“…very important, because you are taking time to talk to us”: A week of cairns – an attempt at formative assessment

Abstract

In this article, the two authors, one a teacher of psychology and the other of history, share a method that they have evolved to enhance formative assessment in the courses they teach at the upper secondary school in Mosfellsbær, Framhaldsskólinn í Mosfellsbær (FMOS). The aim of their project was to create a dialogue between the teacher and individual students with a method they call “a week of cairns” (cairns are piles of rocks used through the centuries to mark paths in open terrain). The teachers offer individual interviews where students get a chance to discuss where they stand in course and set goals. A focus group of students reflected on their experience of this process and was given the opportunity to share views on what could be done to evolve the method further. The authors describe how they planned and conducted their “week of cairns” and relate the findings of the focus group. They question the value of course grades as a tool of evaluation and conclude by asking whether teachers give themselves enough time to talk to their students about their studies. Ívar Rafn Jónsson is a teacher of psychology and Birgir Jónsson a teacher of history. They both teach at the Secondary School of Mosfellsbær (i. Framhaldsskólinn í Mosfellsbæ, FMOS).