11 September 2006
International educational expert Professor Dylan Wiliam, who recently returned from the USA, will speak on Assessment for Learning at Cambridge on 15 September.
The whole-day seminar will provide a forum for UK secondary teachers of English, mathematics and science to reflect on the thinking behind classroom-based assessment. Professor Wiliam - internationally-recognised for his research on the use of assessment to support learning - will present his views on Assessment for Learning and help teachers develop practical ways of implementing this concept into the classroom.
The seminar will be co-hosted by the Cambridge Assessment Network – a part of Cambridge Assessment, Europe's largest assessment agency – and will take place at the University of Cambridge Faculty of Education. The Cambridge Assessment Network, established in 2005, aims to encourage professionals in assessment to develop and share their knowledge and expertise.
Professor Wiliam said: "If we are serious about raising student achievement, then we have to change what happens day-in-day-out in classrooms, and the research shows that supporting teachers in making greater use of evidence about student learning to adjust teaching is the most powerful way of doing that. Emphasising assessment for learning increases student engagement, improves student achievement, and re-professionalises teachers."
Contributors at the one-day seminar include Dr Bethan Marshall, Senior Lecturer in English Education, and Dr Chris Harrison, Lecturer in Science Education, both of King's College, London.