Give It a Go: Research Based Instructional Strategies

Photo Courtesy of: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBhB6HPIR2yd4hEVxrTXL0KmD3zjQf9IRE5P2Gsvz8bjF3j5YqLMCvtC6JFz1I8GGGxbT9QJX4hrRVQc2D_J0PQdrKfWR90CzDCjtsslxOSRvbXsBNBU8CXBZ6vFTBD_zjSK4PvID8QtM/s1600/Give_it_a_go+2.jpg

When it comes to instructional strategies, the Aussie motto to 'give it a go' is fitting. One never knows the outcome of implementing new research based instructional strategies but if they can benefit even just one of our students the process is worthwhile. The purpose of this project was to implement 'new to us' instructional strategies into our classes and see if they could bring new life to the learning environment. I was fortunate enough to enlist the help of Adam Sillery's Health 9 class for this project and I worked at developing the lessons and assessments for him and he implemented them into his classroom. The views and experiences discussed here are a cumulation of both my feedback and his. I initially chose to implement a higher use of technology and inquiry based learning. After the virtual field trips provided by my cohort and our Professor Brent Galloway, I also decided to try to adapt the Remember the Titans film study worksheet into a tool that assessed learning using Multiple Intelligences. My purpose in choosing these different strategies came from Inspiring Education and was three fold: to build competencies, to use technology to support the creation and sharing of knowledge and to centre the instruction on the learner (Alberta, 2010). I aimed to infuse these three purposes into each of the strategies. 

Higher Use of Technology

The higher use of technology in the Health 9 classroom involved the use of a Google Form, Wordle, and shared project work (via Google Presentation to be discussed in the next strategy). I chose this strategy to challenge myself to work on integrating technology with purpose into the Health curriculum. The Google Form provided an opportunity for the whole class to contribute to compiling data on their Health and Wellness and it was well received by the students. In the future, I will need to fine tune my skill set with this technology as developing the pie charts for feedback based on their surveys was a bit time consuming. However, the pie charts (samples pictured below) were a great visual for the class and helped to engage them in classroom discussion more seamlessly. 

The use of the Wordle enabled students to see their opinions on the 'most important aspect of being healthy' in a user friendly and efficient manner. I would perhaps have them create their own visual in the future using this tool or another. 

All in all, it was my hope to harness the power of technology to support innovation and discovery in the classroom (Alberta, 2010). I found the ease of completing the survey and sharing results to allow for this to happen and was encouraged by the feedback on technology from the students (pictured below). Mr. Sillery also found that it was relatively easy to implement and he enjoyed that it provided a different way to guide and develop class discussions. 

Students enjoyed the technology and it was easy to monitor their progress. In the post lesson feedback, every student surveyed also noted that they would not make any changes to the use of technology. Based on the feedback and reflections of the students, the instructor and myself I feel that this strategy had a positive impact on learning and that it was successful in engaging the students. 

Inquiry Based Learning 

The use of Inquiry Based Learning in the Health 9 classroom was more intensive for all parties involved; the students, Mr. Sillery and myself. Many of the projects and tasks in our current Health 9 lessons are prescription based. Students are given a task with very specific parameters and a specific rubric and they complete the project. Making use of this strategy enabled the students to be involved in their learning by formulating questions, investigating and building new knowledge (Alberta Learning, 2004). I chose this type of learning it allows learners to become more positive, creative and independent (Alberta Learning, 2004). Thus, it also contributes to the development of students who are engaged thinkers and entrepreneurial spirits as outlined in the Ministerial Order (Alberta Government, 2013).

In order to implement this strategy, students were guided through questions to develop the parameters of an assignment based on the idea of dieting. Students then researched a diet of their choice, provided information they deemed pertinent and then delivered a verdict and statement about their knowledge of their chosen diet and the idea of dieting in a broader sense. On paper, this seemed brilliant! In execution it provided many learning opportunities for the instructor and myself. First, this project provided the basis for students to achieve highly but it also left some students feeling satisfied with less than mediocre efforts and work. In reflection and discussion, some students were redirected and became more empowered to improve and further their learning. Some still chose to submit work that did not meet the needs of the task. Arguably, the same can be said for many 'traditional' learning tasks. The rubric for this task was developed using Inquiry Based learning theory and buzz words (pictured below).

