Assessment. The word alone can send a shiver down the spine of even the most committed FE professional. For learners, it often conjures memories of stiff exam halls, squeaky chairs, and invigilators who took their job just a little too seriously. For new teachers, it’s the bit of the AET where people start to quietly panic about tests, grades, and paperwork.

But here’s the good news: Assessment for Learning (AfL) is none of those things. AfL is not a test. It’s not a score. It’s not an exam board specification written in a font only decipherable under laboratory conditions.

Assessment for Learning is, at its core, beautifully simple:

It’s how you figure out whether your learners are actually learning anything — during the learning.

Not after. Not at the end. Not when it’s too late to do anything about it.

AfL is the daily, human, practical part of teaching that helps you adjust, guide, reassure, redirect, and support in real time. It’s the difference between “continue as planned” and “ah, okay, nobody understood that slide at all.”

And the best part? You already do it, even if you don’t realise you’re doing it.

Let’s break it down.

1. The two types of assessment most people confuse

FE loves a good distinction, and assessment has two big ones:

Assessment of Learning

This is the summative stuff — the end product. It asks:

• Did they learn it?

• Can they demonstrate it?

• What grade or level are they at?

It’s the equivalent of checking whether the cake baked properly after it’s come out of the oven.

Assessment for Learning

This is formative. It asks:

• How are they doing so far?

• What needs clarifying?

• What should I adjust?

It’s checking the cake while you’re making it. You’re tasting the batter, making sure you didn’t accidentally swap salt for sugar (we’ve all had days).

AfL is a living, breathing part of teaching. It happens continuously, informally, and often invisibly.

2. Please stop thinking AfL is a test

Whenever I deliver CPD, someone inevitably says:

“But Graham, how am I supposed to assess them constantly? I can’t give them a test every five minutes!”

No. Please don’t. Your learners will revolt and you will be overthrown.

Assessment for Learning is not formal. It is not stressful. It does not involve stapling together a six-page paper every lesson.

AfL is:

• A question

• A discussion

• An observation

• A thumbs-up/thumbs-down

• A quick demonstration

• Peer explanation

• A sticky note comment

• A check-in

That’s it. It’s about information, not scores.

3. AfL is about adjusting your teaching — not judging the learner

One of the biggest misconceptions in FE is that assessment is about catching learners out. It isn’t. AfL is not a “gotcha” moment.

AfL helps you as much as it helps them.

If learners can’t answer your question, that’s not a failure — it’s feedback.

Think of AfL as a conversation between you and your learners that goes like this:

You: “Does that make sense?”
Learners: (silence)
You: “Okay, let’s try it a different way.”

That right there? That’s AfL. That’s quality teaching. That is the craft.

4. The most powerful AfL technique ever invented: asking a good question

You don’t need anything fancy. No clickers. No specialist software. No elaborate systems.

A good, well-timed question can tell you everything.

The trick is asking questions that reveal thinking, not just recall.

Instead of asking:

“Does everyone understand?” (Spoiler: they don’t.)

Try:

• “What’s the first step in this process?”

• “Tell me why that example works.”

• “How would you explain this to someone else?”

• “What would happen if…?”

• “What’s one thing that still feels unclear?”

These open up understanding like turning on a light.

When learners answer confidently, you move on.
When they hesitate, you scaffold.
When they stare at you like you’ve spoken in riddles, you re-teach.

5. The quiet learners will tell you the most — if you listen

Every FE teacher knows that learner. The one who barely speaks, avoids eye contact, and looks deeply concerned whenever you mention group work.

Inclusive AfL means finding ways they can participate too:

• Mini-whiteboards

• Finger voting

• Whisper discussions

• Post-it notes

• Quick writing tasks

• Paired explanations

These methods give learners a safe way to show understanding without the pressure of speaking up publicly.

It’s still AfL — just inclusive.

6. AfL isn’t just about the learner’s progress — it’s about their emotions too

In FE, emotional readiness is just as important as cognitive readiness.

If your learners are:

• anxious

• exhausted

• unconfident

• overwhelmed

• frustrated

…they won’t absorb information no matter how good your slides are.

AfL is also noticing:

• the learner who keeps glancing at the door

• the one who looks lost but won’t say it

• the one who lights up when the task shifts to something practical

• the one who needs reassurance that they’re “doing it right”

Sometimes the assessment is “they’re not ready for this next bit yet.”

That’s still valid. It still guides your teaching. And it’s part of what separates a decent educator from a truly reflective one.

7. The magic phrase that turns assessment into learning

There is a single, powerful AfL question I use constantly:

“Tell me what you’re thinking.”

Not:

• “What’s the answer?”

• “Why did you get that wrong?”

• “What did you do there?”

But:

“Talk me through your thinking.”

This turns assessment into dialogue.

It reveals misconceptions early.
It makes learners feel seen.
It tells you how to help them.
It reduces fear.

And it shifts the focus from being right to understanding why.

8. AfL is everywhere if you know where to look

You use AfL when you:

• circulate during an activity

• pause and ask “what’s your next step?”

• watch how someone completes a task

• read facial expressions

• listen to paired explanations

• collect an exit ticket

• ask the group to summarise in their own words

• adjust your pace when the room looks lost

AfL is the art of noticing.

It’s the skill of reading a room — something FE teachers become alarmingly good at. You can spot confusion from 20 feet away. You can sense hesitation like a sixth sense. You know when people are pretending to understand because they’ve perfected the “nod and pray” technique.

That’s AfL in action.

9. The ultimate goal of AfL: making learners agents of their own progress

The best assessment for learning is not done to the learner. It’s done with them.

Great AfL helps learners:

• recognise their strengths

• identify their gaps

• ask better questions

• take more ownership

• understand what “good” looks like

• reflect on their progress

AfL builds independence.

When a learner says, “I still don’t feel confident with X — can we go over it again?”
…that’s AfL.
And that’s growth.

10. AfL doesn’t make teaching easier — but it makes learning better

There is a myth that AfL is extra work. In reality, it redistributes the work.

Without AfL:

You risk teaching an entire topic without realising your learners haven’t understood half of it.

With AfL:

You catch misunderstandings early.
You prevent future gaps.
You build confidence.
You create momentum.
You feel more in control.

AfL doesn’t guarantee perfect learning — nothing does — but it gives you the tools to correct the course as you go.

It helps you deliver learning that is responsive, human and effective.

11. The honest truth about AfL in FE

Teaching adults is unpredictable. No two groups learn at the same pace. No lesson goes exactly as planned. You will constantly adjust, rearrange, rethink, re-explain and re-approach.

And that is the point.

Assessment for Learning is not a technique.
It’s a mindset.

It’s the ongoing decision to stay curious about how your learners are progressing — rather than assuming they are.

It’s humility.
It’s connection.
It’s responsiveness.
It’s noticing.
It’s care.

And when AfL is woven consistently into your teaching, something powerful happens:

Your learners trust you.
They engage more.
They participate more.
They learn more.

Not because you tested them —
but because you saw them.