Do We Need to Mark Students?

Do we need to mark students?  I think I'm going to let that question hang in the air for a few moments, partially to let you think about it, more so because I think I still need to think about it.

I have had some internal struggles lately surrounding my role in my classroom and the purpose of education in general.  These struggles have come about as I continue to learn from, and talk with others.  I use Twitter as a professional learning tool and follow a couple blogs.  I participate in a Community of Practice and a Div 4 ELA cohort group.  I participate in discussions.  I post comments.  I receive feedback.  I question my own practices and beliefs.

I recently spoke with one teacher about a technique she was using to help students improve their writing.  She would grade a student's work, but would not divulge the grade until the student took her feedback, went and found their mistakes, and made corrections.  I liked this idea.  So, I tweaked it a little and tried it out with my English 20 and 30 students for their most recent essay.  I evaluated the essay based on a rubric that students have had since the beginning of the year, but I refused to give the students their marks until they completed two more tasks.  First, I required the student to take back a copy of her/his essay, and a blank rubric, and asked that they give the essay a mark in every category.  The second task was to come and discuss the essay and personal grading with me.

I can assure you that students were not happy.  They wanted their marks.

Over the last few months I've begun noticing the reliance students have on being marked, to receiving a grade.  I'm not happy about it.  I've suspected that students look at their marks on an essay, for example, perhaps read the comments, then either smile, shrug their shoulders, storm off, or, on rare occasions, cry.  Then the work is tossed into a binder, locker, or nearest trash bin and completely ignored.  All they want is the mark.  This reliance on marks irritates me.  Is this my role as teacher?  Am I here to teach something and then mark something and then smile, shrug my shoulders, get angry, or cry based upon how well my students do, then toss the whole unit into the nearest metaphorical trash bin and move on?  I know, it sounds a little harsh, and I don't think that I've abandoned my students over the last several years of teaching or that I've been a terrible teacher.  But I no longer like the power that marks have over our students, teachers, parents, and society.  Is school about marks?  Do we need to mark students?

I was hesitant as students walked out of class with their essays and marking guides in hand.  I thought for sure I'd get a couple phone calls from parents, or a visit from my principal.  But I didn't.  What I got was several students coming to me today, in class, at lunch, and after school, to discuss their essays with me.  I began the conversation by asking students what they thought they could improve in the first category on the rubric.  They shared their reflections with me, including what they felt they did well.  They showed me some examples from their essay, and I pointed some out to them.  Then we calculated their mark for that section of the marking guide.  Next, I showed them the comments I made and the mark I gave them for that category.  We discussed inconsistencies in their evaluations, debated some points, and talked about their work.  In many cases the student and I agreed on their marks within a category.  In many cases they used some of the same words to describe their work as I used in their comments (which they hadn't yet seen).  In many cases they identified the same examples from their work that I had made a note of.  Yes, in some cases there were discrepancies, but in all cases the student walked away feeling confident that they could improve.

I want to make a comment here at this point about marking students.  By not giving students a mark up front, and by asking them what they felt could be improved, no student was able to say, "Well my mark is a 90% so there's not much I can improve."  I discussed with students that even if they scored 100% that doesn't mean they can't improve.  If a grade 11 student scores 100% on a grade 11 learning outcome, does that mean they've reached the pinnacle of what they can learn?  No!  It means they begin working on learning how to score 100% at a grade 12 level, then a first year university level, then . . . .

Is school about marks or is it about learning?  I say it's about learning!  What is a mark, really?  All the students really needed were the descriptors for a poor, limited, satisfactory, proficient, and excellent essay.  They didn't even need those headings, let alone a mark in order for them to know how well their essay writing skills were or how they continue the learning process.  I had a couple students who did rather poorly on this essay.  After we finished our conversation I asked these students how they felt about their work.  Every single student was hopeful and confident that their next essay would show improvement.  They all left with a positive attitude.  They all said they appreciated this approach of evaluation (I specifically asked).  And those whose marks were on the lower end all admitted that had I just given them back their essays with the comments and marks they would have been "upset" "angry" "sad" (dependent on the student) and they would have set them aside and simply hoped they would somehow magically do better on the next one.

Marks can devastate a child, or they can make a child complacent.  I don't see how they will motivate a student, at least not as much as a good conversation with a caring teacher.  I certainly feel that marks don't inspire a student to continue learning.   I honestly felt like a monster when I revealed the student's mark at the end of the conversation.  It felt like a giant step backwards.  I was encouraged by my students, however, many of whom literally voiced their thankfulness for taking the time to remind them that school isn't about marks, it's about learning.

Personal Handheld Devices in the Classroom?