While many found it accessible, one student noted that she found it to be a bit unclear. I think this could be due to the fluid nature of the rubric and the need to further develop this skill set with the students. In the culture of 'what grade did I get?', students still want to know what they must do to get 100%. In the future, I would spend more time reviewing the rubric and demonstrating the requirements throughout the development phase of the project. Despite some of the bumps along the road, I would definitely use this strategy in the future (with a few revisions) as it engages the students and gives them value in their new role as pioneer of their knowledge (Guccione, 2013).

Multiple Intelligences

After the virtual field trips, I chose to bring Brent's idea of Multiple Intelligences back to the Health 9 classroom. In our wellness unit, we complete a traditional film study on Remember the Titans with a worksheet. As someone who has strength in linguistics, these worksheets are admittedly something I once created. However, my colleagues and research has opened my eyes to the simple fact that my preferred instructional strategies may not match up with the preferences of all of my students (Richard & Arker, 2010). So I took the worksheet and created tasks that I felt addressed a wider multitude of intelligences with a broad Inquiry Based learning rubric (pictured below).

After discussion with Mr. Sillery and viewing some of the tasks, I would say that this strategy impacted the student learning in that it made content more accessible and relevant to the students. This strategy allows for inclusive, equitable access and encourages innovation to promote and strive for excellence (Alberta, 2010). From the sample of work I viewed, I was inspired by the level of content and understanding students drew from the main themes of racism, friendship and determination in the film. I was impressed by the level of excellence of many of the pieces. This task helped recognize the importance of recognizing differences in personalities so that student learning can be enhanced (Richardson & Arker, 2010). However, one of the challenge noted is that some students still did minimal work producing work that may or may not be reflective of their level of knowledge and understanding.. In hindsight, this could possibly be addressed with self-assessment or peer editing of the tasks prior to teacher submission. Regardless, the variety in tasks aims to appeal to a wider audience of learners which is of great benefit to students. I am encouraged by the success of this strategy and hope to try it in other classes in the future. 

*Originally this film study was created just for Mr. Sillery's class but members of our department heard of my initiative and now four Health 9 classes are using this strategy to help address the needs of their learners.*

Compare and Contrast

These three instructional strategies compare and contrast in a number of ways. Each of these strategies meets the vision laid out by Inspiring Education by empowering the learner and revitalizing the learning environment. They also all meet my three fold purpose of building competencies, using technology to support the creation and sharing of knowledge and creating a learner centred environment. The higher use of technology strategy addressed the competencies of: innovate, manage information and identify and solve complex problems (Alberta Regional Consortia, 2014). Its use of technology created and shared student knowledge and opinion and it was learner centred. The use of inquiry based learning addressed the competencies of: think critically, demonstrate good communication skills and the ability to work with others, apply multiple literacies and know how to learn (Alberta Regional Consortia, 2014). It made use of technology through the creation of the diet project in Google Presentation; a medium that allowed for all group members to work on the project simultaneously. This strategy was learner centred as it asked the students to develop their learning task and then complete it. Finally, the use of the Multiple Intelligences addressed the competencies of: know how to learn, identify and apply career and life skills, create opportunities, and demonstrate global and cultural understanding (Alberta Regional Consortia, 2014). This project incorporated the use of technology through the various tasks and teacher submission. It was learner centred as students were able to take control of their learning and choose the task that best suited their learning style. As a bonus, unintentionally, these three strategies addressed all ten of the cross curricular competencies in some way. In meeting with my purposes, these strategies also all saw some level of success when implemented. 

In contrast, each of these strategies required a different amount of work for implementation. I found the higher use of technology to be the smoothest to implement as Mr. Sillery's Health 9 class is in a computer lab and the students were well versed in the technology I selected. The use of Multiple Intelligences required a bit of legwork on my behalf but it was also implemented without much difficulty. Finally, the implement ion of Inquiry Based learning was the most difficult as it required better familiarizing myself and Mr. Sillery with its foundation and key elements. It also asks the teacher to give up much of the control in the learning environment; this was something that all of us found to be difficult at time. Mr. Sillery and myself wanted to help but not direct the students and the students did struggle with the freedom of this strategy at first. That being said, this strategy provided for a great deal of reflection and meaningful dialogue with the students and Mr. Sillery about its potential to bring innovation and empowerment to the classroom. 

