Assessment: Inquiry's Boogeyman

When something is difficult or outside of our comfort zone, we sometimes look for a reason not to do it. A barrier, an excuse or boogeyman. These barriers are real but sometimes they are self-imposed or misinterpreted and we perpetuate them to save us from having to change. Student inquiry is no different.

Our assessment practices can sometimes stifle innovation and keep us from embracing student inquiry. When people talk about the reasons why student inquiry won't work, they often point the finger at assessment. They don't have a problem with the self-directed learning or inquiry, their difficulty is with how they assess it. 

Applying traditional assessment techniques to student inquiry can be difficult, if not counterproductive. Assessment with static criteria and an emphasis on final answers and finished products doesn't support the learner who is involved in inquiry based learning. A balanced approach of triangulated assessment which focuses on feedback based on observations and conversations better supports the learner through the inquiry process. We get more of what we value and celebrate. A student focused on the final product or grade is less likely to take chances or create something new. 

So, how do we help students, teachers and parents to see that the assessment data collected from observations and conversations is more valuable to students when given during the learning process as feedback rather than at the end as a grade?

Making Change in Education: We are Better Together

Today, I participated in professional learning with students, staff and parents.  More and more over the last year, I have facilitated and participated in this model of learning.  Although, depending on the topic,  it is not always appropriate, I find that I learn so much out of these rich discussions where multiple perspectives are represented in the dialogue...we truly are better together.    

Our topic today, “For the Love of Learning”, set the stage for discussion on learning and assessment practices.  We talked about how our current educational practices were established as norms during the industrial revolution and how this is an exciting time of change where educators are moving away from those outdated practices.  In the words of one of our wise students today, “we are able to do way more now than back then.”  At our school, the “6 C’s” of 21st century learning; citizenship, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, character education, creativity (and we often add “choice and voice” as a 7th C) are the underlying consideration in all that we do.  

Our opening activity today involved introducing ourselves and briefly discussing a favourite school memory.  At the end of the activity, we discussed the commonalities between our favourite memories...they all involved hands on, engaging active learning, not the time we got 83% on a test.   This brings me to my next points, as our teaching changes, so must our assessment, and as in any process where change is being made, it is best done with all voices at the table.  

I love this photo that illustrates the concept of “messy learning”.  

When we work through problems, as opposed to setting a structured beginning and end to learning, learners (and I say learners because it may be students, parents or staff that are in this role) will likely encounter roadblocks, problem solve, unlearn misconceptions, relearn, work through failures, experience frustration and excitement.  It is a far more complex process, however, in my opinion, a far more authentic and valuable process.  

A key component in this process involves feedback.  We discussed the concept of “feedback” vs. “feed forward”.  Looking at the two photos below.  In the older version of a report card, marks and comments are given, but with no suggestions or opportunity to make improvements.  Isn't that is what learning is all about?  In the second picture (a single point rubric), you will notice that there are no grades, but lots of excellent feedback based on a clearly defined learning goal and success criteria.  In the second example, it is clear what the student is expected to know/learn/do, what learning they have demonstrated and where they need to improve. Which is the more valuable assessment tool?

An area that I have noticed can often be challenging for teachers is not around giving feedback, but more about insuring that it is meaningful and acted upon by students.  A great next step in this area that we discussed today is to give feedback in the form of a question.  When you do this, students interact with the feedback and become naturally engaged in the process.  

As an administrator, the concept of using effective feedback as a high yield strategy to support student achievement  is an area that I will continue to explore through this process, both as a learner and as a leader within my school community.  If you have a great example of feedback methods that you are using, I encourage you to share to #SCDSBttog   We truly are better together!  

Let's take grades out of language learning

Language learning is an inherently confidence-shaking enterprise. It is commonplace to work really hard, practicing every day for months, only to see someone else achieve the same level as you in weeks. We get our students to come to school and face this tangible reality every day. It is true that everyone can learn a language, and they can do it by applying the same natural language-learning skills. While those skills are universal, every learner has a heuristic that works best for them, and progress is never equal.

