#13 – Assess the pupils and let pupils evaluate themselves
Assessments should be part of traffic safety and mobility education at schools in order to guarantee that the pupils have gained the right knowledge, skills, behaviour and attitudes necessary to behave safely in traffic. This will furthermore allow for appropriate action to be taken if this is found not to be the case.
BEST PRACTICE EXAMPLES
Norway – Student Assessment as part of the 5E-Model
The Norwegian Council for Road Safety’s Model for Behaviour Modification (see this example as part of Principle #11) promotes the so-called 5E model, which is a tool to support teachers in planning, implementation and evaluation of learning for the actively participating pupil. It is called the 5E model because all five pedagogical concepts start with the letter E: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, evaluate.
The word ‘evaluate’ is placed in the centre of the model because the purpose of the evaluation is to promote learning, and because evaluation occurs in all phases of teaching. The term evaluation covers three types of assessment: continuous evaluation (formative assessment), final evaluation (summative assessment) and self-assessment.
Evaluations must be conducted continuously, be varied and a natural part of the instruction given. It can be given orally and in writing. The pupils are to evaluate their own learning and understanding, as well as the quality of their own work. The teacher is to evaluate the pupils’ learning in relation to the learning outcomes in a given topic or project. The evaluation is to be related to the objectives in the curriculum, and it must provide feedback that supports the pupils’ learning.
More Information
Trygg Trafikk (2017), The Norwegian Council for Road Safety’s model for behaviour modification.
Europe – Cycling Tests
All across Europe, pupils are tested for their skills in safely riding a bicycle.
Each spring in the Netherlands, pupils in the penultimate or final year of primary school are tested for both their theoretical knowledge about traffic, safety, and behaviour as well as their practical skills when riding a bicycle in traffic as part of a national cycling test. More than 85% of Dutch primary schools participate in the national cycling test. Data are collected via a score application and are valuable for schools as they can immediately get insights into what the pupils can still be taught with regards to traffic education.
In Flanders, pupils can attain gradual bicycle diplomas starting with a diploma for balance bicycles for kids in kindergartens, via bronze and silver, to finally the golden bicycle diploma, which is awarded to pupils in the final year of elementary school that pass the ‘Grand Cycling Test’. A similar graduated diploma scheme is available for pedestrians. Cycling and pedestrian tests and certificates also exist in Belgium’s Walloon region, albeit not as part of a graduated scheme.
Cycling tests are also done in Austria, Denmark, the Czech Republic, and Germany amongst others. In Norway, four organisations have collaborated to set up a website providing teachers with all the essential content on practical training as well as theoretical and practical tests.
More Information
The Netherlands: VVN, Het Nationaal VVN Verkeersexamen.
Flanders: Vlaamse Stichting Verkeerskunde (VSV), Het Grote Fietsexamen.
Wallonia: Wallonie mobilité, Education Mobilité et Sécurité routière (EMSR).
Austria: Österreichisches Jugendrotkreuz, Freiwilligen Radfahrprüfung.
Denmark: Sikker Trafik, Cyklistprøven (5. – 6. klasse).
Czech Republic: BESIP, Dopravní soutěž mladých cyklistů (10 – 16 years).
Germany: Deutsche Verkehrswacht, Radfahrerziehung in der Schule gewährleisten und weiter verbessern.
Norway: Trygg Trafikk, NAF, NCF, and SLF (n.d.), Sykkeldyktig.
Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – National Road Safety Contest “Children in Traffic”
Every year, the Automobile Association of the Republic of Srpska, together with other road safety stakeholders, organises the national road safety contest “Children in traffic”. The contest includes a theoretical test assessing the pupil’s knowledge of the road safety rules as well as a practical test in which the pupils’ skills are assessed on a training ground.
In 2019, 194 teams totalling 776 pupils from 154 primary schools participated in the contest. The best teams were presented with a reward.
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