My Unique Role

My role in this environment was both unique and eye-opening. As I am not currently teaching, I was able to become an active observer in the classroom and see the dynamics of each instructional strategy as Mr. Sillery used them. When possible, I helped Mr. Sillery in the classroom but he remained the primary instructor in this environment. I learned much from my own instructional design by being able to observe one else using it. I was able to reflect on areas of improvement and strength in my plan and help Mr. Sillery work through the process with his class. Mr. Sillery was incredibly accommodating and provided me with meaningful, relevant feedback on things he enjoyed (the instantaneous feedback on Google Forms) and things he would change in the future (providing more support during the development of the diet project via videos or other media). As an active observer, I was able to assess the learning through candid conversations with the students and reviewing the work created. Students also completed Exit Slips at the conclusion of their diet projects which helped to assess their learning. In evaluating these Exit Slips, I learned that many students had focused only on their own diet instead of on the concept of dieting. This is an area that will require revision and refinement before future use. Finally, I made use of the two rubrics I developed to assess student learning. When evaluating the diet projects and the Remember the Titans assignments, Mr. Sillery and I were able to assess the learning and develop strategies to improve upon 'our' teaching for the future. 

Implications as an Instructional Leader

As an Instructional Leader, I will share these tools and strategies with my colleagues. The Health 9 team at our school is largely collaborative so it is my hope to share and improve these strategies. I am encouraged that my colleagues are already making use of the Remember the Titans Multiple Intelligences task I created. I have already asked for feedback and suggestions at the conclusion of their lessons. Mr. Sillery is also the department head of Physical Education at our school and his experience is something I hope for us to share at a future department meeting. To continue my growth in learning about instruction I will look to the virtual field trips provided by my cohort and work at implementing some of their strategies when I return to the classroom. I am particularly interested in Kimi's assigning roles in a group and Miguel's Scattergories with purpose. Furthermore, I am now reading other documents associated with Inspiring Education in order to further develop my understanding of where education is headed and the importance of using a variety of instructional strategies. These documents include: Inspiring Action on Education, Setting the Direction Framework and Learning Technology Policy Framework, all of which are available from the Government of Alberta.

Conclusion

It never ceases to amaze me the sheer amount of knowledge and experience I gain from being in a classroom. This project expanded my horizons and inspired me to spend more time critically evaluating my own instructional strategies. It is my hope that these strategies were as beneficial for Mr. Sillery and his students in their implementation. I am confident that the benefits of them were far worth any of the hiccups along the way. In my unique role, I enjoyed the position of an instructional leader and learned much from everyone involved. As I continue this journey, I hope to continue to push the envelope so that everyone in my classroom can reap the benefits of all the knowledge and experience that education can offer. 

References

Alberta Learning, Learning and Teaching Resources Branch. (2004). Focus on inquiry: a

         guide to the implementation of inquiry based learning. Edmonton, Alberta.

Alberta Regional Consortia. (2014). Cross Curricular Competencies. 

Government of Alberta Department of Education. (2013). Ministerial order on student

learning (001/2013). Edmonton, Alberta.

Guccione, L. M. (2011). Integrating Literacy and Inquiry for English Learners. Reading

    Teacher, 64(8), 567-577. doi:10.1598/RT.64.8.2

Richardson, R., & Arker, E. (2010). Personalities in the classroom: making the most of them. Kappa Delta Phi, Winter 2010, 76-81. 

The Steering Committee Report to the Honorable Dave Hancock, Minister of Education Government of Alberta. (2010). Inspiring education: a dialogue with albertans. Edmonton, Alberta.

Planning: Because on your journey you need a MAP (or a MAP APP)!

