Dr Conn, who has
published two papers on education in the Harry Potter books, said Professor Severus Snape offered an example of how not to teach - asking closed questions on unstudied topics which served only to humiliate the young students.
At the opposite end of the teaching spectrum, Professor Minerva McGonagall showed her students what they could aspire to, by changing a desk into a pig and then setting them a task of turning a matchstick into a needle, achieving the same results.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr Conn
"One of the most important activities that takes place in this institution is the assessment of the core knowledge, skills and attitudes its students are expected to master to become competent and independent practitioners of magic," she said.
"An external examining body, the Wizarding Examinations Authority, oversees the development and implementation of assessment procedures at Hogwarts.
"There is a series of steps, informed by contemporary educational theory, which internal and external examining bodies need to follow to gather meaningful data about student performance."
Source:
Harry Potter News - Wizard News