Assessing AS Learning

Students, as active, engaged, and critical assessors, can make sense of information, relate it to prior knowledge, and master the skills involved. This is the regulatory process in metacognition. It occurs when students personally monitor what they are learning and use the feedback from this monitoring to make adjustments, adaptations, and even major changes in what they understand. Assessment as Learning is the ultimate goal, where students are their own best assessors.
from Earl, Lorna (2003) Assessment as Learning: Using Classroom Assessment to Maximise Student Learning. Thousand Oaks, CA, Corwin Press. Viewed at http://www.ltag.education.tas.gov.au

It seems to me that this model is of great value! I thank Darren for introducing me to it here. I have spent some many years sharing with teachers the concept of assessment of learning and the need for a greater move to assessment for learning but assessment as learning is a new term for me. I think that intuitively I was trying to wrap my practice around it but never seemed to quite catch it. Oh that I had been able to lay out the strategies and categorize assessment as learning years ago. My students and I would have been better learners for it.

I am thinking that this is what Anne refers to when she talks of students reflecting. She has looked at reflecting many times this spring; it's so clear to she and I how important that is; I wonder why those 'in charge" keep missing it. It was something that was never as successful as I hoped in the Teaching Professions program. And now that I've had time to reflect, I'm sure it was because I wasn't asking the right questions and/or scaffolding the experience properly.

I was really excited to see Darren"s scaffolding for his students. IMHO, he has really provided an exceptional structure for his students:

The kids think the "Significant Contribution" is the hard work. This week I've explained to them that the purpose of the "Significant Contribution" is there for a variety of reasons, but mainly to enable them to make their "Constructive Modifications" which is the real hard work. ...

The actual content generated this way may be small, in comparison to a "Significant Contribution," but it requires deep metacognition and critical analysis -- an awful lot of thinking and (hopefully) an awful lot of learning.

I am sure there will be an awful lot of learning going on if his students can move far enough from what I call "get the answer for the teacher mode". I'd be really interested if students are more interested in the significant contribution, not yet really understanding the power of the constructive contribution. I think I'd have difficulty moving students to that level; although now that I've studied his model, I know I'd be more successful. And I have no doubts that Darren has all the skills needed to encourage students in this "risk taking". And I think this is how students view the opportunity at this point since they so rarely experience this kind of learning.

In an earlier post, Darren mentioned his hope students would see the power of collaborative learning. I think the technology of the wiki is perfect for that and should really move the students in that direction.

The editing of others work, in the search to make a Constructive Contribution, will require them to look at several different problems in this way. If nothing else, I hope they walk away from this experience with an appreciation of the powerful learning experiences inherent in collaboration.

Clarence adopted the model and found:

These categories of possible contribution seemed to be something that the kids could understand. It gave them a structure of how knowledge building happens, either in strides, or in the drips and drabs of improving what we already know.

This is really powerful pedagogy!!! I am so excited to learn of assessment AS learning AND to be on the sidelines watching something really special happen as kids take control of their own learning.

National Board Certification

I've been reading the Edweek blog Certifiable since its inception with great interest. I was looking forward to seeing if the journey of a colleague might be similar in any way to mine. The blog description reads as follows:

Emmet Rosenfeld is an English teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. He has 13 years of experience as a teacher and writer. In this blog, he is chronicling his experiences as he works toward certification from the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards.

For the first weeks, there were numerous comments on his posts and reflections. Recently there have been few.

I remember my certification process as the most difficult thing I have ever attempted. I recall saying at different points that this is really about what they want and not how I teach. And I think in many ways it was. BUT, I learned an incredible amount about my practice during the process, perhaps because I saw that as one of my goals. I had a sense of my practice but hoped I could feel more validated. My reading of the standards really excited me. I saw myself; I saw areas in which I felt there was lots of room for improvement. Had I had those standards when I began my career I would have been a much better teacher much sooner and for much longer! From the portfolio entries, I looked for the first time systematically, analytically, and reflectively at my practice. I watched myself with young people on the videos. And I worked to improve the area of assessment; one for which I knew there was great room for improvement. I was extremely proud of my demonstration lesson, although never convinced that I would pass. My extraordinary mentor was a wonderful coach and I truly enjoyed the collaboration that NBPTS encourages among it candidates.