It is through ownership and cognizance of their learning that students can discover the correct recipe that will consistently lead to progress (at any rate). So, how best to provide them with guidance in this endeavor, and, in this setting?

In Ontario, with our new focus on CEFR-inspired, action-oriented tasks in the French classroom, it is of paramount importance to foster classroom environments conducive to taking risks. It is what you can do in the target language that counts. And, to get students doing things in French, you need them to take risks. I see grades as an impediment in fostering risk-taking and metacognition. Students need to focus on the increments of progress native to their own language-learning heuristic, and that can be best helped along by receiving judgement-free feedback based in observations and conversations. What do you think?

Really, what do grades mean in language-learning, anyway? Language is fluid. If you do not use it, you lose it. If a student receives an A+ for French in grade 9, for example, then proceeds to not use French for 10 years, would the A+ have any value to an employer? Would it in any way tell anyone about their current language ability? Even thinking of the mark as a “snapshot” of this hypothetical student’s potential is erroneous, I think. But, at this point, I want to know what others think.

Please, leave a comment with your thoughts about this blog post.

How do I word/explain this?

Hi Everyone, as the 'newbie' to this group, I am wondering if anyone has a short little explanation that they may have used in a course outline (secondary) that they would be willing to share.  I would like to do this in all of my classes next semester but feel there needs to be something added to my course outline to explain.  Thanks for any ideas/assistance you can provide

Learning or Achievement?

What is our purpose? Our why?

Most people want to say learning. Student learning that carries on beyond the classroom. But the further you get from the student desk, the harder it is to say that, and mean it. Get far enough away from the student desk and it sometimes becomes less about learning and more about achievement. More about standardized scores, grades and averages. When you can't see and hear and experience student learning directly, it is easy (and understandable) to look for measures to know how well our children are learning. The trouble is that these measures are limited in what they can tell you, just as they are limited in what they can tell the student.

Achievement is about yesterday.       

Learning is about now and tomorrow.

Students often see grades as an end point. Grades are history. Whether it's an A or a D, a grade says "That's it for me. All done. Nothing left to learn here." Student learning motivated by a grade is artificial. Deep learning for a purpose is powerful. Self reflection and feedback from educators, peers, parents and the global community make learning iterative and meaningful. 

If a student asks themselves, "What did I take away from that assignment/task/project/experience?" and the answer is "A 72." then what do they do with that? However, if the answer includes statements like, "I want to learn more about..." or "I discovered that I need..." or "Now I see a connection to..." then the learning continues.

So, why do we still have grades? Grades are good for measuring student achievement, streaming students and university admissions. It's much easier to look at a data set and see how students have done over time or decide on a student's pathway or admit students to university programs. Much easier than observing them learn and demonstrate, easier than talking to them about what they are learning and easier than looking at a portfolio of work. Are we giving grades because it is good for students or because it is easier for us? Easier for parents? Easier for universities? 

What new information does a report card tell a parent who has been an active partner in their child's learning process? Not much. In fact, that parent could likely have written the report themselves. But, we are not there yet. Generally, parents aren't active partners. Not yet. The conditions for genuine active parent partnerships aren't widely in place yet. People want grades because grades are all we have ever given them to let them know how our children are doing.

I am interested in seeing how #TTOG can help change that.

Just an opinion piece.

Just an opinion piece. My thoughts are my own.

Recently, I wanted to know about the history of grades.

I googled the letter A. My search revealed nothing of value. In fact, the phrase “waste of time” came up more than once in the top sites (along with several articles about TTC rate hikes by John Tory). This result is likely an indicator that my search term is inaccurate. I know that because of the feedback with which Google has provided me. Thank goodness for feedback!