Planning Practices

Cartoon courtesy of: http://www.macroeducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/calvin_wormwood-21st-century-working.jpg

What we get out of school DOES depend on what we put in. As a teacher, I have truly learned that is true not only for my students but for myself as well. 

In the beginning, I spent hours planning each lesson. Yes, the pages of notes and references and having each and every single activity linked to a curricular outcome was overkill. It looked great on paper but in order to survive (and sleep) I soon learned my planning practices had to evolve. In shaving down my hours of planning and familiarizing myself with course content I have learned thee very important lessons. 

What is with me and the lists and pictures on this blog? As a student, I was that girl with seven coloured pens and very 'decorated' notes. Maybe that explains the cartoons and number lists...

1. The Importance of Having a MAP: Having a plan. 

Having a plan of some kind is proof you have direction. It is the map; you don't have to use it, you might not even follow the most well known route (in fact I hope you don't) but it's there. Just in case you need it. 

For me, it is more about the process of the planning. I try to always start with the end in mind and build my units, lessons and plans around them. As a practicum student I was really lucky to work with a Mentor who was well versed in Understanding by Design. Many of the key elements have stuck with me, especially the idea that students should know where they are headed, why they are going there and how they will be evaluated (Brown, 2004). I highly recommend the workbook pictured below if you are looking for insight or innovation in your planning practices. I have comeback countless times to this resource to evaluate, revise and create plans. 

http://www.amazon.ca/Understanding-Design-Professional-Development-Workbook/dp/0871208555

For Physical Education, I really like the lesson plan template that Alberta Education has put together. It is older but I like how it has the main pillars of the Physical Education at the top of each lesson ABCD with icons. It helps me to remember and include aspects of Activity, Benefits Health, Cooperation and Do it Daily for Life into each. There are also set up in a user-friendly manner that allows ease of planning and are great for sub plans as well. 

This template can be found at: http://education.alberta.ca/physicaleducationonline/teacherresources/ToolBox/lessonplans.asp 

It also includes pages with grade specific curricular outcomes in an easy to use chart system.

In the English classroom, I plan sets of activities, learning opportunities and units. I used to plan class by class but I found this restrictive and difficult when students were ahead or behind my plans. I now have a set of outcomes and activities ready and a general idea of time and we work from there. I think the planning process is also about what works for you. I need a flexible map timeline! We need to be able to stop and check out the scenery because I want my map to take us on a great journey. 

2. The Importance of GETTING LOST!: Embracing flexibility and teachable moments.

Sometimes we wander off the beaten path. We begin a lesson discussing character development and we end up debating what superhero is the best. In the beginning, I would check my time count and wonder how in the world we would get the next activity completed and the lesson debriefed. Today, I am searching for the balance of bushwhacking my way through the wilderness (and avoiding too lengthy of a discussion about the Avenger's character flaws) and staying on the straight and narrow.  

However, I strongly believe that the teachable moments these wanderings present are invaluable. They provide the opportunity to build capacity, to make crops-curricular links and to form important connections with my students. Most importantly they help to put the learning into the hands of my students and there is nothing more exciting than having them at the wheel and being able to enjoy and facilitate their journey. 

3. The Importance of RETRACING your Steps: Embracing innovation and changing your plans.

Cartoon Courtesy of: http://jimnolan.typepad.com/.a/6a00e5521e0b2e88330168e9c2d612970c-pi

Much like most things in life, education is fluid. This means that we need to reflect, revise, and sometimes invent. While using Understanding by Design is a great means with which to travel, it is important to remember that all plans and journeys change. 

The stages in Understanding by Design are loosely identified as: identify desired results, determine acceptable evidence, and plan learning experiences and instruction ( Wiggins & Tighe, 2004). This process remains as important in revision; as the desired results change so must the rest of the process. What works for one class or even one student will not work for all students. We must realize it is not about the student(s) fitting the plan and that it is more about making the plan fit the student(s). 

This type of revision and reflection can be time consuming but is also incredibly rewarding. I recently had the opportunity to make use of Beers and Probst's 6 Signposts for Close Reading with my English Language Arts 9 class. Not only was this planning process great for my growth but my students enjoyed and embraced new reading activities with enthusiasm (the bookwork in me rejoiced!). This is another great planning resource and definitely worth looking into. 

http://www.heinemann.com/products/E04693.aspx

Regardless of the methods, or the process here's to keeping a great map in our back pockets!

