Phase 5: Short Report
The school year has gotten off to a hectic yet fulfilling start. I conducted the professional development that I had planned; I have been able to work and plan with teachers; I have seen a high percentage of teachers adopt one of the Wipro program strategies that I modeled in the professional development; and I have been able to encourage the implementation of performances of understanding that allow students to demonstrate their learning. My Imagine IT plan is progressing well, but I am making a slight shift in its direction to address the dilemmas that arose in the last phase.
Although the focus of my project remains the same, I feel that the shifts in teaching and learning that are being targeted will achieve a greater impact if some of the issues that are affecting the students are dealt with first. I met with a couple colleagues and we discussed the following dilemmas: teaching in urban settings and assessment. I mentioned these in the context of my overall project goal and solid feedback was provided. First, I was given the suggestion to research sources in the community that can work with the students and their families. I was then encouraged to consult students for their input as to what they feel they and the community need. Finally, I was challenged to turn this into a problem based learning opportunity where students, teachers, and community members all work together to come up with solutions.
There was a rich discussion around assessment. My initial objective was to brainstorm ways to encourage the utilization of authentic assessment, but I received respectful resistance. One colleague did not feel that these types of assessments were necessary due to the nature of the standardized tests that students are taking. We looked at sample questions from a variety of assessments, and came to the conclusion that the assessments are moving away from the traditional model and toward more of a performance based model where authentic assessments would play a pivotal role. Furthermore, we looked at common core and next generation science standards and noticed that they lend themselves nicely to authentic assessments. We then came to the agreement that the students must be prepared for what is coming, and not for what is there now.
I then talked to several groups of students from the whole gamut of grade levels at my school and asked them the following: ways the school could help better the community, and how they would like to be assessed. Their responses for the former were simple yet profound: keeping the school open to keep them off the streets and out of trouble; providing work opportunities for those without jobs; resources to help people with problems; making the school more fun; and teaching only what they need to know to become successful. The responses for the latter were succinct: more projects and posters; more fun and creative ways to express themselves; more opportunities for technology; more drawing or other ways to explain besides writing or answering questions; and more collaborative assignments. These responses provide many nuggets of wisdom for educators to take into account. The students are asking for more authentic assessments without knowing it, and they are desiring STEM connections in their everyday experience.
I really like the idea of a problem based unit and have begun to brainstorm potential ways of incubation. I feel that the student responses are telling, and am thinking of the next steps. I have begun working on a professional development presentation centered around authentic assessment, and I have contacted some community organizations, along with some nearby high schools, to work on ways to provide support for the students and community. I will leave much room for the students and community members to provide their own input, and I am eager to see the direction where this will go. This slight detour is indirectly circling back to my initial goal of teachers becoming more cognizant of ways of enhancing teaching and learning for the students.