“Resisting the rage for certainty”: dialogic assessment

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to report on one UK secondary school English teacher and use his practice as a vehicle for exploring the classroom realities of dialogic assessment. Dialogic assessment, a term first proposed by Alexander (2004), is a position which seeks to synthesise the potentially powerful positions of both dialogic teaching and assessment for learning remains largely unexploited as an approach to developing effective teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach – Using video classroom evidence and interview, the authors explore the parameters within which dialogic teaching and assessment can be developed, and investigate the opportunities and obstacles which developing dialogic assessment bring about. Findings – The authors develop a framework, drawing on the evidence, which demonstrates the development of dialogic assessment in the classroom. Originality/value – This paper is an original look at dialogic assessment within the upper secondary sector.