What is the Difference between Teaching and Assessing?

I have been asked multiple time about the difference between teaching and assessing, or difference between Trainer and Assessor. This is a question that has been posed to me recently by a couple of my new learners, and to anyone new to the teaching profession, I do understand why it is asked so thought I would do a little post on it, in its most basic form …. 

Getting into Teaching or Training for example the Level 3 Award in Education & Training (AET), the Level 4 Certificate in Education & Training (CET) and Level 5 Diploma in Education & Training (DET), are a form of giving learning and information to someone. The principle of teaching is that you are sharing your knowledge and enabling learning to take place.

Assessing in education, for example in the Level 3 Certificate in Assessing Vocational Achievement (CAVA) or any of its variations, is about confirming that your learners have retained the knowledge given to them and that they have met the required standards (generally of an awarding body).  In its most simple form this could be an exam paper, however assessing can be done in many other ways, so you can see there that in this instance you are not giving information or learning, just checking it has been previously learned. 

This is why the two also work hand in hand, what is the point of giving learning if you are not checking that it has been understood? It is as simple as that! Those of you who are doing the AET will know that you have a unit dedicated to assessing and this is exactly why.  Although you do not need a comprehensive knowledge of assessing in this instance, you do have a responsibility to ensure your teaching has been absorbed by your learner. 

Those of you who are doing the AET will know that you have a unit dedicated to assessing and this is exactly why you need to know the qualities of a good assessor.  Although you do not need a comprehensive knowledge of assessing in this instance, you do have a responsibility to ensure your teaching has been absorbed by your learner.

Should we assess only those whom we teach?

Assessing however can be stand alone, you do not necessarily have to teach someone to check their learning, and this heightens the role of an assessor in education. you may be checking it following teaching from someone else, maybe a tutor or an employer. Your assessor skills are tested when you ensure that the teaching they have received enables them to meet the required standards.