To begin, I feel that it is important to set the context
with which I am working to provide some insight of the struggles I have
encountered. Currently I am working within a secondary school located in
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The students are from a relatively high
socio-economic standing. There is ample access to technology and there is a
wealth of resources for students. The school has a lab science lab that can accommodate
80 students at a time. As well there is a provincial park that is within
walking distance of the school and provides a great amount of potential.
Teaching in high school science in Alberta involves a great amount of accountability. Standardized testing is
the norm in terms of evaluation. Students who are completing their last year of
their high school education will find that their final grade is determined in
large by multiple choice exams. One of which, their final exam, is a
provincially administered test worth 50% of their final grade. Teaching to the
test is not uncommon and students expect that school is all about preparation
for those exams. Learning is reduced to a final grade in high school and
learning opportunities are only valued if they are marked and are part of the
grade. Test preparation dominates our understanding of learning and how to
evaluate it.
How does Reggio Emilia fit into such an understanding of
teaching and learning? We have embarked on a journey where we are hoping to
explore the use of documentation as well ideas that gain their inspiration from
the “Project Zero-Making Learning Visible” out of Harvard. What does
documentation look like for this situation?
Throughout
this semester I have been trying to bring the Reggio philosophy to my secondary
science classroom. The intention of this series of blogs will be document the
ideas that I have implemented as well as talk about the ups and downs
associated with these attempts. Good reading.
Hi Kenzie,
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your posts related to Reggio Emilia and High School with interest. If you have the time, I have a few questions for you and some thoughts I would like to share on a related project. Can you email me at tom.albertson@gmail.com?
Thanks,
Tom