Many of my students, and, if I can be honest, me, have been feeling somewhat discouraged lately about the availability of adequate computer access at our school.  This post is NOT going to be one of complaint, but rather of innovation and a strong display of just how important technology is to my students.  However, I must set the scene, just briefly.  We are a small school of under 200 students K-12.  We have one computer lab with 21 computers and a laptop cart with roughly 18 computers.  The computer lab is nearly book solid every afternoon with various computer classes for all the grades.  The laptop cart does not contain enough laptops for my LA 8/9 split class that I only have in the afternoons, and with the number of kids doing a variety of correspondence courses, our 18 laptops quickly dwindle to insufficient numbers for my other classes as well.  I'll just quickly mention the bitter distaste my students in the afternoon have for using the laptops when the computer lab is in full operation as well, because of the snail's pace everything moves.  In addition, our laptop policy is getting burdensome as students continue to make matters worse through continued vandalism (missing keys, wrecked track pads, colouring on the computers, etc.)  But, this isn't about complaints. . . 

I continue to encourage technology despite these issues, and try to assure students that the tech problems are somehow connected to the school/PWSD and that my personal laptop (used daily at the school for the last two years) operates just fine, as do the countless businesses that run networks of computers.  

This insistence has led many students to question the feasibility of using their own personal devices at school.  I remind them that I have begged them many times to bring their laptops and ipads with them (with parent permission of course, and a lock on their locker).  But few have access to these devices.  What an overwhelming majority do have though are iPods and iPhones.  Since the beginning of last year, when our school policy was finally reversed, students have been using these devices.  But mostly as a dictionary or thesaurus or other trivial conveniences.  Since our last CofP meeting, I have been trying to use these handhelds for better purposes: QR Codes and Todaysmeet being two that come quickly to mind.  

Over the last week and a half though,with increased tech issues at the school, higher than normal demand for the tech, and continued headaches from students who come to class needing to "print their homework" (and expecting to waste 15 minutes of class doing it) our frustration has boiled over.  The key here though is that students have had enough of it.  I'm not sure where all the sparks have come from exactly, but in more than one of my classes recently, students have been wishing their handhelds could do more. And that's when I seized my opportunity.  I told them their handhelds could do more, it was just a matter of learning some new, very easy to use apps, and to spend a bit of money.  

Dropbox has become one of my favourite cloud technologies.  I still like G-Docs, but Dropbox does certain things better, in my opinion. Dropbox allows you to store any type of file (that I know of) to an online account--2 GB free with the opportunity to get more. Unlike Google Docs, you do not create these files online.  The site does allow sharing/collaboration of files, though, which I am using with a couple students now to "hand in their work" as a trial to becoming more "paperless" next year.  It's also a free app for your iPhone and iPod.  This isn't a Dropbox promo either but it is necessary to have an app like this to use the next app I'll mention.  If you do care to check it out, it does have some similarities and benefits to/over G-Docs and Moodle, and I hope to be using all three next year on a more regular basis. (Use this URL for signing up for Dropbox and each of us will get .25 GB more free space--then use your own referral link for your students so you have the space to handle them all handing in their work this way:  http://db.tt/QLvQxle   

The uses of Dropbox, however, are reduced, for handheld devices, without a word processor working in tandem with it.  Enter Docs To Go. Over the last week and a half I have had roughly 20% of my students purchase the Docs To Go app for their handheld.  This app is quite amazing:  it lets you create, email, open email attachments, and edit a variety of file types, including: Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and PDF (view only).  And yes, you can upload and download to/from Dropbox and Google Docs, as well as connect to a desktop via WiFi.  This does not support iWorks programs, only Microsoft office, though, from what I can tell, it is not affiliated with Microsoft (but what do I know?).  I do know that, while it does an amazing job, it isn't perfect in it's formatting and does have fewer options available.  Students, however, are loving the fact that they can research on their handheld, create a document on their handheld, and hand it in . . . on their handheld, without concerns about computer availability or speed issues.  For some students, it has even solved a lack of computer access at home and allowed them to do digital work they knew that used to have to do by hand because they couldn't get "dad's work laptop" at home that night to finish what they start at school.  They love that they don't need to email docs or use a flash drive (when working in tandem with Dropbox). It's also engaged students in note taking that some of these kids just wouldn't do before.  The drawback, or at least my perceived drawback, though it doesn't seem to have been an issue for students, is that that app costs $17 (for the premium version--which, in my opinion, you are better off getting over the $10 version).  I was concerned this would be a big issue, and gave a nice speech warning kids not to get in trouble at home for spending this money, but my students were excited to have the option, convenience, and engagement that these apps allow.

Now that I've rambled on and on, I will be the first to admit that there are issues with using handheld devices in the classroom, but I compare them to the kids who sit and daydream.  If they don't want to work, they won't.  In reality, it's been the kids who I normally expect not to do their work who are the first ones now ready to hand it in.  They are excited that a teacher has recognized and accepted the tool they have in their hands a large part of the day.  

