ChatGPT is wonderful to develop proficiency scales or rubrics in just a few minutes. It’s a great way to save time and use as a reference point for deeper learning and collaborative development of proficiency scales. Proficiency scales offer teachers the flexibility to use the same scale for numerous learning opportunities and students can also … Continue reading ChatGPT as a rubric design tool
B.C.’s New Reporting Order – Videos 1-3
Where to start, why, and how to design criteria in three accessible videos.
The Case for Standards-Based Grading – Updated
Seems like on most days when I hit social media, I’m bombarded by the same chatter—grades are “meaningless,” “don’t measure learning,” and “are corruptive.” And the comments don’t stop there. There’s negative chatter about all forms of grading practices, including standards-based grading. While I agree that outdated and ineffective grading practices like using a 101 … Continue reading The Case for Standards-Based Grading – Updated
Building Criteria for BC’s Curricular Competencies Using Backward Design
Stop making grade soup
I am very attached to the courses I teach. I have toiled, sweated, and shed numerous tears building what I hope to be engaging lessons, organized units, and mesmerizing learning opportunities for each of the courses I teach. I, like so many of my colleagues sometimes feel that the courses I teach are my courses, … Continue reading Stop making grade soup
The Love Language of Professional Judgment
When Mackenzie* walked into my class, she was pale, illuminating the dark circles under her eyes. Her mom had dropped her off on the way to the ER so she could find out what she was going to miss in English. She winced and pressed her lips together as she tried to speak. I immediately … Continue reading The Love Language of Professional Judgment
Edutopia article: 7 ways to build a learner centered classroom
Grades as Journey, Not Hyperbole
I am getting tired of grades being labelled as the bad guy in education. While they are not my favourite aspect of teaching, and in fact, way down the list, I cannot figure out why so many educators continue to vilify them. The above statements might come as a big surprise to many of you. … Continue reading Grades as Journey, Not Hyperbole
Connecting Engagement with Equity
Over the past year, a group of colleagues and I have invested some time exploring Joe Feldman’s Grading for Equity. In this phenomenal book, Feldman explores inequitable practices that have been historically ingrained in school culture and explains how shifting to more equitable practices beginning with sound and unbiassed assessment practices can lead to positive … Continue reading Connecting Engagement with Equity
But are you an island?
Last year, at the end of one of my presentations on proficiency sequences, during the question-and-answer period, a participant paid me a compliment. They told me how impressed they were by my attention to detail and how usable my proficiency sequences seemed to be. My cheeks flushed slightly, and I expressed my gratitude for sharing … Continue reading But are you an island?
I’d like a number 1 meal, light on the equality, extra equity
At McFast, a new fast-food joint with a fresh name, employees are training in all things fast food before being put on the line. Before opening their doors, each employee goes through training in various areas of the restaurant. In week one, employees are trained on French fries: how to drop them into the hot … Continue reading I’d like a number 1 meal, light on the equality, extra equity
My Growth Mindset 