The assessment center exercises were challenging. I'm not a "high stakes testing" person. And I left feeling that what they would read didn't really let them know what I knew, that 3 hours of testing couldn't represent what I had learned over the course of many years of teaching.

The day the scores were posted late in November brought great joy to me. I had accomplished board certification, had scored well above the minimum required. I had completed a strenuous, rigorous process successfully. Tears of joy overflowed.

Since my retirement in July of 2004, I have ementored 3 teachers as they worked to achieve certification. Each of them has viewed the process as demanding, overwhelming, yet important to their practice.

I guess I am wondering if I really don't understand Emmet's humor and seeming sarcasm in his blog, or why then he is attempting what many teachers see as a special process to validate their accomplished teaching, since he views it with seeming disdain. And if it is his perspective on this process that has left him without commenters? I am finding his journey doesn't resemble mine at all-- and I am finding I'm losing interest except in how his readers respond to his writing.

I am glad that standards have been identified to help teachers improve their practice. I'm happy that a respected national certification is available to so many accomplished teachers! And I'm proud to be able to use the acronym NBCT.

From the silence--

Many, many years ago a young girl with a traditional Protestant background (many hours of sermons, ministerial prayers and Sunday school experience under her belt) went away to a small Quaker College. Within the first month, there appeared on the dorm bulletin board an invitation to attend Quaker meetings on Sunday. As transportation to a church of her custom was unavailable, she crossed the threshold of the "Meeting House" one Sunday morning in search of --she wasn't sure. This environment featured no altar, no decoration, no lectern. Its stark, warm beauty--– simple wood benches arranged in a square (participants faced each other) and bare walls with large open windows--– signaled something different. She sat down in the quiet with others gathered there. The silence was deafening. After what seemed an eternity, one man rose to speak. The silence following seemed thunderous again. Some time later another rose and shared a personal experience. Again, silence. An hour and one half later, a gentleman arose and said Amen. The people in that meeting silently departed. The young girl, bewildered by the lack of sermon and direction usually provided in her tradition religious setting, left in a most unsettled state. And on the following Sunday was strangely drawn back to that Meeting House. With each comment shared, she began, without “seemingly” acknowledging the speaker, to construct a framework of knowledge and belief upon the scaffolding provided by others. With each successive Sunday, the deafening sound of silence gradually became sweet notes of quiet to her ears. One Sunday she rose to speak and upon her sitting and the silence, knew that she had experienced one small piece of true self-knowledge and revelation in that sharing and ensuing silence.

Today, that woman's hair is streaked with gray. She does continue to cherish opportunities for constructing knowledge upon the scaffolding provided by others. And so, after years of reading, print and edublogs, she enters the blogosphere. Treasuring the ideas of other edubloggers, and anticipating the learning that will ensue, she looks to blogging for those sweet notes of quiet and knowledge construction. As this leg of her journey begins, she wonders where the greatest power may be found-- in the development of conversations and community, or in the possibilities to make her thinking clearly visible to her.

Safe blogging resources

Again from Darren.

See the resources.

No one should allow fear to keep them and their students from blogging. The benefits of blogging far outweigh the sometimes perceived dangers.

Darren's Paying It Forward

Darren has a great post on Paying It Forward. It is a powerful voice for blogging in the classroom. I can't imagine anything more exciting than the student ownership of learning that is described here.

eTech 2006 Conference!

The conference was good! In particular, I really enjoyed the opportunities to listen to William Dagget, David Pogue, Alan November, and David Thornburg. I always come away inspired and this year was no different. I attended a few teacher sessions which were also good but hearing the ideas from the folks I mentioned is really important to me. I loved David Thornburg's comment on a pedagogy of joy. He is so right that we have lost this.

