For this blog post entry, I have been asked to reflect on my thoughts thus far regarding curriculum and assessment in Education 394. Firstly, I’d like to acknowledge the changes the BC curriculum has endured to get to where it is today. I am thankful that I will be entering my teaching career with a streamline curriculum that is accessible online and incorporates Indigenous worldviews. The redesigned curriculum highlights core competencies within each subject area in order to facilitate deeper learning within the educated citizen (Curriculum Overview, para. 13). All areas of learning within the BC curriculum follow a ‘know-do-understand’ framework in order to support a “concept-based competency-driven approach to learning” (para. 17). This approach is easy to follow because the content is what the students will know, the curricular competencies are what the students will ‘do’ or perform, and the big ideas are what the students take away and understand (para. 17). This is significant because the curriculum has shifted towards a more personalized, flexible and individualized approach to teaching students at various levels within the education system (para. 17). Students learn better through the act of ‘doing’ instead of listening and regurgitating facts. By being actively engaged in their learning, students have a more meaningful and authentic experience with the task at hand and are able to connect it to the real world (para. 17). This shift towards a new curriculum has promoted place-based learning, outdoor learning, as well as the inclusion of Indigenous worldviews and ways of knowing within all lesson plans. The new curriculum is able to support a more diverse student body through integration and inclusion. I think all of these changes will have a positive impact on my teaching career and the way I educate my students.

As for assessment, my initial feelings towards traditional grading was neutral. I am a student who has been given numerical or letter grades my entire life. I find normalcy and comfort by receiving grades and allotted percentages to my assignments. I was thrown through a loop when starting this program because none of our assignments are graded, and we are given a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ at the end of each block. My entire motivation towards getting work done has shifted. I used to call up my parents when I received a ‘B’ or ‘A’ on an assignment instead of telling them how excited I was to learn that subject. Now, I tell my parents stories about what I am learning because I no longer feel pressure to meet certain expectations. I still put my best effort into assigned tasks, yet, I feel a sense of freedom when doing them. I am able to produce into words exactly how it makes sense in my mind. Eliminating grades and percentages has forced me to treat every assignment as if it’s worth 100%. Before, if I was doing really well in one specific course, the effort I would put into my learning was very minimal. I became easily detached and disengaged with the material once I knew the assignment requirements. Most students today are still being graded and assessed on their assignments; however, there is so much more effort on the teacher’s part towards engaging the students in the material. Teachers are really trying to have the content relate to students in a meaningful way in order to create connections. This approach to teaching makes the learning more of an adventure and less of a chore. Reading Alfie Kohn’s article From degrading to de-grading compelled me to reassess my feelings and thoughts towards traditional grading and assessment even more. Grading is similar to a factory approach to instruction and student learning (Kohn, 1999, para. 35). By solely focusing on grades, the learning of students is hurt (para. 36). It is imperative to allow students to show you ‘what’ and ‘how’ they have come to know what you have taught them in as many creative ways as possible. We are all different and unique human beings who take the same information and digest it in many different ways. Why do we expect everyone to come up with the same answers or representations of their knowing? Eliminating grades is not going to happen overnight; however, as a future educator I plan on using formative assessment in the least amount possible. Summative assessment attempts to capture a snapshot at what the student has learned overall. This will look different for everyone. It will be important for me to foster my student’s creativity and imagination towards showing me what they have learned. I do not want my students to tackle their assignments with the belief they need to show me what I want them to know. I want my students to care about what they are learning, and I look forward to how my feelings and thoughts will continue to change throughout this program regarding curriculum and assessment. Like my students, I will always be learning, especially about myself and my pedagogical values.

References 

Kohn, Alfie. (1999, March). From Degrading to De-grading. Alfie Kohn.     https://www.alfie kohn.org/article/degrading-de-grading/.

Curriculum Overview. (n.d.). BC’s New Curriculum. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/overview.