Formative assessment…I am in formative assessment mode as a supervisory officer…identifying gaps in understanding for the educators with whom I have the privilege of working.  Our Leadership Learning Team (LLT) took place last week (and yes, it snowed AGAIN but everyone arrived safely) and the leaders reminded me that they continue to struggle and to wonder about the Assessment Framework Cycle as tool to enhance motivation and engagement.  I appreciated this honesty so very much and when I reflect back on our Growing Success Implementation Project, I realize that, three years ago, when we engaged in this learning, perhaps we weren’t quite ready. We didn’t know what we didn’t know.  We had identified student engagement and motivation as two crucial areas in need of support as absenteeism was very high (and rising), students were often not completing tasks, and educators were feeling frustrated.

This was THE urgent need for us at the time (and continues to be), and we began to explore the Assessment Framework Cycle as a possible solution, as the use of the structures in this cycle (Learning Goals, Success Criteria, Feedback, Peer/Self-Assessment and Individual Goal Setting) were identified as key in engaging students, encouraging learning and independence. These structures, critical to the formative learning phase (I acknowledge that there are some subtle differences between Assessment for/as Learning and Formative Assessment), are used ONLY in the Assessment for/as Learning/Formative phases of learning – the PRACTICING phases – provided us with a new way to think about learning – and made us realize that our classrooms needed to change just like our learners had changed.  We were spending significant time teaching and evaluating, rather than learning and assessing. If students didn’t achieve “success” the first time, often it was a dead end, which may have explained the lack of engagement and motivation.

The journey began with the Growing Success Implementation Project, where educators learned about the Assessment Framework Cycle structures. We learned that, “When teachers join forces with their students in the formative assessment process, their partnership generates powerful learning outcomes.  Teachers become more effective, students become actively engaged, and they both become intentional learners” (Moss and Brookhart, Advancing Formative Assessment in Every Classroom, 2009, pg.5); thus students become increasingly independent and learning is improved. We ensured that the use of assessment to improve learning became the foundation of our Board Learning Plan; thus the shift from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning (hence our Learner Centered Pedagogy and Environment). The following key goals (from Wiliam, Embedded Formative Assessment, 2011) were adopted:

1. Learners are actively involved in their own learning processes
2. Effective feedback is provided to learners
3. Teaching activities are adapted in a response to assessment results
4. Learners are able to perform self-assessments
5. The influence of assessment on learners’ motivation and self-esteem is recognized.

And we recognized that “Five Major Assessment for Learning Strategies” (Wiliam, 2011) needed to be embedded into our practices as they were vital in creating learning centered environments and pedagogy:

1.  Clarifying and sharing learning intentions and criteria for success
2. Engineering effective discussions and other learning tasks that elicit evidence of learners’ understanding
3. Providing feedback that moves learning forward
4. Activating learners as instructional resources for one another
5. Activating learners as the owners of their own learning.

We were beginning to understand how Assessment for/as Learning was a key piece to the Learner Centered Pedagogy and Environment that we are working towards achieving in every classroom.

As the project continued, we recognized that the Conditions for Learning in our classrooms, trusting relationships, the ability to take risks and to collaborate, may not yet have existed, and that these conditions were vital to the Assessment Framework strategies being successful…always wondering however, that if we explicitly taught and fostered the Conditions for Learning within the Assessment for/as Learning Cycle, would we see the engagement and motivation increase?  We began to understand that the use of this Assessment Cycle would help us to accomplish the goal of learning so that students were ready to demonstrate their thinking independently and in a new context in the Assessment of Learning (similar to Summative Assessment) phase.

Today, our LLT participants had the following wonderings that were very specific to the Assessment Framework Cycle:

How do we write effective Success Criteria?

What is the time allotted to developing Success Criteria with my students?

How do we best balance Learning Goals, needs of the individual with those of the group, and time limits?

How does the learner know when they have achieved an understanding?

While others may be indications of a surface understanding of the Assessment Framework Cycle and its purpose:

How do I arrive at a balance in assessment of learning?

How can we support learner centered environments?

How do we ensure we use/model conditions for learning in our schools?

How do we encourage students to participate in the Conditions for Learning for one another?

Why are some students so resistant to believing in themselves?

How do I promote risk taking?

How do I promote non-judgemental thinking?

