is difficult for us to consume the fact that we are being tested for abilities that neither has a fixed curriculum, syllabi, no teaching periods nor any practice papers. Accustomed to the system of teaching first and assessment later – as teachers, principals we have been completely baffled with the new idea floated by CBSE, and are operating with an anxiety how well will my school students perform on a PSA test. Harnessing this fear psychosis- the market is flooded with publishers selling solutions for PSA in form of MCQ manuals for different subjects. The high sale margin of these books with PSA reflects  the low IQ of our teaching community that endorses these products.

As an educationist, I wonder that as to why the teaching community is a consumer rather than generators of knowledge. Perhaps the answer to this question is more rooted in the politics of oppression that manifests itself at every level in education. Right from Principals to teachers and students are all victims of oppression, culture of dominance that filters down and manifests itself not only through the explicit but also through the hidden curriculum that operates in the school. When there is no freedom of mind how will we ever be able to develop a culture of investigation, and the internal power to negate whatever is being fed to us. Since we are not self actualized and neither does any school system enable a culture of actualization, caught up with mundane basic needs as articulated by Maslow – we never make a transition in understanding our meta needs and process of actualization.

No wonder, since we are not actualized- we lack the cognitive capacity to differentiate between the knowledge that is provided to us- and from generators of knowledge we accept and submit to knowledge provided by others and become consumers. Research in cognition proves that a child is born as a constructor of knowledge and it is ironical that a school and external agencies makes him/her a consumer of knowledge. The agency within is lost to the environment. In wake of this culture- how is it possible to not look for solutions and rather be one solution.

Coming back to the question of PSA- have we ever pondered and tried to understand the rationale behind examination and CCE reforms, PSA tests- what is CBSE driving the schools to? Is it another record that CBSE wants the schools to maintain, or in words of common human beings another CBSE fad?

Seeing from my perspective all these reforms seamlessly emanate from a common thread of altering the culture of dominance in schools. The reforms are more rooted to change the social order that prevails in the schools rather than just bringing change in pedagogy, assessments and curriculum. These three pillars – Curriculum, Pedagogy and Assessments determine the social order/ or rather reinforce the order. And hence there is no doubt that these CCE reforms and PSA tests have brought a disorder in the country because it is meant to change the social order. Social Order can only change through disorder and when it is binding for all of us.

The day we understand the rationale- the unsung story of these reforms that discards the hegemony of a text/ curriculum, teacher, principal, and is only meant to bring about a structural change in the prevailing order that is conducive to consumerism in education – we will accept all these changes with open arms.

The only solution is to first begin by challenging one’s role, one’s own actions that am I perpetuating the culture of dominance or am I liberating people around me. Jiddu Krishnamurti rightly commented that if there is no freedom within – one cannot have a liberating effect on others. Thus it is the time for us to wake up and commune with ourselves, understand our potential, believe in our power and alter the order of dominance in texts, pedagogy, assessments. Precisely, this is what CBSE has tried to evoke through these reforms.

A culture of empowerment is resonated when a teacher is given charge of assessing students formatively. The tradition and dominance of texts/ syllabus is broken when CBSE lists that the modes of transaction and implementation will be more learner centric. Thus we see a number of activities like role plays, presentations, case study analysis, debates, role reversals, interviews, surveys, questionnaire, field visits that pervades the instructional strategy for all subjects- all these are geared to empower students, value their generation of knowledge and alter the power equation and challenge the dominant social order.

Years have passed since we gained independence from Britishers, however the seeds of colonialism and capitalism are rooted in everything we do around us. Schools are structures/ or rather agencies of socialization and we have a strong yearning to be capitalist/ a colonial master and perpetuate culture of dominance. With these means we are not only creating a social divide, an economic divide but also are separating the social and inner self (Carl Rogers) and denying ourselves a liberated life.

The day we rise within and beckon ourselves to liberate ourselves and the society, we will understand the unsung story behind Problem Solving Assessments- which is just not confined to Higher Order of Cognitive Processing but also geared to arouse our inner self through culture of investigation and freedom.