Current Projects

New technologies are changing how we learn. They have the potential to create powerful learning opportunities within personalized virtual learning environments. In keeping with the “new” education curriculum initiated in BC, key intent is the demonstration and application of learning through different means with 

1. classroom assessment that is flexible and personalized for each student

2. educators given greater flexibility to decide how and when students are assessed

3. new provincial graduation exams that align not only with new curriculum but also with research on best practices

Therefore there is an emerging need for re-imagining assessment and reporting student learning to align with the new BC competency-based curriculum. 

This research study will focus on understanding how schools are reimagining assessment practices for a competency based learning framework via the use of digital technologies. We focus on three diverse alternative school sites, two in Canada (Victoria BC) and one Uganda (Gulu). 

In BC there is a new education curriculum entitled “Building Student Success”. Fully launched in all levels of education in 2017, the new curriculum intends to prepare students for the 21st century and beyond. Key in this curriculum are goals for new systems to report and promote student learning. The intent is to enable all students to chart personalized ongoing success through school by making curriculum and assessment more coherently interconnected across core competencies such as communication, critical thinking and social responsibility. 

In Uganda the alternative school program called “Speed School!” operates outside the testing mainstream system, and is set-up to offer children free education who have not attended school based on cost or lack of access. The schools in both Canada and Uganda use personalized assessment, cross-generational groupings, subjects taught in integrated ways.

Big idea to consider.  What in the curriculum do we teach, that could help address issues related to climate and nature emergency (CNE)?

Plant Bingo is a way of connecting students/players to the plants in their local area.  The idea is to identify a plant in your bingo card, take a picture as evidence, and when you have a line completed show the instructor to score points for your team. Complete the whole card for big points.  The Google slide notebook here is the template used to support a selected bingo card. The letters in the index refers to plants with images, descriptors and about information. This booklet can be customized for your local area.  This one is designed for Mystic Vale at the University of Victoria.

This website has been divided into two sections:

1. An introduction to the plant bingo notebook as a game and a resource for identifying plants.

2. Lil'wat learning and teaching principles, captured by key Lil'wat words taught by Dr Lorna Williams when she led courses at UVic.  These terms, based on a land-based language systems, can be used along with the Plant Bingo activity.