This topic leads me to question why this isn't encouraged more in classrooms.  As I continue to fume privately (mostly) that we don't provide a computer per kid--I'd love to see an ipad designated to each of my students for an increase in school fees to cover the cost over 3-4 years--handhelds will be my focus.

How about you?  Any thoughts?  I realize that these two apps are pretty boring, but writing is a key component of ELA. I do continue to look for new ways to use handhelds.  Can handhelds be utilized in your subject areas?  Would it make a difference?  Do you have concerns?  There are certainly more concerns than the one I've hinted at above.  Let's chat.

Web 2.0 Projects? Why Not? (Oh, plus assessing them)

I've been using / experimenting with some Web 2.0 tools in my classroom recently.  For the most part theses activities have been tools to work with a text and have been minimally graded or not graded at all, or they have been used to get familiar with the the Web 2.0 tools and have not been attached to an actual assignment yet (still used educationally and based on curricular goals, but with a focus on getting familiar with the tools).

Some of the Web 2.0 tools I've used recently: blogging (through blogspot), Todaysmeet, Picnik (for 6 word story), Audacity (is this classified as a web 2.0?), MixedInk, linoit, Weebly (an easy and free website creator), and digital photo taking (for 10 pic tour--again not really a web 2.0 tool).  I have also used ComicLife (for Macs) recently.

A number of these have not come in for any marks, but rather were used to get kids working with the tools, or with information, or both.  For example, I used MixedInk to have grade 9's share their essay introductions and work together to create one introduction for the class to use.  It helped students to see what others did, practice evaluating their own work and others', and work together collaboratively to produce the best introduction they could.  In addition to that, they also got to learn how to use MixedInk, a tool they'd never used before.  For their body paragraphs, we switched to paper and highlighters and kept the collaborative learning.  For the conclusion, we used Linoit and they posted their conclusions in 3 parts--rewording of thesis, restatement of ideas, link back to background on topic from intro (on three overlapping stickies). Students were able to see if they missed a part from their conclusion by using 3 stickies, one for each part, and were able to view their classmates' conclusions in order to see various approaches.  Many decided they needed to rewrite--without being asked to.  AND all of this was for the sake of learning.  No marks were given for any part of these activities.  Next week, students will sit down and write an essay on their own, on a new topic, and that will come in for marks.

On the other hand, I did use the blogging my grade 10's did as a mark. We had watched a film, A Few Good Men, and students kept notes on a particular topic (old diploma topics).  There were multiple topics and multiple students for each topic (they got to choose their topic).  I created a post on my school blog (for students and parents; it's new and barely used still at this point, though I'm trying to get kids to it by using it as part of activities like this one), for each topic.  After the film, students took their notes and made comments on the blog for their topic.  Then they commented back to others pushing them for more details, asking questions, clarifying points, etc.  They also had the opportunity to post on the other topics to provide their insights and help out their classmates.  To evaluate this activity I simply took a look at all the comments made by a student (lots of scrolling) and assessed the quality of their comments as well as making a subjective assessment regarding collaborative learning based upon the number and distribution of their comments--were they all on one topic, all at the beginning suggesting they only looked at this once, all at the end and simply repetition of the comments from others, etc).  It was a small mark that didn't amount to much as far as their overall grade, but enough for this class to actually care about doing the assignment.  And it has opened the door for future assessments like this now that they have had some experience with blogging and know what I'm expecting.

I also recently introduced my grade 7's to the 6-word story, audacity, and 10 pic tour, activities.  This was to get this class starting to use more tech (they are quite resistant and have very poor computer skills) so that I can begin offering it as an option for assignments without needing to "hold their hand" through it all.  I did a write up of the activities for them, with steps to follow, right through from the beginning to emailing their finished product to me.  Afterward, we discussed their likes and dislikes of the activities and also how they thought I could assess their work.  They had some good insights.

I know I'm a messy writer--I swear it's a genetic issue and teachers who insist on trying to correct are wasting their time :) On the bright side, it makes my messy-writing students happy that I can read their work, and they know that if I can't they need to do something about it.

Students found the activities fun and new.  They took ownership.  They liked being able to choose from the 3 activities.  We did have some computer issues (our school uses macs and for whatever reason we have been having network problems and computer issues--I use my personal macbook at school with none of the same issues our school macbooks have, so I'm at a loss to explain the problems).  Because of these issue, unfortunately, some students found the activities boring and it reinforced their opposition to technology.  I did find that after discussing the issues, these students were open to giving it another try later.  A few of the students had problems following my instructions and complained that they didn't get enough help.  8 times out of 10 their questions were clearly answered in my photocopied notes for them which they had refused to read carefully.  The other 2 times out of 10 I discovered just how weak their computer skills were as I'd made some assumptions and left out some "obvious" steps (like how to attach a file to their email) or that they'd have to look under "file" to export their Audacity work.  It did provide the opportunity for me to reinforce the need to follow directions and reread assignments carefully, as well as the fact that working with computers requires some experimentation and problem solving--It rarely gets perfectly laid out for you.

As for the evaluation, I agree with their points.  It was important to them that they be creative and not simply copy the work of others. Also, to use their chosen medium to its fullest extent rather than just the minimum capacity--I liked that they avoid the word "effort" (as I have taught them to) and focused instead upon the notion of creating a thoughtful piece base on the options available in the medium.  They recognized the vital need to say something meaningful despite the presentation medium.  They realized they could be assessed for group work and consultation skills, evaluating and fixing their errors, following all instructions/knowing what they had to do.

I believe that assessing these types of projects will come down to basing the assessment on curricular outcomes.  Assess the ideas and details, assess the writing skills (even more important when putting something out there for a public audience--and students know that), assess the use of form, organization, and consideration of audience.  Assess their evaluation and revision of the work.  It doesn't require a heavy focus on the medium itself (perhaps more for this leeway in ELA) except as far as using the capabilities of the program.

I also believe that it "choice" should be offered whenever practical.  Students don't all like the same things, and a lack of interest can affect the skill level and the effort, which in turn will affect the quality of work a student produces. For example, if I said use Picnik to create a 6 -word story for a summary of each chapter in a novel, and a student tells me she can produce the same assignment using an iPhone app instead, should I force her to use Picnik? Or what if a student comes and says he loves drawing and would like to do his assignment by hand on paper?  Should I force him to use Picnik?  Is the focus on the tool or the product or the interaction with the literary text?  Am I looking for technology skills or am looking to see that the student knows and understands the chapter well enough to effectively summarize the importance of it with a meaningful visual and word choice combination?

On the other hand, if I need students to be able to post their work for others to see and evaluate, and my focus for them here is to give and take feedback as a part of a group, then allowing a student to do their work using a different site may not be practical.

In addition to these situations, I have also been confronted by some students wanting to use various technological approaches with assignments I've created to be done using paper and pen.  For example, my grade 7's completed a menu project the other day.  They were asked to combine visual and written text to engage a customer.  A large focus was on item descriptions that incorporate figurative language.  We looked at some example menus on paper and online, but my assignment write-up clearly indicated that the expectation was that this should be completed on paper.  I had 3 students from my class of 13 ask me at the end of class if they could create their menu online.  I began to say "no" then caught myself.  I was literally silent for a good 30 seconds with these kids staring at me as I debated in my head if this was a good idea.  "Why Not!?!" was the question I kept coming back to.  Availability of computers? More work? Can I mark it the same way? How will they do this--do they have the skills?  I ended up saying "Why Not?" and they responded, "I don't know."  I addressed my concerns and we worked it out.  They all had computer access at home.  3 laptops are easy enough to book.  The marking guide didn't need a single alteration. None knew how to create a website so I told them I'd look into it and get back to them.  I spent an hour searching out free online website creators and settled on Weebly.com.  It's free and it's easy.  In the end, one of the three switched to paper because creating the website was beyond her current capabilities.  The other two blew me away.  I was happy to evaluate something different and these students had the opportunity to try something different and experience an extremely high level of satisfaction and ownership for their work.  At our Menu Celebration night I had all the handmade menus laid out for parents to see and right in the middle of the row I had a laptop loaded up to the online menu. Everyone was extremely impressed.  

Some questions I have found myself asking when it comes to assessing Web 2.0:

Is it necessary to mark this work, or is good enough that students are completing it as a learning activity?

What do I want students to get out of this activity?

Can I offer choices for this assignment that involve alternate tech or traditional tools?

Will skills with the technology affect the mark I will end up giving a student?

Have students had enough time to practice using the tech if it will affect their mark?

WHY NOT! has become my initial reaction now when a student comes to me looking for alternatives and choices.  Sometimes the answer to that question means the student ends up doing what I originally asked (though now they always understand why), but usually it means the student is more engaged in their learning because they have taken ownership of it.

An ARG for School--Would this interest your students?

So, I've decided to undertake the massive task of creating an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) for my students to follow.  It's going to be an extracurricular activity rather than a curricular one, and before you can ask, I'll give a brief rundown as to why.  First, this is year two for me of creating a Spring Extracurricular Activity.  I began last year with a geocaching inspired activity because I'd just learned of geocaching, had fun with it, and wanted to share it with my bored students.  We are a small school and students get bored at lunch.  We are a rural school and many kids, while they have lots of work to do, don't have a lot of opportunities to be involved in extracurricular activities.  And those who play school sports are itching for something to do in the spring when our sports teams are done for the year.  And so last year I undertook the task of creating 7 weeks of fun.  The response was completely underwhelming, and yet I was ecstatic that the small number of students that did participate were completely taken with the activity.  (Ha! So much for brief.)  This winter I had several students asking if I could put another activity together for them, and I said "of course" as though I already had it all planned out.  "Of course" I didn't.  So I began keeping my eyes open for new ideas.  ARG hit me like geocaching did and I became hooked on the idea.  I'm hoping to involve more students this time but if I don't, oh well.  Second, this is new territory for me.  I've never played an ARG, never seen an ARG, never created an ARG.  This will help me see the inner workings of the game and its full potential in a junior/senior high setting.  The games are designed for a huge population of people, typically on an national or international scale.  100 kids in one location is a significant modification. I personally feel better running it as extracurricular for the time being.  Third, I want students to get used to the idea and get a feel for the new experience before turning it into something that will have to be "evaluated" and "reported."  It seems unfair to grade students on something so out of their realm of experience, especially when it's not really something they can practice before doing for real.  This is their practice.  And fourth, learning shouldn't always be about marks and curriculum.  My plan for the ARG involves a lot of learning experiences but in a fun, nonthreatening environment and form.  I want kids to have fun and learn at the same time, not to be "forced" into a task.

So that's why I'm taking the extracurricular route.  Some of you are likely wondering at this point what exactly I mean when I say Alternate Reality Game.  But sorry, I have no intention on getting into that here.  What I am willing to do is link you to some of the info,  both from me on a different site, and from there to an education site that helped me understand how to use the game in a school setting.
Try this site: http://pwsdcofp.posterous.com/challenge-accepted-jen

Okay, for those of you who refused to click the link, I'll give you a one sentence explanation:  ARGs revolve around the telling of a story in both the real, tangible world, and the world of technology; it's not an RPG, instead players interact with the story as themselves.

What I'm really writing this post for is to get some feedback from you.  Please!  I've create the initial piece of the story tonight (not the only rabbit hole, but it is a rabbit hole that provides a piece of the storyline) and was hoping to get your thoughts for improvement.  Would this engage your students?  What would you change?  It should have a ring of reality but also a hint of the fictional nature.  Thanks in advance for your help.  Here it is:

This story begins like many others; in that regard it is not unique.  If that fact is enough to dissuade you from reading on then I will say sayonara to you right now. Goodbye, have a good life, it was good of you to get this far, so sorry to disappoint.  If, however, you are still reading, then I can promise you that this story will be like no other you have ever read . . . or should I say “lived?”

Gelda Natrule grew up like any normal kid does, if there is such a thing as normal.  And maybe “normal” is not the right word.  Perhaps I should say “ideal,” or, better yet, “typical.”  Yes, Gelda Natrule grew up like any typical kid does.  She played and went to school.  She got in trouble and did funny things that made her parents smile.  She spent time outdoors and played video games.  And when she grew up she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to be.  No, strike that, she did know:  she wanted to be a wife and mother, a business woman, a motivational speaker, and she wanted to work with kids and the environment.  She wanted it all.  So Gelda went out to accomplish her goals.

Sound familiar yet?

Yes? No?  Well maybe it’s not like many other stories.  Uh-oh, I hope not too many people stopped reading after the first three sentences. Oh well, they are the type that wouldn’t be interested in a good story anyways. I’m glad you’re still here.  And trust me, this will be unlike any other story experience you’ve ever had.

How do I know?  Well, because I’m the puppet master, the narrator, the one writing the story and pulling the strings.  But it’s not only that.  What’s really neat about this story is that you get to play along.  You can be a chapter in Gelda’s life.  You can interact with her.  Help her.  Rescue her?  Yes, but now I’m getting ahead of myself.  The story of Gelda’s life is only partially written, just like yours and mine.  I don’t know it all because she hasn’t lived it all.  And the part she is about to start living could involve you.  Because I’m the puppet master, I do know some of the future.  But the future is never constant.  We all have choices to make in life and those choices affect our lives and, unbeknownst to many, the lives of people we may not have even met yet. 

That is the case with you and Gelda.  I can tell you that Gelda grew up and has accomplished many of her dreams.  She runs a successful small business that produces and sells environmentally friendly cosmetics and beauty products that are 100% natural.  She graduated from the University of Alberta last year with a degree in Environmental Studies, and she tours around to schools to talk with students about environmental concerns and why students should be concerned.  She isn’t married yet and has no kids, but it’s still on her list. 

I can also tell you that Gelda has plans to visit your school, yes, Ridgevalley School, on Friday April 29^th.   And furthermore I can tell you that she will soon be kidnapped.  I could even tell you by whom, but where would be the fun in that?  They don’t call me the puppet master for nothing.  What I can’t tell you is when this will happen or what will become of her.  That, in part, is up to you.  Are you the type of person to step up and help out a fellow human being, to stand up against men of poor ethics, and to protect the environment for your future and the future of your great-grandchildren?  If so, then things may yet turn out all right.  If not, I’m not certain what may become of Gelda. 

