Assessment for learning in Norway. Opportunities for connoisseurship and language games in the globally important work of Gordon Stobart?

Abstract

This article examines the influence of Gordon Stobart, a pivotal figure in the assessment for learning movement that originated in the UK and became globally significant, with particular focus on his work in Norway. The author, a former doctoral student of Stobart’s, argues that he embodies the figure of an “assessment connoisseur”, able to communicate complex ideas through storytelling, humour, and careful attention to context and audience. Drawing on Wittgenstein, the article introduces the concept of “language games of assessment” to describe the different registers – popular, technical, disciplinary – through which Stobart adapts his message for teachers, academics, and civil servants. The paper is structured around three roles in which Stobart operates as a connoisseur: the teacher, illustrated through the author’s personal experience as his doctoral student at the Institute of Education in London; the researcher, through analysis of his book Testing Times and his engagement with Norwegian academics via the NELVU assessment network; and the policy adviser, in relation to his involvement in the Norwegian national assessment for learning policy (20102018) led by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. The article highlights how Norway’s culture of equality (Janteloven) resonated with Stobart’s selfeffacing and nonhierarchical approach, distinguishing him from other prominent figures in the movement, such as Dylan Wiliam. Direct testimonies from Norwegian civil servants who collaborated with him are also presented, supporting the paper’s central claim: Stobart’s ability to “touch” diverse audiences through practical experience, theoretical scholarship, and cultural sensitivity, contributing lastingly to the international spread of formative assessment.