All the Assessment

The first half of our project has had both formative and summative assessment. From the beginning of the project, students reflected daily on their accomplishments, challenges, and goals. It was a shared document within google classroom, allowing me to give feedback along the way. I also had a “To-Do” list for students to check off when they’d completed a task – be it submitting research notes, slides, demonstration ideas, etc. There was always a sense of accountability that drove students. Because students were going to be creating a video documentary and presenting their project to local elementary schools, they were working towards mastery – not just completion. Everyone’s contribution to the final product was of course assessed, but the journey to the final product was where the learning was happening.

Without the Go-Pros, the students wouldn’t have felt the same excitement. They came up with incredible ideas because they knew they had the tools to carry their ideas forward. They pushed the boundaries of creativity because they were inspired by the technology at hand. The effectiveness of the project was extremely obvious. We had students who were often absent, showing up for class. We had students who struggled to speak in front of classmates, taking leadership roles. The best part was seeing students who had disengaged, engaging with the technology. They divided and conquered, each student seeming to find their specialty. The real proof of success for me was, on a day that students technically did not have class, my entire Earth Science 11 class showed up to do a full day field trip to present their Nanaimo Geology Tour project to local elementary students. J

(by Aeron Reid)