"When the cook tastes the soup, that's formative; when the guests taste the soup, that's summative." - Robert Stake

Hmmmm... I like this illustration a lot.

It puts the two in perspective. With the heavy emphasis on summative, I have the tendency to think that formative is better and the more the merrier, but they serve very different purposes.

Formative will help a student in the summative.

In life there are many summatives, those make or break, high-stakes moments, where we must perform or we suffer heavy consequences, such as Interviews (lose the job or get it), Big Projects (lose the deal or gain it), Big Exams (get the qualification or repeat a year), Marriage, Perform CPR on Someone who just Collapse in front of you and you're the only one there...

We can't escape these summative moments in life and they're important, a test to tell us where we stand at this moment. If we fail, we know we need to work harder.

But I believe there are even more formative moments. That will help us to succeed in the summative moments. The self-aware and reflective individuals in an environment where feedback is given freely will be able to capitalise on these moments. Moments like communicating clearly to individuals and when met with difficulty in doing so, working on improving it; preparation phase of project; smaller tests and continual assessments; relationships with peers, practising CRP on a dummy and being calm in fretful situations...

Hmmmm...

This is so fascinating. Really, both are important. And it's great we emphasize both in schools and not one above the other.