Insanely confused about 'formative assessment' / informal prose whee!

So, I'm part of this team that's writing a paper about formative assessment right? And I've read a shitload about it right? But not enough, so I'm still confused as hell, and I need to submit a draft of part of my section soon. It's not a lot of writing, but it's forcing me to confront the assumptions and gaps in knowledge that inevitably are exposed when one tries to define something carefully and thoughtfully.

But anyway.

It's really important to keep the mind fresh, and I actually haven't been writing informal prose (as this is, I hope), so this is my keep-mind-fresh activity of the day! I'm actually thinking about Don Goewey's work over at http://www.mysticcool.com/. He's got a whole book devoted to how continuous stress and fear contributes towards an unhealthy brain, and how the lack of fear and PRESENCE of positive emotions can contribute towards optimal brain function.

So let's think about happy things:
- cute little dog who's licking my foot as I type
- fantastic music (listening to Arch Enemy's "Wages of Sin")
- 7 original songs that I'm pretty proud of!
- loving girlfriend who's on her way over to my place :)
Plus, I'm employed on my own terms (which is a huge deal, given the state of the world/local economy).

Wow, rambling post. Ok, toodles, back to work!

I was wondering

I would still like to play chess on the streets. Matches that are quick and fun, matches that are more about -fun- than winning with the latest opening trick. At the same time, I'm wondering: if I set up at Clarke Quay, will I get chased away? Maybe I should just set up and see what happens.