Cartoon courtesy of: http://images2.alphacoders.com/771/77122.jpg

References

Brown, John L, and Grant P Wiggins. Making The Most Of Understanding By Design. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2004. 

McTighe, Jay, and Grant P Wiggins. Understanding By Design. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2004.

Instruction: It's about the bumps, pit stops and changes along the journey.

If assessment is about the journey, meaning it is about the evolution of the classroom and the needs of the journey then instruction becomes the bumps, the pit stops and the changes along that journey. Hopefully, aside from required summative assessments (see final exams, essays etc), we use assessment as an opportunity to identify strengths as well as areas of improvement. In doing this, our instruction must then become the and the necessary (and pertinent) directional changes.

As a reflective teacher, I look back at some of my instructional practices with a mixed reaction of pride, content and horror. Yes, I have tried to be innovative and adaptable. Yes, I have tried new strategies to some success and some failures. And YES, I have gotten stuck in the rut of lecture instruction on some occasions.

As a student, I remember the rows of desks, worksheets, pop quizzes, math mad minutes (still having nightmares about those) and the taking of notes from a chalkboard/whiteboard/overhead. It is a wonder that as learners many knew this was not the ideal environment but that as educators we sometimes fall into it. Why?

I think the answer is simply because it has worked in the past, and it is how we were taught. While this is a simple answer, it is neither insightful nor logical. Albeit that is some cases and for some students, traditional classrooms do work, generally speaking this is a small percentage of learners today. We must think outside of the restrictive confines of the education in the Industrial Revolution and put ourself out in the great big world!

After standing, acting out and reciting this mantra... I can now list it for you here (with great credit to Brent Galloway's diverse instructional strategies):

We learn 20% of what we hear (points to ears)
We learn 30% of what we see (points to eyes)
We learn 50% of what we hear and see (points to ears and eyes)
We learn 70% of what we say (points to mouth)
We learn 90% of what we say and do (points to mouth and dances)

As a teacher, I have encountered this idea before and I am working on holistically adapting my instructional practices to enable a higher percentage of learners and to engage all of my students.

I think now is the perfect time to warn you that perhaps because I can smell turkey cooking, and because I am feeling far away from the chaos of September start up that I am feeling particularly optimistic and hopeful. This does not mean that I have not experienced the hard and tough days that come with finding instructional strategies I love. It just means that as I sit here thankful for my career and family, I am choosing to reflect on the positive growth and strategies I have found.

In my PE classroom, I have adapted and played with one instructional strategy in particular.

TGFU: Teaching Games for Understanding. 

A theory that enables students to play games without all the restrictions of the rules from the get-go. Student explore the game and rules are added as we discover the need for them. This is a brilliant strategy that was introduced to me by Billy Strean in my PAC 320 class at the University of Alberta.
As a student, I will never forget playing ''basketball" in the style of its early development and 'discovering' the rules and expectations of the game. Billy's course outline asked us to show up, play, have fun and reflect. Years later,  I remain grateful and inspired for the learning and exploring Billy provided me in that class.

As an educator, TGFU puts my students on a more even playing field and enables full participation. This strategy is not without its challenges; competitive high level athletes often struggle with the lack of rules and want to WIN! However, I hope to emphasize the FUN and enable competition to arise in a more equitable way.

This theory alone has changed how I look at sports and activities and has provided HUGE flexibility to the execution and play in my PE classes. If the dynamics and structure of a classroom can change to suit the needs of its learners, then why not the court, gym or field of any given game?

On a broader scale, use of this strategy helps meet district and provincial expectations. It help develop healthy active students who will continue to pursue wellness and physical activity outside of the PE classroom. It is my hope to introduce/reinforce a love of activity that my students will carry with them through life. Realistically, this might not always happen but one can try.

In my ELA classroom, I continue to explore various instructional strategies as my classes and students change. However, I have learned that in any class, the single most important instructional practice is ALWAYS my ability to BUILD relationships and CONNECT with my students. This is the ONLY WAY any teacher can guarantee student ENGAGEMENT and LEARNING.