On my next attempt, I googled “grade A”. Now, I’ve gotten somewhere. The second hit is to this wikipedia article. Turns out grades may or may not have come from a professor at Cambridge named William Farish who used them with his students in 1792. He is also known for having given the first written university exam. Thanks, William.

Other results suggest that grading is borrowed from shoe factories in industrial England, where the best quality shoes were given an A grade (an “F” meant the workers weren’t getting paid).

Grades are great for meat and shoes, but what about for helping our children learn? I know that a large F appearing on my computer screen after my initial search (for the letter A) would definitely tell me my search skills needed work, but without any additional information I might not have determined a more accurate term was needed.

The conversation about the usefulness of grades in learning is well worth having. A good look at that wikipedia article led me to the most recent research on grading and learning. Check it out here. The abstract for the article reads as follows:

Parents do not send their children to school to learn how to speak. How then do children learn to speak? The objective becomes obvious to children due to the frustration of being unable to communicate. Learning tasks allow for practice. Feedback is immediate and clear because adults love to help young learners. Applications of new knowledge are made so as to continue learning. Children take responsibility for all aspects of this “natural learning process.” Natural learning obviously works.

Conclusions?

The traditional teacher-responsible design for education in universities conflicts with what we know about how people learn.

I found this research compelling. Grades are artificial; a valiant attempt, during the industrial revolution, to measure the learning of a vast number of pupils filling new educational institutions. But, they do not model how learning occurs, nor do they promote learning. Rather, some say they end learning. 

Are the findings of this article the end all and be all of pedagogical research? Of course not, but there’s a conversation to be had, and it needs to be evidence-based. 

This blog post is my personal opinion, based on some of the evidence I've come across. I know I’ve made errors. If I want to increase my knowledge base and learn more about the issue, I have to keep researching the topic, keep refining my search, but I can also rely on the feedback of others. I know that if the comment section for this entry simply reads “A” or “D” or even “F”(Thanks, William), I will learn very little, but if you prod me, ask questions, or point me to facts supporting an alternative view, I will learn.

Students First

Students First.

I once had an administrator ask me "why do you do what you do?"  It was a powerful question that I've used to guide my learning and teaching ever since.  I wrote down a statement on the front of my day planner that has been my mantra ever since: IT'S ABOUT THEM.  This leads into my curiosity about TTOG.  My current thinking and knowledge tells me that when I show my kids that I value what they know and what I know they are capable of then I'm telling them that they matter. They matter more than the end of the task or unit. That I value their learning so much that I want them to continue to learn, search and discover long after the task is over - the learning is more important than the task.  I am excited to think more deeply about what grades really mean and what really drives learning forward. As a kindergarten educator, I know that the foundations we set in the early years impact the attitudes and learning of students onwards and look forwarding to exploring TTOG in this particular context. 

#TTOG MEME Challenge- Expressing Ideas Through Images

5 Meme's in 15 minutes.

Pick a cartoon. Collect images. Create Memes. Blog about it.

#Canyouhandleit? #TTOG

Assessing through Experience and Conversation

Education has continued to roll on for centuries. A machine that goes with little overall  change. During our first meeting of #scdsbTTOG, there now may be some light. I am an artist and a teacher, but am I critically reflective within these roles?  Cole & Knowles’s (2000) idea of becoming a teacher or educator is being rooted in the personal. According to Mezirow (1990) to understand and create meaning we must make sense of an experience. It is through personal conversations that true meanings and understanding can occur. It is during a process of deconstruction of experiences and learning that I am, along with my students, able to interpret the true meaning. Can these conversations occur through numerical assessment?? Hmmm....  

References:

Cole, A.L. & Knowles, G.J. (2000). Teaching as autobiographical inquiry. Researching  Teaching: Exploring teacher development through reflective inquiry. (14–24). Toronto: Allyn and Bacon.

Mezirow, J. (1990). How critical reflection triggers transformative learning.  Fostering critical reflection in adulthood: a guide to transforformative and emancipatory learning. (1-20). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers.