2 Flippin' Achievement

What would happen to our achievement data if we flipped the definition of achievement?

Source

This cartoon is in response to a famous quote thought to have originated from Einstein:

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

What would happen if we were to change the above assessment from climbing a tree to swimming or running?

In Term 3, 2013 we trialled a new definition of success in our classrooms focusing on Self Organised Learning (SOL) and Project Based Learning (PBL).

No standardised testing took place in this term and instead we rewarded students for completing tasks, making mistakes, displaying creativity, and collaboration. We placed a lower emphasis on traditional notions of achievement such as high test scores, correct answers, working quietly in isolation, and conformity.

Through the use of personalised timetabling and visual accountability, our students were forced to monitor their own learning and achievement as opposed to an authoritative figure telling them when there work was ‘good enough’ or ‘complete’.

Self-Organised Learning

Every week students were given a timetable where they were required to schedule in their learning. Some activities were non-negotiables (such as compulsory school-wide activities, specific learning workshops, sports events etc). For the rest of the time students were given a variety of tasks that they could complete whenever they wished.  After two weeks it became apparent that some of the students did not have the skills to organise themselves. Some students had completed all of their tasks, others had completed half, and some had not completed anything at all.

Interestingly many of the students who had completed 100% of the tasks were from the marginalised group. Further, many of the students who had completed 0% of the tasks were in the traditional high achieving group.

At this point we intervened by placing a chart with student’s names and the tasks required in the classroom. When work was completed students checked it off on the chart. Many of the students used the chart as a reference point in the classroom so that they knew what they should be working on next.  We also started explicitly teaching what self-organisation looks like. We invested many more hours than expected reminding students to check their timetables, their weekly expectations and where they were required to be.

At the end of the term we quantified the data by creating a Self Organised Stanine grade for each child. The reason for this was so that we could easily compare it to PAT stanine data.

Project Based Learning

One of the tasks for the term was to raise funds for the school camp. Students were required to work either independently or in groups and organise every aspect of a fundraising project. This included things like approaching organisations for sponsorship, booking school spaces to hold events, creating forms for orders so that goods could be pre-purchased. The students were assessed on their ability to:

• • Form a group

  • Decide on an event

  • Organise all aspects of the event

  • Promote the event

  • Hold the event

  • Calculate money raised

  • Self-reflect on the event

At the end of the term we quantified the data by creating a Project Based Learning grade for each child. The reason for this was so that we could easily compare it to PAT stanine data.

Results

The results show that there is a different group of high achievers when we change the definition of success.

In the traditional sense our high achievers were:

Monkey, Tiger, Alligator, Dingo, Panda, Python, and Wombat (year 7-8)

Shrew, Narwhal, Mink, Giraffe, Gopher, Ibex, and Iguana (year 5-6)

However when it comes to Self Organisation and Project Based Learning our high achievers were:

Lion, Monkey, Cat, Dingo, Fish, Manatee, Coyote, and Lemur (Year 7-8)

Shrew, Penguin, Turtle, Crow, Dolphin, Gopher, Ibex, Iguana, and Leopard (Year 5-6)

We also have a different group of low achievers. Traditionally the low achievers were Lion, Fish, Otter and Duck, Axolotl, and Liger. Whereas the low achievers for Self Organised and Project Based Learning were Nyan Cat, Panda, Wolf, Grizzly, Cheetah, Llama, and Mink.

We then looked specifically at the ‘marginalised group’ of students. This group was selected on the basis of Cultural Capital, Socio Economic status, and diagnosed learning conditions such as dyslexia.

These benchmark results show the kind of formal reporting that has been attached to these students for the past 7 and 8 years of their schooling.  It is this kind of data that is used when we discuss students who are ‘below standard’. However, if we were to present a fuller picture of the child that was not limited to Numeracy and Literacy the results would look more like this:

These results show an incredible skill set of self-organisation and project-management that is missing from all formally reported data.

The students in question were proud of their results but, on self-reflections, one continued to rank herself lower than her peers because she believed that she was “still dumb”.  Another student thought that it was ‘no big deal’ given that the project was “so fun and so easy”. This particular student organises many aspects of her and her siblings home-life so has a very good understanding of deadlines, budgeting, and self-management.  She found it hard to believe that some students find things like PAT maths tests “fun and easy” as well.

Another student reported that because of the self-organised timetables he was able to just sit and watch his friend do ‘harder’ maths. After watching him for a while and asking him questions he was able to understand the concept that his friend was working on. This student also enjoyed the freedom of being able to spend more time on his writing as he found it difficult to write when he wasn’t in the mood.

However some students who were the ‘high achievers’ did not enjoy the self organised environment to begin with. They felt frustrated with the process and said that they preferred to be told what to do. Some students even came and asked for a more traditional timetable and in some cases we needed to actually sit with students and fill them in with them.

Students reported that they enjoyed sitting with their friends but working on different tasks. As teachers we also observed this behaviour and would often notice students offering each other praise, asking questions,  and offering suggestions on projects that they were not directly involved in.

We wonder if this kind of learning environment that offers students the chance to share, observe, rest, stop, and think explains this rise in traditional results from the ‘marginalised group’. Or if their general rise in self confidence had a positive effect on their progress.