This information (as well as much other formative information from District Support Visits, PLCs, etc.) is telling us that while many are practicing specific strategies of the Assessment Framework Cycle, we are a ways from fully implementing all components of this cycle in a connected manner (for example, are we giving feedback using the language of the co-constructed success criteria, and then gradually scaffolding student learning so that they can, when ready,  provide feedback using that same language in peer and self-assessment?).  We continue to have many questions about how, by using this cycle in our practice (ensuring that we are carefully applying the nuances of each stage of the cycle), that we may solve our urgent motivation and engagement learning needs.  So, for the next several weeks, I am committed to making both the thinking of researchers in this area and my  own thinking visible (modelling risk taking) in a responsive way (another C4L) in an effort to continue this conversation…to provide additional clarity and understanding about HOW the Assessment Framework and our Conditions for Learning, when fully implemented (thus achieving a Learner Centered Environment and Pedagogy) are the HOW of achieving increased learner motivation and engagement.

Until next week…formative assessment is the umbrella for the Assessment for/as Learning strategies…and digging into Success Criteria.

If we foster student centered learning and pedagogy, then learners will possess an increased sense of belonging and be motivated to learn.       

(BLP SGDSB 2014)

Last week I wrote about how planning for professional learning motivated me and gave me a sense of efficacy – it also helped me to connect our Conditions for Learning to Student Centered Learning… of how practicing our Conditions for Learning helped me to consolidate my thinking.  This is one of the other goals of my LLT session;  to take the participant leaders back to why we are embedding the Conditions for Learning into our practice, why we are increasingly shifting from a culture of teaching to a culture learning – our ultimate goal is the motivate and engage our students.

Here is a quote from the SEF document (taken from Toshilis and Nakkula) …that addresses the struggles with intrinsic motivation and thus engagement that many educators (especially secondary school educators) reflect back to us:

“Motivation, engagement and student voice are critical elements of student-centred learning. Without motivation, there is no push to learn, without engagement there is no way to learn and without voice, there is no authenticity in the learning. For students to create new knowledge, succeed academically, and develop into healthy adults, they require each of these experiences” (SEF, pg 22).

This quote makes us see the Conditions for Learning (and the Foundational Principles to be Developed in the Learner and in the Environment) as the HOW to solve the mystery of motivation and engagement!

As always, I think about the alignment between adult learning and student learning and in my analysis of the factors that motivated me, I began to think back to Ferlazzo’s blog from last week that I had shared – the blog about extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.  Since that post, a number of people have shared their struggle to motivate and they have asked for more of the “HOW?”  Ferlazzo published a subsequent blog and I felt compelled to post it here for you to continue this conversation.

 The post is housed at http://www.edutopia.org/blog/strategies-helping-students-motivate-themselves-larry-ferlazzo

Until next week…

Today was supposed to be one of my favourite days.  However 15 centimeters of snow and high winds appeared on the weather forecast and thus my favourite day was postponed.  I am speaking of our board wide Leadership Learning Team meeting.  This is an opportunity for both formal and informal leaders to come together to continue to explore, question, challenge, investigate and develop a deeper understanding of our four Conditions for Learning and how to create these Conditions in their learning environments.

            Our Conditions for Learning:

              Collaboration (vs. Cooperation):   I know I am collaborating if I work interdependently, engage others, actively listen, constructively contribute, respectfully challenge ideas, and share knowledge to build on others’ thinking to arrive at a desired goal.

                Responsive Instruction: I know I am providing responsive instruction if I am collecting a continuum of data (to show progression), towards an identified goal and my responses are reflective of the learner’s strengths/needs.

               Relationship Building:  I know I am building relationships if I engage in communication (active listening & responding) to build trust and respect and provide others with the opportunity to share and reflect.

                Risk Taking: I know I am taking risks when I engage in tasks with the desire/intention to further my learning, seeing errors as opportunities and taking initiative to investigate new topics and ideas.

By the end of the LLT day, the leaders (we hope) have new ideas, resources, and ways of thinking about these Conditions and have made a commitment to return to their sphere of influence (other teachers, principals…learners from all aspects of our district) to influence change.  They do this by embedding this information into the work that they are currently leading – school inquiries and their School Learning Plan implementation.  We remind everyone that this work is not an “add on”; with understanding, they can find the link to their current work and thus, enhance that work!