If you are intrigued, and I hope you are, there are two things you need to do.  First, plan to meet Gelda on Friday April 29^th.  Second, be on the lookout for the red star.  The red star is my signature icon and more of this story about Gelda and you will be revealed when you see that icon.

Teach a Writing Process? No Way!

Does anyone teach a "writing process" anymore?

I don't. Never have. Never will.

(Listen to the TSK TSK TSKs)

Instead, I teach a Creation Process.

Teaching a Creation Process rather than a Writing Process was something I'd contemplated for a while and brought to fruition during my university years after learning that education is better when it goes beyond one particular class. This truth has always seemed fairly obvious and works beautifully for ELA where a lot of the skills that are learned are cross-curricular in nature.

Now, I'm just as guilty as the next teacher when it comes to failing to link the learning in my course to others, but the idea of a Creation Process does this beautifully. And, it doesn't just relate to other courses, but also to life in general, and careers in particular.

For the past five years I have been teaching my grade 9's a formal Creation Process. A student teaching class was my test market for this and I'm thankful that I dared to question my mentor teacher when he told me I'd need to teach the class the standard writing process. Thankfully, Mr. Lent was an amazing mentor teacher and granted me permission to alter his typical content and experiment with his class.

The results were amazing. Students were engaged and participated enthusiastically. Even when it came to writi g and rewriting a text up to 8 times, there were few complaints.

There really isn't a whole lot of difference between a process of writing and one of creation, that is except for the focus. For the student who hates writing, learning a process to improve writing sounds like a long, boring, pointless endeavor. But that student may love baking, or science, or architecture or . . . The creation process is a process that not only improves writing but it also improves ANYTHING a student chooses to create in any subject or other area of their lives.

I begin the unit questioning students about what their parents do for a living: "A truck driver, pastor, teacher, lawyer, constuction worker, small business owner, astronaut (Ok, I've never heard astronaut, not with a teaching assignment in rural northern Alberta, but how cool would that be?) and I pick out one or two occupations that I know will easily prove my point (while stay at home mom can work, it's not easy getting the answers I want.) I then ask why she or he does this job--leading to he/she enjoys it--and what is involved in the job--looking for something that gets created. I'll ask if they know all that's involved in doing the job--planning, talking to others, redoing some of the work, etc.

Next, I ask if anyone has seen the television show, "House." There is usually a few and I'll have them give a brief description of the show, ensuring they understand that House is an expect specialist doctor who solves cases others can't, and that he saves lives. I'll ask if anyone knows what's similar about House and their parents. There are often some interesting answers here that I gloss over until I can tell they want me to tell them. But I don't. I placate their annoyance by offering to watch an episode of House instead: Season 1, Episode2, Paternity.

As we watch, students have a set of questions to focus on and write point form responses to. The focus involves why House takes the cases he does, what his first steps are, what he does when he thinks he has an answer, what he does after administering a treatment, who else he talks to about the case, and when he stops trying to cure a patient.

Each of these relates to 1 of 6 steps in the Creation Process.

1. Interest
2. Research
3. Creation
4. Evaluation
5. Consultation
6. Re-Creation

I'll spare you a full on explanation of each because I'm sure you can see the link to House, life, careers, school, and writing. I go over each step in detail, offering explanations and examples of "practical application" for both writing and life. I also stress the importance of repeating steps 4 through 6 as many times as necessary to achieve the desired level of perfection. I use House and their parents as examples of not just doing things once and saying "good enough."

Through the unit "I reserve the right to test them on these steps and applications without notice" and I do. It isn't long before they realize the importance of evaluating their answers, consulting to get it right, and recreating their answers the next time there is a quiz. Soon they have it all memorized. I also combine this learning with the 6 traits of good writing and the RAFTS model (or FARTS model if you ask the kids) and have them plan, write, evaluate, consult, and rewrite a piece of their choice for each trait. By the end, they get it. (Can you see why I despise standardized tests that allow very little time for steps 2 and 4, and eliminate steps 5 and 6 all together? It hardly seems fair to expect from students, who have had very little creation practice, so much more than we expect from Specialist Doctors!)

What are your thoughts? What am I missing? Am I completely off my rocker? Did I seriously just say, "off my rocker?"

Bullying: How far is too far?

This post has been inspired by a featured video from A Current Affair  entitled "Bullying Victim Speaks Out." If you haven't seen it yet, you might want to check it out before continuing to read.

