Unit 007
In lifelong learning, a variety of different types of assessment can be used to monitor progress, check understanding, identify development needs, identify achievement, demonstrate tutor and learner competency, and confirm learning outcomes have been met. Initial Assessments provide the information needed to plan an individuals learning and improve their chances of learning effectively. Initial assessment is the entry point on the teaching/training cycle, the learners’ motivations, the learners’ previous educational experiences, and the learners’ preferred learning style, whether Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic or Tactile (VAKT). Kolb’s model of Experiental Learning identifies these different learning styles, but suggests that although a learner can enter the cycle at any point, (usually their preferred learning style) any new task will be best learned if all four processes are present, with it acting as a continuous spiral. The learner should combine concrete experience (learning from specific experiences); reflective observation (observing before making a judgment by viewing the environment from different perspectives; abstract conceptualization (logical analysis of ideas and acting on intellectual understanding of a situation) and; active experimentation (ability to get things done by influencing people and events through action, even if this involves risk-taking). An example of this in action could be someone learning to ride a bike. They think about doing it and watch someone else doing it (reflective observation), they understand the theory and have a grasp of what is involved with the biking concept abstract conceptualization, they may receive practical tips and advice from someone who can ride a bike (concrete experience) and they may just leap on the bike and have a go (active experimentation). Similarly, Coffield has said that there is no scientific justification for teaching or learning strategies based on VAKT, and that we need to move away from the