Assessment

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Episode 119: Leading a Study
Planning Assessment

You know what you are studying, you've made some goals, but how do you know if those coming to the study are learning and developing based on those goals? Why and how do you assess? In this episode, we break down the importance and some ways to assess in fun and engaging methods.

Assessment

Thinking specific: Once the content is decided, specific goals need to be created. When the group has finished the study, what should they know and be able to do? What applications should they have made? These are the goals that will be needed before the first time you start a study. This is what will focus the instructional methods. The leader will be able to incorporate this into the study through the following two types of assessment. Formative assessment is the daily questioning that will take place through the study; summative assessment would be after the entire study has been concluded to see if the participants have learned the skills and content that were intended.

Formative Assessment

Using questions: Questions may be the leader’s best asset. Questions can guide, assess, redirect, or stimulate thought in the participants during the study. Every leader needs certain questions at the ready to stimulate discussion. Get used to asking more questions than giving answers. “Wait time” is an educational idea that means it is alright to have some silent times in the study. Do not feel obligated to be the voice that fills the silence. One of the main reasons for this style of study is to have the attendees do the thinking and studying. Be comfortable waiting for others to speak. If they studied the passage and are led by good questions, they will have things to say.

Leveled questions: It is commonly held that there are different levels of questions that can be asked as an assessment measure. The lowest level of questioning asks the student to simply recall information. These are not to be avoided completely, but they are not to make up the entire process of questioning. An example would be asking specific information that can be identified by simply looking up the answer like, “How old was Moses when he died?” The point of this type of questioning is to retrieve important information that must be known.

Higher-order questions force the student to analyze what they are studying. These questions ask “why” and “how.” Asking for cause and effect relationships between events or characters, the significance of statements, comparing and contrasting different elements, etc., allow for a much higher level of thinking. This also opens up for differentiation. If the task is to compare and contrast the third and fourth chapters of John, you do not need to be a fluent Bible student to accomplish the task. Those new to the study of the Bible will find truths, and those that have been immersed in Bible study for years will still find truths. All parties are rewarded for their work. In contrast, if you have a lower order question that only has one specific answer, those that search in vain have no reward for their toil. This can create a sense that Bible study is just for certain individuals.

Whenever the study is taking place, the use of questions must allow for everyone to succeed. This does not mean that you need to make it simple. Instead, have it open-ended. This allows students to explore as far as they are able. One inhibitor to this is having preconceived notions about what someone should find in a passage. If we try to force someone to find a specific truth, it can become a frustrating game of “guess what is in the leader’s head.” Prepare tasks that direct the participants in profitable ways, but permit freedom in their own study of the topic. This allows everyone to become part of the learning process and to discover the thrill of allowing the Spirit to teach freely.

Summative Assessment

Summative Assessment
Review: Avoiding the feel of a structured classroom is highly recommended. The study of Scripture is a serious thing, but is not a classroom activity. It is organic and should be taking place throughout all sorts of environments and with all sorts of individuals. However, it is important to make sure that those that are consistently active in the study are retaining knowledge from the study. This relates back to the curriculum. What were your goals before you got started? At the end, put them to the test! This is usually when a relaxed writing assignment allows for the leader to see if they can match the goal. Whatever is decided as a review, make sure that it does not promote the idea of success or failure in those studying the Bible. The only purpose of this is to evaluate the leader’s methods of Bible instruction for future improvement.