The Challenges of Measuring Learning in Education

In education, relying solely on measurable elements can lead to a narrow perspective and decision-making based on what can be quantified. The industrial aspect of education, with the need to answer to multiple stakeholders, drives the demand for measuring impact. However, the speaker emphasizes the limitations of measurement and the importance of broader aspects such as love, emotions, and sense of identity in education. Despite the inability to directly measure qualities like intelligence, love, or well-being, educators rely on observing behaviors as proxies for internal understanding. Hence, the speaker advocates for a more humanistic approach to education focused on cognition, emotions, and identity, while acknowledging the challenges of working in a behavioral world where the internal aspects are off-limits. Ultimately, the speaker highlights the significance of looking for behaviors as indicators of progress and learning in a field that is driven by cognitive realms but bound by the limitations of measurement.