Anne's participation in the blogging workshop I conducted was really special. It's so much fun when the technology pretty much works well. Skype did everything it was supposed to. Blogger went quirky on us but I think the participants were really there for Blogmeister. Someday I will learn to do a better job planning so there isn't too much. I'll also make sure to interrupt those engaged to do a reflective wrap up. I feel badly we didn't get to that.

So on to thinking about next year!

Blogging made the front page of the Plain Dealer

An article on blogging made the front page of the Plain Dealer today. Unfortunately, it was more about myspace.com and xanga.com. But it did quote data from a research report. If so many kids are blogging, it seems to me that schools should gravitate to a tool that kids know and help them see the power of blogging in learning too!

The article can be viewed at this link.

Remembering Rosa Parks

This post is late as we have been away in Michigan.

I was touched by the memorials and remembrances for Rosa Parks. She was a gracious, active woman who deserved more in the last years of her life.

An article from CNN highlights her life at this link.

Classroom suggestions for wikipedia

Andy Carvin has posted great suggestions for the use of Wikipedia in the classroom in this blog article. The topics in his suggestions could be easily adapted to each teacher's content in the classroom.

A neat weblog project!

Anne has described a neat weblog project in her blog! I am going to continue to refer to her posts as she generously shares what she has learned about blogging with students!

Technology skills for educators

T.H.E. Journal published an article describing "20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have" . It's a really comprehensive list. I don't know many educators with these skills. As I think about it, my students helped me learn many of the skills. The article is good reading but David Warlick takes it to the next step in his post today. His thoughts, from my perspective are right on target!

Innovate: An exciting resource

I've just been back to Innovate and found two articles that are good reading, one on blogging and the second on online environments. This is a great resource!

Thoughts on the 4th

handflag
Originally uploaded by lanihall.

A recent post by a good friend while on his trip to Alaska included these comments: "As we drive through these rural communities I wonder if folks from Red and Blue states can reach some form of compromise today. Our politicians are shouting at each other across such a wide chasm. Instead of leading, politicians are more concerned about retaining or gaining office by speaking to their own fellowship. I can see that the life experiences encountered in Red States are so different from those of the world of Urban America, that they do not understand problems each uniquely faces. The issues plaguing Red States and plaguing Blue States are so different, that if who ever holds power forces their agenda upon the other, we all lose as the forces of globalization pass us by!"

This July 4th, as we reflect upon and celebrate the freedoms of this great nation, may we also be mindful that the greatness of this nation has been derived from the diversity and the commonalities among its peoples. Differences are many but rational, wise people can work together to help our country move forward in this everchanging world.

As educators, how can we use utilize the potential of cutting edge technology to support meaningful conversations that highlight the commonalities of all our peoples, celebrate the diversity of our nation, and encourage rational compromise and consensus building?

Even more convinced of the potential Blogging holds for k12 classrooms

The recent postings from NECC have only validated my belief that blogging is good for k12 classrooms. I just started reading Anne Davis and certainly am glad that I discovered she is out there.

Her posts in the last days have had so much good information!
She discusses lessons learned which you can review by clicking on this link.

Good reading!

2 Cents Worth is worth more than that today

2 Cents Worth is worth more than that today!
Check it out here.

A good paper on classroom blogging

Found this paper on the NECC program site:
Using weblogs to promote literacy in the classroom.
Looks pretty good:
http://www.firstmonday.org//issues/issue9_6/huffaker/

David Warlick's comments from NECC

David Warlick is really blogging from NECC! He has great comments on the conference.
Try his blog at this link.

Heating up for NECC

NECC, the big technology and learning conference is about to begin in Philadelphia. Last year, I learned lots from the online handouts. As a matter of fact, the idea for this course came from one of Bernie Dodge's presentations. So I'm on my way to the conference website to see what I can find. The website is here.

Showing insert photos

SHANNON2
Originally uploaded by lanihall123.

This is a demonstration!

Working on a blogging course

I am setting up a new course on blogging, wikis, and webquests for teachers through Ashland University. The LMS software I am learning is good (eCollege), not as good as Blackboard but offers lots of possibilities. Hopefully this blog will grow and prosper as I continue to learn.