I had mixed reactions while viewing this interview and the situation on which it is based.  I'm still not certain what I really think, but perhaps that will be solidified through the act of writing this post.  I came across this post on Twitter thanks to @SamGliksman, and thought I'd take a look. Preventing bullying is an issue that I've been interested in pursuing at my school ever since I sat with a student for a lunch period after he'd been harassed by others at his locker at the start of lunch.  Unfortunately this student felt his course of action was to transfer schools.  As dark a moment as that was, the depth of the issue was brought to light for me on "Wear a Pink Shirt Day" (for anti-bullying awareness) when I was told by two of my classes that bullying doesn't happen at our school.  I couldn't believe it.  It was further reinforced as I began to prep for leading a PD session at my school on building school community and I've further explored this through a session at our teacher's convention MPTCA.

When I looked at the title of the video, my first reaction was "Good for you Casey." It takes guts to stand up and speak out against bullying; there is always that fear that any form of resistance will result in swift and brutal retaliation.  There is a lot of bullying that goes unreported for just this reason.  That's a disheartening, though somewhat understandable truth.  Self-preservation is instinctual, and if a victim feels the only outcome of "telling" will be, at best a "we'll look into it" response, it's not hard to figure out why they'd prefer to keep it to themselves.

My second reaction, I must admit, was quite different.  As I viewed the footage of the incident, I couldn't help but cringe (every time) they showed the bully being slammed into the ground.  I remember thinking that Casey was lucky the boy wasn't paralyzed (assuming that if he was there would be a different title on the interview).  It was then that I realized this wasn't so much about "Speaking Out" as it was about "Standing Up" and I was a bit repulsed that ACA would run a piece about the glory of violent retaliation.

I do believe it is important for a victim to find the courage to stand up to her/his aggressor(s): It's good for  their self-esteem, teaches them to try independence first, and speaks to the seriousness of the incidents (not that being bullied isn't serious--we must listen--but sometimes it's hard as an adult to determine the extent and act appropriately).


But . . .

How far is too far ?


When it comes to bullying, unpleasant situations, threats or acts of physical violence, I've always taught my own children, and I teach it to my students as well, to make a decision between trying to talk it out or walking (running) away.  To turn to physical violence is a last resort ONLY when rendered unable to run.  I hold this position for two reasons:  my morals (which are beside the point today), and social laws about reasonable force.  Self-defense, by my understanding, allows only for you to make yourself safe.  It does not allow you to injure because you have been injured.  Anything beyond this moves you into the realm of unreasonable force and there are legal ramifications then that you will bear.

How far is too far?  Consider it this way. Casey did not feel the need to repeatedly kick his bully once he had the bully down, and on this point I applaud him, but what if he had thought it necessary to pull a knife or a gun to make the abuse stop permanently?  What would our reactions be then?  Is 15-year-old-Casey still a hero and role model for "speaking out"or is he a murderer?  Would it be a sad crime of passion or another case of teen gunmen in public schools?

How far is too far?  Personally, I agree with the school's zero tolerance policy on fighting and Casey's suspension (assuming he went beyond self-defense).  Violence is very rarely the answer.  Violence often leads to escalation of a situation and disastrous consequences.

All of that being said, I recognize these are my own beliefs, albeit based on law, and that others have very different values.  Many of my students assert that they have been taught to return a blow with a blow, to finish the fight if someone else starts it, to stand up for themselves no matter the means.  And I can respect that attitude in some ways; it can produce positive results.  But students don't realize that they need to make this a conscious choice.  They need to realize there will be consequences for these types of actions and they need to make the decision knowing that the law is NOT on their side most of the time.  Individuals need to be able to analyze a situation and determine for themselves which issues to pursue, the necessary actions, and the consequences they are willing endure to get the results they desire.

This video does do a lot for awareness of bullying as an issue in our schools.  Casey honestly admits to feeling helpless, lonely, having a lack of supporters, and to contemplating suicide.  The effects of bullying are terrible and parents and teachers often see only a glimpse of what actually goes on.  This can make it extremely difficult to address the bullying issue. Two keys to putting a stop to bullying are helping bullies become empathetic to the plights of others and to teach bystanders to take action.  We need more peacemakers.  We need more students to choose not to be silent.  We need individuals to speak out.

Ultimately, we all have choices to make.  I'm not about to judge Casey's choice today because I wasn't there and I  wasn't in his situation.  Casey made the choice he thought was best.  Was it self-defense?  Did it go beyond reasonable force? I'm not a lawyer :( so I don't know.  But I didn't hear a single comment that suggests Casey believes his suspension is unjust, whereas he has implied he has no regrets.

My final reactions were of admiration (mixed with a touch of relief) when Casey offered his very mature advice to other victims: "school doesn't last forever--hang in there" rather than "beat up your bully."

Not Just Authentic Assessment But Authentic Learning As Well

How can I engage my students and have them learn what I'm trying to teach them?

