I’m talking about failure. Failure has become quite the educational buzzword these days. Articles, research journals, and blogposts all tout the need for failure as part of the learning process. I’d argue that most people mean “mistake” instead of “failure,” but that is an argument for another day.…
Tag Archives: Assessment
Why Standards-Based Assessment?
Why SBA? Here’s a quick list of my thinking:
- It focuses everyone (me, students, parents) on learning instead of a seemingly endless string of assignments tackled one at a time and then forgotten.
- Course requirements and learning goals will be much more transparent and more effectively communicated.
Ready for a Field Test
I’ve wished I knew how to use a spreadsheet for a couple years, but this summer I finally worked at it, in part because I was inspired by Alice Keeler, who is a spreadsheet wizard. If you’re looking for edtech know-how and inspiration, check out her blog, Teacher Tech, you won’t be disappointed.…
Recording and Reporting
Wrapping my head around SBA required figuring out the role of PowerSchool. As I mentioned in the previous post, PS’s standards features do not communicate as I would like them to. Here’s a bit of the process I went through to make PS work for me.…
Getting Rough
In order to actually use this blog effectively, I’m going to have to get rough. My previous posts have hardly been polished gems, but my thinking/writing needs to be even rough in order to make my learning visible.…
Target your feedback
The other day, I was talking about assessment that support learning in my teaching and learning class. Like I do often, I started the class with a “What do you notice? What do you wonder?” picture:
…New Musicianship Rubric for Band
A few months ago I wrote about changing my performance class rubrics that I use with my three performance classes. this post was put up on my class blog and since that post I’ve been thinking about how to change my rubrics to fit better with the in-Tone, in-Time, in-Tune and in-Touch concept.…
SmartMusic at BHS
My school ensembles have been using SmartMusic for the past several months. The students and I are both learning how to use SmartMusic simultaneously, and while the students have an overwhelmingly positive attitude about this new tool, as I do myself, there have been some small problems and glitches.…
Learning Outcomes, Instruction, Assessment: Check, check, check
I’ve spent time in that circle of Hell called “marking” (or “grading” as they call it here in the U.S.) My past is filled with stacks of math exams full of multi-step problems and astronomy exams with essays about the nature of science.…
Alfie Kohn Speaks Against Standardized Testing
My colleague Dr. Marc Spooner recently recorded a video call with renowned American author and lecturer, Alfie Kohn. In this video, Kohn speaks specifically against Saskatchewan’s proposed move to standardized testing. However, even if you are not from Saskatchewan, the information presented is relevant to anyone or any jurisdiction looking at moving toward or from standardized testing initiatives.…