Assessing our ability to broaden horizons

What would the education system look like if all grades were eliminated? If the only driving force for people to work hard, learn and explore was their own internal motivation? I sat down and tried to picture a classroom of this kind. I surprised myself by how many problems I could address right off the bat. With time and a little bit more critical thinking, I was able to distinguish the inevitable problem; I am a product of the Old Story, the grade-driven way of teaching and learning. As long as I, and others, continue on with this mentality, there will be no change in the system. And that can be a frightening thing. When we begin to learn, as a means of an end- for the sole reason of completing an assignment, passing a test, getting a grade or getting a diploma, we are only fooling ourselves. School provides so much more for us than what many see it for.

I speak personally when I say that from school I have learned the importance of socialization, work ethics, time-management, problem solving, critical thinking skills and many, many more. I can honestly say that I have learned something I consider of value from every class I have ever sat through. And when one considers this critically, why would ‘we’ (as a group), sit through something that we considered useless? In this case, we have accepted the unacceptable and have become passive participants in our own education. If the motivation of school is a means to an ends- I suspect we will not get very far. Without having genuine interest, motivation or willingness to “try something new”, the education system has failed us- or rather, we have failed ourselves.

In the first 20 seconds of the video this exact idea is illustrated. The student is not engaged in class, gets lost, doesn't do well on the test and then does it all over again. The grade-driven mentality is everywhere.

If I were to ask everyone in our class of 73 how many people have taken a course, received a good grade, but have little knowledge on what they actually learned. This is where the major difference between memorizing, understandings and, inevitably, learning, is highlighted. Through the strategies outlined in Chapter 2 and 3, teachers can reach out to students, help them become engaged and most importantly, follow along the process of their learning. This is the Do and Be. Through the implementation of the popsicle sticks that were used last week in class, we were all given an equal chance to answer the questions outlined in front of us. This technique is not only a way of conducting a lesson, but it is also a tool for assessment. The teacher/professor is given the opportunity to gauge the level of understanding of individual students, but also the class as whole. This is considered ‘Assessment for Learning’. Assessment for learning is when assessment is a tool for educators to use in order to learn about their students learning processes. This is a continuous assessment tool that brings the issues to the forefront before the problems become out of hand.

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There are other strategies outlined by Black and Williams (1998) that demonstrate the assessment for learning techniques and put them into practice. The “no-hands” approach is one that highlights the importance of a classroom for collaborative learning, taking the focus off of the right answer, but rather the development of understanding and the process of learning.  These are two tools that we, as future educators, need to be aware of and willing to try, if that is what our students need. We cannot be close-minded and grade-driven, or else our beliefs and values will be instilled upon our students, creating a downwards spiral.

Through our (generalization as a group) unwillingness to try new things, we have committed ourselves to the idea that learning is a “means to an ends” and that a good final evaluation is the end goal. Earlier, that is exactly what I addressed as being part of the old story. As soon as we begin to see learning as a way to discover, create and cater to our genuine interests, we will discover the value in learning. I know I am naïve and inexperienced and that is why my mind is open to the teachings of the New Story and the possibilities of the future.

Last week I wrote about “trying something new” and taking the chance to broaden horizons, explore, create and learn. This week, I challenge everyone to “try” some of these assessment tools discussed above; whether that means actively thinking about it, preparing for it, understanding its implication, or participating in it. We may surprise ourselves from the things we discover.

Trying something new

There is a lot to be said about trying something new; whether it be just the chance to gain a new experience, learn a lesson from that experience or open your eyes up to the possibilities out there. I believe that each is important to in shaping character, enthusiasm for life and the drive to continue exploring.  None of these are possible without the courage to go out on a limb and explore. And that is a beautiful thing. Not at all of what we try is going to be successful, and maybe most experiences may be more negative than not, but that doesn't deem them useless. Every experience has a valuable lesson that compliments it.

This, is 'trying something new' for me. Never before have I formulated my thoughts, experiences or ideas in a document like this, but it is definitely something worth trying, even if I crash and burn before getting it right. Being a fourth year science student I have learned an extensive amount of literary proofs, methods and experimental procedures. Until this summer I had never put those lessons into practice and I can truthfully say that I have learned more than I ever imagined I would. Through hands-on-experiences and the ability to 'explore', I was able to experiment, play, succeed, fail and most of all, learn. That is what I can hope for in the future of all students in the education system.

This type of approach is called a project-based learning which encapsulates constructivist learning, mastery of content and critical thinking. This is not a traditional way of teaching and I believe that this aspect alone is extensively beneficial to learners.  This type of approach allows for students to be creative, think outside the box, question teachings, search for answers and collaborate. One of the most important aspects of this type of learning is the capability of it to be self-directed. "Personalization" is a term deemed by Barbara Bray and Kathleen McClaskey as a self-directed type of learning that is based on the individuals' goals, passions and needs. Through personalization of lesson plans, students are active participants in what they learn and how they go about it. The assessment of this type of learning is not so straight forward. I find it almost ironic that students are encouraged to create, explore and construct their own knowledge, but most of the time they are assessed through a strict set of expectations. I hope to be enlightened on how to assess learners who have learned under this approach, without discriminating against the various expressions of learning.

Sitting in class, it dawned on me that there was not a lack of knowledge and resources in schools, but rather the lack of motivation, imagination and energy in the lessons being taught. Sciences are neither boring or difficult subjects, but are becoming increasingly labelled this way because, of what I think, is rooted in the execution of lessons. Teachers do not need to be bearers of knowledge or the judge of success and the classrooms do not need to be made up of four walls that encapsulate the words from textbooks and lesson plans. In the same way, students should not be seen as vessels to be filled with knowledge and facts. I believe that teachers should be the motivators of imagination, the assisters to success and that classrooms should be an outlet for creativity, exploration and 'trying something new'.

Albert Einstein said a wonderful quote: "You cannot solve a problem from the same consciousness that created it. You must learn to see the world anew". Thinking about that quote, its almost impossible to not relate it to your life in one way or another. There are always things that seem impossible to us, until we take a step back and see them from a new perspective. This is what I thought about when we were talking about the exceptional teachers that tried things a little differently and reached out to their students in an inclusive, creative and engaging way. Who is to say that there is one definite way of teaching? Of learning? We have already seen how the system doesn't work for everyone and we have all experienced the 'crash and burn' I mentioned above.

In that light, how about we 'try something new'; as students, as educators, as friends and as the future. How about we go out on a limb and try veering a little from the path because we never know what wonderful lessons we may learn on the way.