I listened to Jennifer Ferguson's April 29 webinar on Inspiring Education this morning (related article). One of the things that excited me most was learning that the ~1400 learning outcomes that students are responsible for achieving each year are being reduced to 60: 10 outcomes for each of the 6 subject areas (LA, SS, Math, Science, Wellness, and Fine Arts). This, I think, will allow teachers to focus on addressing the 10 cross-curricular competencies more effectively, and to go more in depth in content that interests students rather than having to cover more breadth. I'm hoping that differentiating instruction will also be easier within this system.
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A growing number of parents are learning that the Provincial Achievement Tests are being replaced with Student Learning Assessments (SLAs), but are unsure of what the difference is. Here are some quick facts on SLAs:
- the exam will test only literacy and numeracy (this page contains definitions and accompanying videos to show what we mean by these terms) - the exam questions will include traditional multiple choice and short answer, but also use digital technology (features such as drag-and-drop and rearranging) to allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills more comprehensively; as such, they will be completed on computers - the exam will also feature two performance tasks (one for literacy, one for numeracy) that will be developed and assessed by the local teachers; performance tasks are 'real world' tasks that require students to use their content knowledge, process skills, and work habits to complete (e.g., "The police department is considering a traffic light or a crossing guard at the intersection near your school. Your help is needed to make graphs that show how many vehicles go through that intersection at certain times of the day. Excellent graphs will be sent to the Chief of Police." Students would gather and report data, with varying levels of help/instruction.) - schools will have a window of about 10 days in late Sept/early Oct within which to have students complete the exam In my last social studies class with my grade nines, I invited Colleen from Inn from the Cold to share with our students about the Inn and to facilitate their making connections between social programs, taxation, values, and organizations like theirs. We had some passionate discussions, and several kids wanted to talk with Colleen afterward more in depth as well as to volunteer. I'll also (hopefully) be taking three students with me on their May 1st tour. The Calgary community has so many amazing learning opportunities, and I hope to avail myself of these in future classes, whether that's inviting guest speakers (physically or via video-conference) or going on field trips (physically or virtually). My TA graciously lent me his desk at the front of the class for the whole practicum, so I could be 'the teacher.' I spent the first day getting to know the kids (I had a Grade 8 class of 31, and two Grade 9 classes of 28), and then we jumped into learning. In March, I taught Grade 9 Language Arts (a unit on 'madness') and Grade 8 Language Arts (a unit on social media and gaming). In April, I taught Grade 9 Language Arts (a unit on essay writing), Grade 9 Social Studies (a unit on social programs, taxation, and values, which I absolutely loved), and Grade 8 Language Arts (a unit on paragraph writing). Some highlights from practicum were:
More than classroom environment, organization, time management, or assessment practices, I learned that honesty and trust absolutely must undergird the relationships I have with my students. This became readily apparent when I started to hear all sorts of reasons for needing extensions, or trips to the locker or computer room. However, there were also many times when I felt like my classes involved doing things to students rather than students doing things. Of course students need guidance and direction, but I felt like I wanted more of their input regarding many of the choices I made that affected them.
I like what Jules Evans has to say in his latest post: "“It’s important, then, for companies to think about how to balance a strong collective ethos with autonomy, how to create a culture that encourages people to be individuals rather than clones, how to create room for dissent and satire, and how to make sure their well-being programme doesn’t feel forced, patronising, conformist, or a form of illiberal surveillance.” I feel the same could very much be said for schools. I didn't have any rebels in my classes. On one hand, it makes classroom management pretty easy, but on the other, it makes me concerned about their ability to think critically. Perhaps this distinction becomes more apparent in high school; in junior high, the desire for social conformity (with peers at minimum) is still pretty powerful. The learning curve in PSII was steep, awkward, exhausting, and sometimes painful, but incredibly rewarding. Here are my top 3 take-aways:
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