The knowledge children bring to the classroom or construct in the classroom
may find expression in a variety of activities and is often not measurable with
the traditional assessment instruments used in science classrooms. Different
approaches to assessment are required to accommodate the various ways in
which learners construct knowledge in social settings. In our research we
attempted to determine the types of outcomes achieved in a Grade 6 classroom
where alternative strategies such as interactive assessments were implemented.
Analyses of these outcomes show that the learners learned much more than
the tests indicate, although what they learnt was not necessarily science. The
implications for assessment are clear: strategies that assess knowledge of science
concepts, as well as assessment of outcomes other than science outcomes,
are required if we wish to gain a holistic understanding of the learning that
occurs in science classrooms.
