Reported by:
Khoo Xin Yi Jr3Z(6)

    On the 14th of August, all teachers of Kuen Cheng High School participated in an online sharing session on multiple assessment methods, basing the discussion off the implementation of Gardner’s Theory on Multiple Intelligences. Alongside the School Principal, Dr Chua Lee Lee, Education Psychologist and Consultant Dr. Teoh Hee Chong has been invited to share his thoughts, even being asked to speak in a Q&A session. Specializing in Education Psychology, Dr. Teoh also works as a part-time lecturer for education related subjects and even trains educators working in independent Chinese schools (you may find more information here: http://www.inpsych.com.my/drteohheechong).

   Starting off the Q&A session, teachers proceeded to ask questions regarding the education system in Kuen Cheng and how it affects students. One such question was about how the School would address the cases of students cheating in exams just to pass their paper and advance to the next Level. To this, the Principal responded with the notion of improving our syllabus to not be so reliant on traditional written exams, allowing students to be more at ease by having other assessments as alternative ways of improving their grades.

   Moving on, Dr. Teoh was asked about methods to reduce the competitiveness between students when taking written exams. He explained that if we allow students to excel in more ways than one, naturally they would start to broaden their lists of achievements in other aspects as well. He stated that a student may not carry only one form of results, instead being able to show their talents in other ways such as in their Student’s Performance Record. When talking about subject assignment crossovers, Dr. Teoh also agreed with the point of getting different subject teachers to collaborate with each other and plan out courses for students that encapsulate the syllabus of mixed subjects. This would allow students to learn multiple subjects at once, thus having less of a workload and more time to themselves.

Multiple Assessment Implementation Table Example

   After the Q&A session, Dr. Teoh explained how a great number of students are unable to be judged based solely on written assessments, hence the implementation of multiple assessments. Teachers may implement these assessments in daily classes and even split them between chapters based on the suitability. Students are also encouraged to use such methods to test their knowledge with teachers being their guide and schools giving them a platform to showcase what they’ve learned.

The 8 Multiple Intelligences of Gardner’s Theory are as shown:

• Logical-mathematical intelligence

• Linguistic intelligence

• Visual-Spatial Intelligence

• Musical Intelligence

• Bodily-kinesthetic Intelligence

• Intrapersonal Intelligence

• Interpersonal Intelligence

• Naturalistic intelligence

Gardner’s Theory Explanation

   “As long as a student learns with interest and with joy, their lives will surely be filled with difference and excitement” stated Dr. Teoh, and with that, the stage was passed to Madam Principal, allowing her to end the sharing session with a quick summary. She stated that Kuen Cheng should aim to use multiple assessments more since written assessments only test students’ cognitive abilities whereas multiple assessments may enhance students’ liking towards the subject and improve their practical skills as well. The Principal sincerely hopes that subject teachers can improve the ratio of the different assessments and make our education system less written assessment based, giving our students a better way of showcasing their abilities.