Outcomes Based Assessment, Culture Buzz, and School Craziness

It probably feels like this more than it should...

I take no small amount of pride in belonging to a profession that is continually evolving and changing so that it can become even better.  If teachers are going to instill the value of lifelong learning then we had better darn well be willing to walk the walk ourselves.  Two things that have been occupying a growing amount of PD time have to do with Curriculum Redesign and Outcomes Based Assessment.  In other words, we're changing up pretty much every single course offered in this province AND we are looking at ways to adapt how we measure and report on student performance.

Some quick thoughts on curriculum redesign: I'm generally for it.  Teaching social studies means that I am often talking about a world that is always in flux.  I can't, for example, easily teach a course on Globalization if I'm relying too heavily on a textbook that was first published 10 years ago.  In that time we've seen some pretty crazy stuff happen: the UK voted to leave the EU, the very map of the planet has changed, and I won't even get started with everything happening in the States.  If Alberta Education wants to streamline the number of content-based outcomes that I have to get through in a limited period of time, they're certainly welcome to do so.

For those feeling determined enough, they can look here for more information.

As for Outcomes Based Assessment... well, if I'm being honest I'm probably still a little on the fence with this one.

First, some key thoughts from me:

1. Teachers NEED to understand the courses that they teach.  Period.  It can't just be about 'teaching to the test' or emphasizing rote memorization.
2. Students SHOULD be aware of what is expected of them.  They should have a general understanding of what their teacher is grading them on.
3. Students and Parents deserve accessible and accurate information that reflects genuine progress and growth.

My concern with OBA (yep... I'm being lazy...) isn't that we are considering moving past letter grades and percentages.  I am still waiting, though, for a clear sense of what this is going to look like for students, parents, and teachers.

I think that there are some great questions asked on this page from the Calgary Board of Education, along with some examples of what the so-called report card just might look like.  What I find interesting, though, is the decision (at least then) to maintain more traditional assessments for students in Grades 10 to 12.

I'm not sure what this journey will look like over the next couple of years but I am eager to see what my part in that will be.

Movies

I managed to take advantage of some down time and see a couple of films over the weekend: one with some good friends and another with my family.

With Ghost in the Shell, I went in with no background knowledge whatsoever.  I hadn't read the graphic novel or any other of the films previously done so I was pretty clueless.  In fact, I'm probably still a little clueless about many aspects of the story.

I try to avoid reading reviews before seeing films so that I can form my own opinion but I knew that this one wasn't scoring too well.  However, I left feeling mainly satisfied by an interesting story coupled with some pretty impressive cinematography.  It also raises some interesting questions about the nature of humanity as science fiction often does.

I'll give this 3 out of 5 because I can.

I also got to check out Power Rangers with my wife and our four boys.  Now for some quick context... I think I was in Grade 5 when this show first started airing in Canada on YTV.  I'm not sure why, but I seemed to recall that it wasn't really cool to admit that you watched the show.  Although, I have a feeling that there were a lot of public critics who maintained a pretty steady viewership away from prying eyes.

I quite enjoyed most of the film, especially the focus on the characters and how they ultimately come together as a team.  There was quite a bit of humour and I often realized that I was smiling and laughing while watching.  

Power Rangers gets a solid 4 out of 5.

As an added bonus, I got to see the trailer for Edgar Wright's newest film out this summer called Baby Driver.  I've been a big fan of Wright's work with Hot Fuzz ranking as one of my all-time favourite movies.  This looks to be fun.

 Shenanigans

I'm always grateful when the winter comes to an end and we can get outside a bit more.  Sometimes things get a little crazy... in a good way.  =)

Enjoy what remains of the weekend!

Great Scott!!

Apparently I need more of a kick start than I had originally thought.  While I had looked to an earlier blogging challenge to help provide purpose and direction, I may need to broaden my horizons a bit and simply find something to write about.  I'm going to look for things to write about until I can make this more of a regular habit.  Starting now.  

While I certainly don't get to do this as much as I would like to, I still enjoy these digital distractions.  I recently picked up Uncharted: the Nathan Drake Collection for the PS4.  Now, I've played the previous three entries on the PS3 but I just couldn't pass up a chance to work through an updated version of something I enjoyed so much.  Growing up, I remember loving the Indiana Jones movies, although it took me a while to get comfortable with Temple of Doom (so scary...).  I loved the sense of adventure and the journey to far off places in search of fortune and glory.  These are powerful themes that made the films so good in the first place, something that I would argue has been lost somewhat in all the flashiness of today's Hollywood.

When I play Uncharted, I get that same sense of wonder and fun that I got from the Indiana Jones films.  It had a story that I found engaging and I'd always want to play just a little bit longer just to see what would happen next.

Nathan and Sully find El Dorado.

Great storytelling and a chance to enjoy a classic trilogy if you missed it the first time.

New Idea

Woo!!  Two posts in one day.  No time like the present to get back into the habit.

I recently was going through my facebook news feed and came across a reference to Classcraft... a game that runs in the background while you teach.  As our school district has focused more and more on student collaboration (Tribes, Kagan), I have looked at ways that I can make these strategies meaningful and relevant in the classroom.  I don't just want these ideas to be something that I touch on but don't really implement.

As I read about Classcraft, I became very intrigued by the idea.  I won't summarize it here at this time, but do check out the website to see the basic idea.  I've purchased the premium version (I didn't want students to have to make in-app purchases with the freemium version) and will be setting this up with my homeroom tomorrow.  I'll share a few thoughts on how it goes later.

~Mr.T