Richard Lawrence

For twenty years I was an EAL teacher at a polytechnic in Hamilton, New Zealand, teaching a range of courses from IELTS preparation, Workplace English, to New Zealand Certificate in English Language (Academic – Level 4) – Reading and Writing. I worked to a timetable of classes, meetings and assessments. Terms unfolded towards formative tests, essays, reports, presentations and summative exams. The rhythm of teaching was structured, purposeful and sometimes felt unrelenting. In that academic world, assessment was not simply an aspect of teaching; it was its backbone, its measure and, to a large extent, its justification. Now, having retired...