Photo Courtesy of: http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dead-poets_l_7721.jpg

Idea Courtesy of: Landon Stamp (Thank You!) 

From the moment my students walk into my classroom (or gymnasium) they become my 'kids'. Not only am I legally responsible for their education and wellbeing from the hours of 9-4 BUT I am also responsible to help them discover their own potential, to learn how to hold themselves accountable and to become lifelong learners. It is my job and my pleasure to get to know them, to find out what they like (be it sports teams, authors, obscure bands or how to pull a cow out of a muddy ditch.. that is a story for another time) and to guide them on their journey.

Selfishly, I think it is important to note that this is what I get out of teaching. I get to watch my kids become adults. I get to hear about university, I get to have them come back and teach with me, I get to see their wedding pictures, and one day I might be lucky enough to teach their beautiful children. (I am not tearing up...I swear)

And again... I find my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground. Why does that always seem to happen when I sit down to blog?

Photo Courtesy: http://www.madebyafriendofmine.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/bef5802198706516faa72f2846575fee.jpg

Alright, onto the feet on the ground portion.

Administrators and leaders in the educational setting have a couple of essential responsibilities in ensuring quality instructional practices. These would also be my recommendations to improve instructional practices as well. 

They are as follows:

1. Support: 

Teachers need support to grow, to improve and to continue in the face of adversity and insurmountable odds. It is because of the great leaders in my career that I have felt the courage to try and succeed (and even fail) when it comes to instruction.

I have played excellent games in Sports Medicine classes where students assess injuries and compete against their peers. I have introduced my English Students to the EPIC tunes of The Tragically Hip and The Foo Fighters as we have explored repetition, themes and narrative poetry. In Australia, I played Ninja in the hallway because of rain and then later played Big Bear, Little Bear for hours (a game invented in our PE staffroom over Tim Tams and a hot cuppa).

2. Encouragement

Teachers want, no we NEED a pat on the back. We live for the small thank you's. I have often said there isn't much a teacher won't do for a free t-shirt or a slice of pizza.  If administration continues to encourage the growth and development of quality instructional practices, their schools can and will thrive. 

3. Innovation

Our classrooms are just a room built of four walls. We need professional development, access and innovation. It is imperative that leaders bring opportunities and innovation to their teachers. If as a leader one is open to novel concepts and strategies, their team will follow. 

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to leave you with a quick story of a student I ran into recently. 

Photo courtesy of: http://images1.cliqueclack.com/tv/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/charlie-brown-thanksgiving_081127.jpg

While visiting a local college, a former student of mine approached me. 

We had a great journey in the classroom together. We searched and picked our brains to find instructional strategies that would work. As with most journeys, it was a journey with bumps, pit stops and changes. After teaching in Australia for a year, I lost track of this student. 

And so here, in a post secondary institution, this student approached me and the first words out of his mouth were "Can you believe it? I am here. I am finally here. We made it."

If our 'kids' are making it... to wherever that may be, thank goodness for the bumps, pit stops and changes. 

Assessment: It is about the journey.

Today, as I sit here and reflect on assessment I feel a wide variety of emotions. I am excited by the insight brought to us by the Inspiring Education vision and by instructional strategies such as Understanding by Design. I am somewhat disheartened by the overuse/overemphasis of standardized assessment both at the school level and provincially. I am unsure of the future but, as with most things, I am optimistic.

I am optimistic that as educators we can find our way to common ground. I am optimistic that with students in mind, we can continue to grow; both learning from the past and looking to the future.

As an educator, my assessment practices have evolved and changed as I have become more comfortable in the classroom. In the beginning, I stuck with what I knew: quizzes, unit tests and in-class essays. I assessed using provincial rubrics in my English classroom. However, Physical Education was always a place for the freedom I felt assessment needed. In the great outdoors (okay in the great gymnasium... this is Alberta right?) my students were encouraged to 'give it a go' and were rewarded with participation marks and improvements in fitness (and fitness test scores). As time went by, I was introduced to Understanding by Design and realized that my two classroom contexts need not be so different.