In university I learned about Authentic Assessment and fell in love with the idea.  I decided to take a project-based approach to my ELA units, rather than a textual or thematic approach because I felt that having an authentic task for waiting for students at the end of a unit would engage the kids and guide my unit plans.  In the 4 years I've been out of university, I've had some projects go over exceeding well, such as my CD insert, Advertisement, Character Trading Cards and Speeches.  Recently, I have slacked a bit with this, caving under the pressure of trying to prep for government exams, but it's something I know I need to work harder on because I've witnessed how assessment that is authentic really can engage students and improve their work.  And I know improved grades translate ultimately to improved learning, and, really, that 's the goal, right?  Authentic Assessment isn't what I want to talk about today though.

Setting aside the ideas of formative assessment and assessment for learning, which are important, my authentic assessments are summative and happen at the end of the unit. But what about the beginning of a unit?

This is a question I've been most keen on answering since the end of January this year, and the start of a new term and new courses. I knew I had a tough high school class starting up and was hoping to really reach them this term.  It's a class I've taught through junior high and have struggled to engage.  None of my "tricks" have worked with this class:  humour, fun, technology, authentic assessment . . . I very much wanted to make ELA meaningful for these students, but didn't know how.

I decided to try "authentic learning"(a term I naively thought I'd coined until looking into it for this post).  Authentic learning is defined here as experience "which best enable learners to be engaged with their learning. Because the teacher attempts to make the learning situation meaningful to the life of the student and connected to real life events, students are better able to construct knowledge and to make meaning from school-based learning."

My thought was to try and show this class how what they were about to learn could be applicable to their own lives: authentic.  This is something that I typically do throughout a unit through examples or explanation.  However, as I said before, this hasn't been convincing for this class in the past.  This term I decided a more drastic approach to authentic learning was required.

To lead into our first unit (with the authentic assessment being a team debate), I decided to invite my principal into class to explain that our school's cafeteria would be closing as per staff decision at the previous day's staff meeting.  Students were horrified at the thought, but (surprisingly) accepted the news politely and without argument.  This was not the reaction I had counted on, or needed to lead into a unit on debate.  As our principal headed toward the door, I told students this was their chance to have their voices heard; they needed to speak the looks on their faces if they wanted a chance to change this decision.  So they did.  They asked questions, made statement, share perspectives, offered suggestions, and debated reasons and solutions.  They debated!  And it was great.

After explaining to them that the cafeteria was not in fact closing, and after listening to their groans at being tricked, and after explaining that the purpose of lying to them was to show them how important it is to be able to state and defend an opinion, they were all enthusiastic to learn more about how to convince others of their ideas.  They carried this enthusiasm right through the unit, not wanting to wait until the end to debate their topics (which they chose).

This worked so well that I decided to use the same approach, authentic learning, for unit two.  This time I knew it would be vital to engage students' interest as we were about to begin The Crucible, a 1953 Arthur Miller play, set in 1692 Salem, Massachusetts about hanging witches.  That's about as far away from 2011 Ridgevalley AB as you can get, at least as far as students are concerned. What's a teacher to do?

I took a risk.  A risk that ended with 3 students in the hallway, one sobbing; a class full of incredulous and angry, though surrealistically silent students, and a principal ready to call parents. Sounds like a disaster, doesn't it?  The next day, the one student who was absent came complaining that she always misses the "fun stuff."  A week later teachers are still commenting to me that kids are talking about that class, and students are asking some pretty good questions of the characters via todaysmeet.com. How can that be?  Because I showed them what it would be like to live in a society like Salem's where you were expected to follow the rules despite how ridiculous they may seem.  I showed them what happens if you don't follow the rules.  I showed them how little evidence it took to be named a witch.  I showed them what would happen if you tried to defend an accused witch.

Students came to class expecting a test.  They got an unfair test with unfair rules.  When a rule was broken I tore up that student's test and when they complained I sent them to the hallway.  After the first student was sent out, the rules were followed.  I then switched to unfair accusations based on little to no evidence.  And sent another student out for complaining.  A third tried to defend him and she got sent out as well (sobbing).  The rest were above reproach.  I had the principal come in and enforce how important following the rules is and what would happen if students refuse.

When all was revealed as an act (my drama teacher qualifications have gotten a bit of a boost with all this acting), students were able to relate the themes of the play: hysteria (one student testified to being so frightened of messing up that his hands were shaking so badly he couldn't write his test), intolerance (mine for their disrespect and their's toward the "bad" kids sent to the hall), and reputation (one falsely accused student had been offered amnesty for an admittance of guilt but refused and later explained he didn't want his classmates, who knew he was innocent, to think worse of him).

Students got a firsthand dose of life in Salem at the time of the play and have reserved judgement on the characters for their actions.  We also discussed how these same themes were apparent in the events of 9/11 and other situations that affect them.  Students had an authentic learning experience that has engaged them and been related to their own lives.  I plan on trying to provide more of these types of experiences for students at the beginning of units (though I promised not to lie to this class again for a couple months).

What have you done to offer authentic learning?  What do you think about "lying" to students?  What suggestions can you offer?