I engaged in a riveting conversation with a colleague at my new workplace, Pearson Canada-School Division (an awesome place to work, btw !!!) regarding the way we measure and define student achievement. Could it be that all of this focus on grades and achievement is actually interfering with student learning?
Horia Varlan Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
This latest a-ha moment reminded me of a fantastic infographic from the CEA website (2011) that depicts student engagement from grades 5-12. Take a look and compare the level of student engagement at the various grades with your school environment.
- Do these same ratios ring true where you teach or lead? Why or why not?
- What sets your setting apart?
The “What did you do at school today?” study provides great insight into the difference between what teachers define as ‘engagement’ and ‘student success’ vs. how students define these qualities.
How can we expand our definition of student achievement to include more than just grades, aka intellectual engagement? How can these ‘other’ things be measured/monitored? Should they?
~Tania
taniasterling 