??Dr Zelda Barends and Dr Anthea Jacobs launched their new book Intentional assessment for teacher education in April. This book is more than a publication - it is a conversation, a collaboration, and in many ways, a collective reflection. It represents a journey walked together, as a community of teacher educators committed to excellence, inquiry, and intentional practice.
Dr Barends serve as a programme chair of the B Ed Foundation Programme in the Faculty of Education where their primary niche is teacher education. Over the years she had the privilege of initiating and participating in numerous debates and reflective dialogues on teaching, learning, and assessment—conversations that weren't just academic in nature, but deeply personal and practical. “Questions were raised that challenge us daily: Are we truly enabling learning? Are we intentional in the way we teach? Are we deliberate in how we assess?" Barends said.
It is in the heart of these debates that the idea for this book was born. What started as informal discussions soon evolved into something more - a vibrant and committed community of practice. A space where teacher educators could think critically together, challenge each other respectfully, and refine their professional choices collaboratively. And it was within this space that they found themselves returning to one fundamental question—a question that has become the cornerstone of this book:
"How can intentional assessment practices in teacher education support and enhance student learning and professional development?"
This question has guided their exploration, writing, and teaching. “It asks us not to simply assess what students know, but to consider how our assessments shape what and how they learn" Barends explained. “It pushes us to be more than content deliverers and it challenges us to be intentional designers of learning experiences."
The book captures this ongoing inquiry. It's structured in three carefully considered parts, each reflecting a different phase of their collective thinking.
In Part One, they set the scene. They delve into the complexities of orchestrating assessment for learning within the higher education context—highlighting the often unseen tension between institutional expectations and pedagogical purpose. They explore how assessment can be embedded meaningfully in learning and how, when done with intent, it can become a central pillar of professional development.
Part Two is where theory meets practice. Here they share real examples of intentional decisions made by their colleagues—decisions about assessment that emerged from real dilemmas, unexpected challenges, and insightful reflection. These examples are drawn from actual modules across our teacher education programmes. They showcase how teacher educators deliberately designed assessment not just to test knowledge, but to make learning visible and developmental.
And finally, Part Three takes them to a place of synthesis and vision. It focuses on assessment as a tool for professional learning. This section resonates with the work of scholars like John Hattie, who speaks about "making learning visible." It's about seeing assessment not as an endpoint, but as an entry point—an opportunity for dialogue, growth, and transformation for both students and educators.
Throughout these chapters, what becomes clear is that assessment, when approached with intentionality, becomes a deeply human act. It is no longer just about compliance or measurement - it is about purpose, connection, and learning. It is about choosing with care: What am I assessing? Why am I assessing it? And most importantly, how does this enable my students to grow?
This book also highlights that assessment is not just a technical skill - it's a reflective practice. It involves being thoughtful, deliberate, and purposeful in every aspect of teaching—from curriculum design to student interaction, from feedback to evaluation. It demands that they, as teacher educators, look inward and ask difficult questions about their own roles and responsibilities.
In many ways, this book contributes to what we know as the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. It exemplifies how teaching itself is a scholarly, evidence-based practice. It reminds us that our everyday pedagogical decisions carry academic weight and deserve the same kind of rigorous attention we might give to traditional research.
Barends mentioned at the launch that they are not just celebrating a finished product. “We are celebrating the process—the many conversations, drafts, challenges, and insights that shaped it. We are also extending an invitation: to keep the dialogue going, to share your own reflections, and to continue making intentional, thoughtful decisions that elevate our practice and deepen our impact."
?
