In Why School, Will Richardson writes "Real work for real audiences is, of course, hard to find in the current standardized testing regime...To assess this kind of work, teachers could co-create rubrics with students that identify what their work should address and what quality looks like" P. 515
This passage really struck me! I feel like many teachers are ready to move in this direction but still feel so much pressure to check off each expectation as they go, to be prepared for EQAO and highschool. Our students take part in an entrepreneurial fair every year, where Grade 8 students create a product or service, complete required tasks and then create and sell their product. It is an incredible experience for them and they learn so much -across subject areas -Media literacy, Math, Geography etc. This statement also makes me think about how Zoe's students feel after completing the Harbour front project and if they found the task more engaging, more relevant because it was their community?
How can teachers blend authentic, 'real' work while also meeting Admin/Board demands?
What does this look like in your classrooms?
I'm glad brought up EQAO and standardized testing. Will Richardson discusses this often, as a real barrier for educators and students to move forward in how approach Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century. In my current role, I am often very inspired by students who work hard, not for the marks or evaluation, but because they think it matters. It is so vital for them to feel like their work counts for something, that it has meaning. I would argue that the new social studies documents stress this point. About 7 years ago, when I first started blogs with my students, I remember how astonished I was at the difference in the quality of work that one student had when he wrote for a public audience vs when he wrote in his notebook or a "good copy assignment' to hand in to me. I asked him why he thought that was and he explained, that when it was public, it mattered. With so many more people blogging with their students today, I wonder how much change there has been in literacy, due to change of attitude or thinking. I wonder how much more authentic our assessment is when we see what our students can really do.
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