A shift in the learning culture

While sitting in class last week, the prof mentioned that the Alberta education system is on its way to assessment and evaluation without grades. It was shocking to me that a movement like this is actually on it's way to being implemented in schools across an entire province. I then asked myself why this information was so shocking. I mean, it isn't necessarily difficult for me to think about an innovative education system and what that might look like in my ideal world of learning, but to think of an innovative education system that would be accepted and actually implemented beyond my imagination becomes a little more difficult. I guess that's where I go wrong and need to improve. I end up limiting my visions of possibility as a dynamic and effective prospective teacher, because I expect to be shut down by the stubborn and habitual traditional model of education that is so widely known and still used in most cases. The news of an education system without grades in Alberta proves that the ideas about education that seem to be imaginative or unrealistic can actually become a reality.
                                                     
                Image from: https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140429105459-7386607-don-t-think-outside-the-box-there-is-no-box

The fact that Alberta education is shifting to a system that doesn't plant a number on student's work is huge. Imagine going to school and not having to worry about what mark you were going to end up with at the end of a project or presentation, and instead, focusing on the content itself in a way that pushes you to make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. In a traditional model, there is no room to make mistakes. You only get one shot at an assignment, test, or presentation, and if you don't do well and/or make mistakes while taking that one shot, you fail.

A cringeworthy number that is representative of failure sheds a negative light on the word "failure." What if failure was encouraged in schools? What if it was okay to fail? I think that the Alberta education movement will create a learning culture that allows for failure to be accepted in school, and that's a good thing! It will encourage students to push themselves, and make mistakes everyday. They won't be afraid to give the wrong answer in front of their classmates, say the wrong thing in a presentation, or ask questions in class, because they'll have nothing to lose. I know that my greatest learning moments occur when I fall on my face, and get right back up and learn from that mistake that made me trip. Mistake-making should be encouraged in school.

I know that a drastic movement like the one in Alberta will take time to become fully effective. Many people will have questions, and doubt the new system, and that's expected. This new model is going against so many things that the education world is accustomed to, so I'm sure that people will be skeptical and uncomfortable with many of the new concepts. For example, a student who enjoys learning such as myself might be in favour of this new system as it will most likely open doors for students to be more self-driven and self-assessed, but what about the students who just aren't into the whole concept of school? My answer to that is that the shift in the new learning culture will take time, but will eventually become extremely inviting to anyone and everyone who experiences it in its further developed stages. It might very well allow people to see the joy in learning new things, and encourage them to become passionate about something that they want to learn more about.

Although the Ontario education system is not looking to implement no-grade assessment and evaluation methods, there are still aspects of the collaborative learning culture we can use here in Ontario and within the curriculum that we currently have in place. Something as simple as reworking the rubric-system of assessment to be less intimidating and threatening, and more inviting and constructive might be a useful step. In chapter three of the text Interweaving Curriculum and Classroom Assessment: Engaging the 21st Century Learner by S. Drake, J. Reid, and W. Kolohon, an example rubric is presented in Table 3.6 that is intended for assessing a video project. I saw this rubric as an effective and appropriate assessment method for all assignments. Instead of labelling the rubric from levels 1-4 with corresponding grade ranges below each number, the rubric assesses by using a scale that reads, "Emerging, Developing, Proficient, and Exemplary." This type of language used in the rubric is much more encouraging for students because it doesn't label their work as wrong. Instead, it assesses the work based on the level of complexity, and outlines how it could be improved.

A shift in the learning culture is on its way, but we're going to have to be patient in Ontario, and work in steps within our current curriculum, towards a model that Alberta is already developing and implementing. Students need to make mistakes in order to learn, so creating a safe learning culture that welcomes students to push their limits is where we need to direct our development in education. It'll take time to adjust, but you can't rush a good thing.

Aberta Education Mandate Letter: http://alberta.ca/AlbertaCode/images/Mandate-Education.pdf

Are students excited to be back at school? Maybe.

Depending on where students go to school, what school board they're under, and which teachers are teaching them, I think that some students might very well be excited to be back at school. Weird right? It seems like excitement and school are two words that just don't go together in a sentence. Why is this the case? Why is it that when the majority of elementary and high school students think about going back to school, it usually involves a dramatic sigh or a less than impressed reaction?

It's because school isn't engaging for them. They're interests and passions aren't stimulated in the classroom. It's because they act as passive beings in a traditional classroom setting, where they all sit at an individual desk, silently of course, and listen to a teacher lecture on what the traditional curriculum requires them to lecture on. Sure, this might sound ideal for the select few who prefer this type of learning because it caters to their learning style, and that's great. But it's time that we start thinking about alternative ways to learn and teach so that classrooms are stimulating, safe, exciting learning environments that all students look forward to entering everyday.

The development of a new story of curriculum, instruction, and assessment is in the making, and is being put into action in many schools across Canada already. I think that this is a great start to reforming how schools provide a place for students to learn, and a place where they want to learn. However, it's a lengthy process to put these new systems into affect, so it's up to teachers to do what they can to be creative and innovative in the classroom. Creating lessons based on a constructivist approach that is driven towards student-based learning is the key. Make education about the students.

Last week while I was in class I was inspired by schools with teachers who organized programs with  schools around the world to create a classroom experience that was innovative and extremely compelling for the students. One class from Canada would Skype with a class in Kenya, and learn together about each other's cultures and school experiences. Now I don't have proof that all of the students were compelled to take part in this activity, or whether every student learned something, but if something like this had been a part of my high school experience, my level of excitement to learn would have gone through the roof. I think it's safe to say that this might be a similar reaction for many other students as well.

So when I say that I think that some students may be excited to be back at school, I am referring to those students who are experiencing an education system that is branching from the traditional curriculum, instruction, and assessment methods. I'm talking about those students who have teachers that work their hardest to think outside the box about how to engage their students, and who create lessons that are multidisciplinary and riveting. I'm talking about the students who return home after their day at school to a parent or gaurdian that asks them, "What did you do in school today?" and who reply with endless stories telling them about how much they learned in class, and how great their day was. Some students will have an experience that leaves them feeling excited to be back at school, but I think all students should have this experience.