*Please note: In Physical Education, we have tweaked our practices so that we base most of our marks on participation and effort. We still examine skill and fitness but do so in a minimal manner. A student who attends, changes out, participates and understands the given sport/activity will excel in our programs. It is for these reasons the majority of this post may focus on English Language Arts at the high school level. 

As such, I have begun the huge undertaking of assessing my English students in a way that works for them while still meeting the needs of our school, district and of course post secondary institutions. I look for comprehension of key concepts with one on one minute meetings, review and revision of written works, and self assessments. So, while I still use the provincial rubrics, I make them work with my students. We break them down into 'user friendly' language and I ask that they grade their work and compare it to their peers and to exemplars. I am doing this in hopes of helping them along their journey as writers. How can we improve if we cannot truly know where to start?

Don't get me wrong, my English students still write tests, they still do in-class essays but they are development with the end in mind and there is flexibility there. Students who desire to improve can rewrite any written work in my classroom for a remark. I love the ability to revise and improve that this gives them but I have yet to help them realize the potential it offers. Unfortunately, I am still trying to find a way in which to align my newer assessment strategies with the traditional nature of grading. Students still look for their marks immediately, they want to know what percent they received and if they beat their desk mate. In an effort to avoid this, I do not hand out their written marks until after they have evaluated their own work and read my comments. This has helped but it is still a journey. We are finding the light together.

My school district does an excellent job of giving teachers across the district the opportunity to share and compare practices. We have district collaboration days and PD that focuses on the districts goals of literacy, high school completion and resiliency. In both English Language Arts and Physical Education, this has helped our two high schools to align our assessment practices with the goals of the district fairly closely. At the school level, we have been time to work on common assessment pieces for each grade level and we work on marking and evaluating our student's progresses throughout the school year. This has been an enlightening and rewarding process for me as I have learned much and I am also able to identify my own personal strengths and areas for improvement to help better my students.

An area where I think assessment practices sometimes clash is in the transition from middle school to high school. I do not know what the solution is but I do know that the transition to high school percentage grades and prerequisites is a tough one. In high school, students can receive zeroes and if they fail to do the work, they will fail the class and lose the credits. This obstacle is a big one for our district but with the focus on centring education around the learner of 2030 (as outlined in the Inspiring Education document) hopefully it won't always seem so insurmountable.

Provincially, my own assessment practices and those of my district align quite well. When I say they align quite well I mean we achieve well provincially. Our scores in standardized testing are quite often excellent. As someone who has sought to avoid teaching to the test, this has involved great manipulations of the the provincial rubrics and the use of parts and ideas of the structure so that my students can develop their writing and processing skills with a bit more freedom than they might see on a final exam. That being said I also use the exemplars and rubrics given by the government in their entirety at least 2-3 times a year (semester) to ensure my students have the same opportunities as their fellow Albertans.

I think it also important to note that I see the value in standardized testing. For my practices it has been invaluable to compare my students (and therefore my teaching) to those across the province. I hope for my practices to enable my students the future they desire, and today, in 2014, that means that they must be equipped for the test with the skill sets that their revisions, self assessments and formal evaluations assess. I want them to be equipped by the assessments I use because it is far better that they have a varied repertoire of skill sets than to be a 'one trick pony'.

As I continue on this journey, I am faced with different versions on the same three questions:

1. What happens after high school? Does this assessment provide my students what they REALLY need to go into the great BIG world?

Picture courtesy of: http://kidcourses.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Another-Day-Algebra.jpg

For this question, I am reassured by the successes and (and even failures) of my practices. Can my students relate to the content? Can they utilize their skill outside of the assessments confines? For example, do my Physical Education students understand the concept of defence across all territorial games or only in basketball? Or, can my English Language Arts students successfully complete an job application or interview?

Hopefully, if I answer these questions objectively, I can reflect on the need for assessments (and therefore my practices) to be fluid.

