Freshly packed lunches, blank lined paper, and the excited chitter-chatter of students meeting up with all their friends again are all signs the school year is commencing.
For the 2012/2013 school year, Golden Hills School Division is continuing its Alberta Initiative for School Improvement Project (AISI).
“This initiative has developed over time. It has grown to not just include our assessment practices but also our teaching practices,” said Bevan Daverne, superintendant of Golden Hills School Division.
He said the use of 21st century technology and tools to develop 21sst century learning skills is important.
“It has been a very large shift for our teachers over the last number of years,” said Daverne.
He said he remembers“back in the day,” the teacher would stand at the front of the room, he or she would talk to the students and maybe assign questions to do from a textbook.
“That model of instruction is changing quite a bit,” said Daverne.
AISI is making changes to the way students are taught, to develop them into thinkers, doers and connectors. Golden Hills wants to ensure their students are prepared for the world, either for further education or the work force.
“All of the instruction is now modelled around ‘how do we develop those doers, thinkers, and connectors?’” said Daverne.
To do that, he said kids need more flexibility in the way they approach their learning. Having a more hands-on way of learning will also enable what AISI is trying to do.
“If a student memorizes a sheet about government that the teacher gives them, they may do really well on the test. However, two months from now they might not remember any of it, because it had nothing to do with them. It was just something they had to memorize,” said Daverne.
He said by approaching the project actively and incorporating the students in such a way that they are a part of the process, he said kids will remember the lesson because it’s something they’ve lived, not memorized from a book.
For example, if a student is learning about government, by holding a mock parliamentary session they actively engage in the information they are processing.
“Now teachers have to look for ways to develop activities and projects for their students to explore what it is they need to know, but also to understand, remember and is real,” said Daverne.
He said although it has been a lot of work for staff, the results have been significant. Davern said both parents and teachers have noticed students becoming more and more excited about participating in school projects.
Another major shift, besides the ways students are learning, is the way they are being assessd.
“As this program develops, we’re having teachers coming back to us and saying ‘our report cards are not developed for this,’” said Davern.
He explained that a letter or numerical grade isn’t a fit anymore for dealing with learner outcomes.
“You think about how you are being evaluated at work. You don’t go into your boss’s office and hear them say ‘you got an A.’ They will tell you what you’re doing well, what needs improvements and so on,” said Davern.
He said the report card absolutely needs to reflect the changes in teaching and the changes in learning that are occuring.
“We are sort of leaders in this transformation of education across the province,” said Davern.