It is a powerful day; the agenda is co-constructed by a team comprised of district leads, teachers, principals and senior administration, is responsive to the feedback that is provided by the participants through our Google Forms Exit Cards, and has the following learning goals:

We are learning to increasingly seek opportunities for instructional leadership in our practice. Leading this learning is the work of the LLT participants.

1. I understand how the Foundational Principles to be Developed in the Learner and the Foundational Principles to be Developed in the Environment are essential to the formation of the student centered learning environment.
2. I understand how Our Conditions for Learning are in service of/are enabling conditions for achievement of the academic goal(s) of my school.
3. I have an action to take back to my school.

The lead team co-constructs this day and utilizes these learning goals to stay focused; our Director of Education reminds us (as he is part of the team) that every participant must leave the session being clear about the message that was communicated – ensuring that their understanding was deep enough that they could return to their sphere of influence/environment and put the knowledge into practice – and with that ongoing practice, to integrate this into their daily practice – to truly learn it! The thinking that is in the room during these sessions is energizing as we speak about learning.  I always come away with new perspectives and thinking, and am awed by the leadership of the participants.  This is why it is one of my favourite days…I always walk away feeling like anything is possible!

Last week, as I prepared for the section of the agenda that I was to facilitate, I was reminded of why we, as leaders, need to engage in planning for professional learning…why we need to practice modelling the Conditions for Learning within our sphere of influence.  This is because of the reading and researching that I did for my session, a session which was designed to have participants unpack the concept of Student Centered Learning and to connect it to our Conditions for Learning. This preparation truly helped me to better understand the connection that exists between these two pieces.

Remember that our SGDSB Theory of Action states,

If we foster learner centered environments and pedagogy, then learners will possess an increased sense of belonging and be motivated to learn.

I was attempting to create a one page document that articulates these connections to use as the wrap up for my session, and discovered challenges with my thinking – areas that I could not clearly connect – as I tried to represent my understanding (what I had thought was a good understanding) in writing.  I then tried to explain my thinking to a valued colleague, and I realized that there were still grey areas in my understanding.  It was only when I engaged in the task that I had designed for the session (again with a colleague) that I began to gain clarity and to consolidate my thinking.  It was through collaboration, dialogue, a strong relationship with this colleague, and the willingness to take a risk and put my thinking to the test, that I gained a better understanding.  I was engaged in a task that interested me, that forced me to challenge my current thinking, and that required me to explain that thinking both orally and in writing; thus leading to an increase in my understanding.  What resulted was confidence on my part; a feeling of being prepared to facilitate the learning of others. I am confident that the other lead members of the LLT come away from their planning feeling the same way!

This experience reinforced the notion of the need to have principals (and Supervisory Officers) actively engage in constructing (or co-constructing) the learning that takes place in their schools (where possible). It reminded me of a couple of quotes – the first from Benjamin Franklin that states, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”  And “We learn to do the work by doing the work, not by telling other people to do the work, not by having done the work at some time in the past, and not by hiring experts who can act as proxies for our knowledge about how to do the work.” (City et al. 2009)  To really understand the change that we, as leaders, are hoping to accomplish, we must first possess a deep understanding. This understanding only comes through practice and analysis of impact upon the learners.

Tonight, with time to slow down and reflect on my week, I also realized that that this experience had some components of Student Centered Learning. The LLT Lead Group is required to model and adhere to our Conditions for Learning in every session; tonight, as an adult learner, I again realized the power of those Conditions as they support Student Centered Learning.  The need to create these Conditions in every classroom, in every school, is even more urgent.  There is much to say about the power of Student Centered Learning, however it has to wait until my next favourite day…LLT has been rescheduled for April 22! Hope to see you there!

Until then…here are a couple of blogs that I found interesting…(and there are many)!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/student-centered-learning-environments-paul-bogdan

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-student-centered-your-classroom-rebecca-alber

Until next time…what connections do you see between Student Centered Learning and our Conditions for Learning?

I follow and read Larry Ferlazzo’s blog (faithfully) and thought that this week, his blog on student motivation clearly supports our Conditions for Learning.  We have had many discussions regarding intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation and this post helps to bring additional clarity to our thinking.  Be sure to read some of the comments as well.  I think that I may have to buy the book!

http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creating-conditions-for-student-motivation-larry-ferlazzo

Until next week…how are you ensuring that EVERYONE on your staff/within your sphere of influence understands our Conditions for Learning?  This is our goal for this year…where are you at in achieving this goal? What’s next?