Using formative assessments to form Christian readers

Abstract

As our practices often shape our attitudes, pedagogical methods may help students begin to cultivate religious ways of reading. Formative assessments play a large role in how our students encounter and engage with texts, yet as much as scholars have begun considering approaches to cultivating Christian pedagogical methods, assessment methods have received little attention. Inspired by ancient and medieval Christian reading practices, I have developed formative assessments that emulate traditional Christian responses to texts, including memorization, anthologies, commentaries, and creative projects. Because these methods seek wisdom while invoking the imagination, adopting them into formative assessments may help cultivate a disposition of humility and wonder.