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