2. How do we address the needs of all learners with any given assessment? *See the cartoon below*

 Cartoon courtesy of: http://physicsfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/exam-cartoon.jpg

As a newer teacher (I have only been in the profession for 7 years), I can finally say I DO NOT KNOW IT ALL. In the beginning, that would have scared me. I would have given the unit test, or speech to every student and marked them. However, research into the needs of the learner and books such as the Smartest Kids in the Universe and how they got that way have revealed to me that (cue the lightbulb) each student is entirely completely individual.

And so painfully (for my ego), I am evolving. I am looking for fair ways to adapt and be fluid for my learners. While there will always be skill sets students are assessed on, see reading and writing, there are limitless methods to do this. Perhaps my best source of reference here has been in assessing my technology driven students who have brought innovative means to my classroom via video journalling, online assignment submissions, and multimedia presentations far beyond my scope. 

So now, as I stumble on this question for the hundredth time, I am on the way to an answer! However, I also now wonder if I am still assessing all the skills my students need (and thus encouraging them to develop and fine tune them). In adapting an assessment for the shy student or the one who struggles with grammar I must make sure I am meeting their needs but not denying them an essential skill for their future. Hence the cyclic nature of this question.

3. Why am I using this test /project/rubric/assignment? Is it meaningful? relevant? valuable?

The answer is in the question. If I can't reflect, I can't grow and neither can my students. 

*I truly believe this question will enable assessment to drive instructional practices. If one can find the drive, time and passion to answer it. 

With baby steps, I have used Understanding by Design in some of my units only to discover that some of my assessments are not as meaningful or relevant as I once thought. In looking at the end, the core ideas and concepts have become more clear to me, especially when teaching things like Shakespeare and To Kill a Mockingbird. I want my students to be able to understand the deep underlying themes in these texts and be able to convey them (be it in a written work or visual piece). Thus, my instructional practices are changing. 

My school is fortunate enough to have an administrative representative for each major department and during our department meetings we often have our administrator present. He/She works alongside us to deliver new ideas and support our new endeavours, especially in the area of assessment. Our grade 9 English Language Arts team owes a lot of thanks to our administrators for helping us get common marking time where we develop, revisit and refine our common assessments each year. These assessments are modelled after the provincial achievement test but also allow us to pinpoint any possible areas of improvement for our students throughout the year. In terms of both of my departments, I would also note that I am fortunate to work with administrators who support the further education of their teachers especially in the area of assessment. Knowing that we can collaborate and develop (and revisit) with encouragement and support is what allows us to find success in assessment for our students.

The long and short of this lengthy (sorry!) blog entry is this... 

To me, assessment is fluid. 

There will never be an end all be all. 

Our students are fluid, each one on an educational journey filled with obstacles, roadblocks, triumphs and pivotal learning moments. 

To improve assessment, we must be along for the ride. We must know that what worked during the Industrial Revolution may not work now, although some of it might. We must also know that we do not need to reinvent the wheel, we just need to put some air in the tires and be ready. 

Cheesy figurative language aside, this means that to improve these practices, administrators and teachers must be willing to put the learner in the centre of their experience. In today's world this means we must do all of the following:

1. We must embrace and utilize technology. Fear of it will only alienate our students. 

2. We must begin with the end in mind. What will our students NEED in order to be successful when they leave our room? our school? 

3. We must be willing to make mistakes AND learn from them. Why not try some project based learning? Or Google forms for polling? If we want our students to enter into education fearlessly, we must do the same. 

With optimism and just one more cartoon I leave you. 

Picture courtesy of: https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/3597759744/h70B61172/

Where can I find that? 

The following documents helped me out today:

Inspiring Education: A Dialogue with Albertans

https://education.alberta.ca/media/7145083/inspiring%20education%20steering%20committee%20report.pdf

Making the Most of Understanding by Design, John L. Brown (2004)

The Smartest Kids in the World and how they got that way, Amanda Ripley (2013)

Welcome to my journey...

Hey Y'all!

Welcome to my Education Blog. 

Isn't there something so incredible about the endless wealth of knowledge in the Education world? It's like standing on the top of a mountain with the whole wide world in front of you. 

It's cheesy but true ;) 

Please feel free to follow me on my journey towards my Masters with City University of Seattle. The first couple of entries will be courtesy of my TEAM CIA journey and look at Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment!