How Do We Assess Adult Learners Without Necessarily Testing Them?

In the last section of Wlodkowski’s Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching from his book Enhancing Adult Motivation to Learn: A Comprehensive Guide for Teaching All Adults*, he focuses on engendering competence among adult learners. Wlodkowski raises an issue that educators must resolve. First, adult learners want to become competence in their experiences. However, many adults are not keen on the idea of tests. They like the idea of having their competence assessed, but they do not want to be tested… what is an adult educator to do?

I find this observation from Wlodkowski interesting. Personally, I find it to be true. I am currently taking two graduate-level courses. Both courses require papers and reports. I am comfortable completing these assignments. However, we also have two final exams, and they are driving me crazy. If they called them something else, I would have probably been ok… but they are exams.

Rethink Grades and Demonstrate Competence

I agree with Wlodkowski that grades can reveal little about learning. Fear of a low grade can also undermine motivation. I know several people who have dropped a class because they worried about the grade rather than what they could learn. Assessing the learner with learning contracts, portfolios, or rubrics could strengthen this part of the assessment.

Three Strategies for Assessing Adult Learning

Wlodkowski provides 13 strategies for assessing learning in an authentic and realistic manner. The key to assessment is that it will inform the learner about their strengths and weaknesses. Here are some assessment strategies that resonated with me:

• Strategy 48, Provide Effective Feedback – I see this as a easy decision. You can offer feedback whenever needed, using it to make gradual adjustments to learning. Provide feedback when learners struggle. Also recognize performance that exceeds expectations. Make feedback specific, constructive, timely, and personal. Provide it frequently enough to guide improvement.

• Strategy 51, Use Authentic Performance Tasks to Deepen New Learning and Help Learners Proficiently Apply This Learning to Their Real Lives – Basically, this refers to performance tasks. What matters is that the tasks closely resemble the actual real-life task. In my experience, Air Force simulators provided realistic practice. Workplace assessments added another level of realism.

• Strategy 52, Provide Opportunities for Adults to Demonstrate Their Learning in Ways That Reflect Their Strengths and Multiple Sources of Knowing – When applying this strategy, it is important to use different types of projects, papers, reports, etc. to assess learning. Educators can spread these assessment types across the entire curriculum to avoid feeling overwhelmed. Portfolios are ways to collect and assess these different projects.

Keep Learners Motivated Through Assessment

Other strategies that may help keep adults motivated include providing constructive criticism as necessary, although I believe providing effective feedback is more useful. You may also want to provide incentives as a reward for excellent performance. I believe it is also important to let learners know what the consequences are regarding what they have learned and how it applies to the bigger picture.

Well, I am almost done talking about Wlodkowski’s Motivational Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching. This is perhaps one of the most practical books I have found on this subject. He has provided 60 strategies that I can use to improve my instruction. In my next post, I will discuss how Wlodkowski recommends weaving these strategies into your lessons.

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