What is evaluation?

I cant take credit for this fantastic, student friendly explanation of what evaluation is. It was sent to me by David Thresher, Trinity School, Croydon. Certainly worth reading!

There may not be much sign of spring at the moment but one reminder of the time of year is the all too familiar question from the confused student... “What exactly is evaluation again?"

One quick exercise to highlight the difference between analysis and evaluation came to mind during a recent shopping mission to buy a new coat.

Whilst trawling round the shops it became clear that explaining the advantages and disadvantages of certain types of coat was relatively straightforward (our analysis). For example if we look at a raincoat we can see that it will keep us dry and is fairly lightweight although it may not keep us warm on the coldest days. A duffle coat on the other hand will be warm and durable but may be heavy to carry when not being worn.

What is more difficult is making our final choice (evaluation-making a judgement).

Assuming we have a limited budget and can choose only one coat we need to make a choice and be able to justify it. We may argue that a duffle coat is our best option and that keeping warm is important to us. Can we improve our justification though by saying why keeping warm is more important than keeping dry? (relative importance and significance of points).

For a really good quality judgement we have to take into account our specific circumstances. Do I feel the cold? Do I need it for work or leisure? Do I need it to get to the end of this cold snap or to last 3 or 4 years (short run/long run)? The more applied our judgement is the better our chances of making a good choice.

When we consider evaluation in this light it is clear that it is not some new skill we need to learn but something we do all the time – often without realising it. What pupils need to do is get used to putting this process down in writing.

In the meantime I’m back off out to get that duffle coat I saw last week.