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TRANSCRIPT
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MENTORING WITH A PURPOSE MAKING “GROWING SUCCESS” SUSTAINABLE
Practicum by: Jeff Boulton [email protected] Mentored by: Tara Connor Vice Principal, Iroquois Ridge High School [email protected] Associate Mentor for job-‐shadowing: Michael Gallant Vice Principal, White Oaks Secondary School [email protected] PQP Instructor: Cam Fraser [email protected]
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Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................. 3
Background .................................................................................................................. 3
Methodology ............................................................................................................... 6 The challenge ............................................................................................................................................................... 6 The process ................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Results ......................................................................................................................... 8 Teacher Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Student Results ........................................................................................................................................................... 9 Discussion .................................................................................................................. 10 Relationship between challenges and successes to literature ............................................................ 10 Limitations and Future Work ............................................................................................................................ 11 Relationship to educational leadership and professional standards ............................................... 12 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 14
References ................................................................................................................. 15
Appendices ................................................................................................................ 17 Appendix A: Teacher Survey Responses ....................................................................................................... 17 Appendix B: Student Response Survey .......................................................................................................... 20 Appendix C: Samples of Student Self-‐Reflections ...................................................................................... 22 Appendix D: Letters of Praise and Appreciation ....................................................................................... 26 Appendix E: Practicum Log ................................................................................................................................. 30 Appendix F: Practicum Success Criteria ........................................................................................................ 33
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INTRODUCTION
The extent to which it is understood that regular, timely feedback through assessment can improve student learning is not currently reflected in teacher practice. In fact, few classrooms offer any opportunities for students to provide feedback or to self-‐assess. Even fewer provide opportunities for formalized processes of self-‐reflection. Given the initiatives recently mandated by the Ministry of Education in Ontario, and given the value of these processes, the purpose of this practicum was to devise a way which would enable teachers to allow students to self-‐assess and self-‐reflect, and then collect and collate this data into a report for easy analysis. Given the value of reflection and feedback, the adoption and implementation of any such device would arguably be almost completely positive on student achievement. Moreover, the design and implementation of such a device would in itself be an excellent demonstration of educational leadership. After some experimentation, the software chosen was a Google Docs spreadsheet, a completely web-‐based collaborative tool. The resulting file is an easy to use, accessible, and cost-‐effective way to analyze student data in order to respond to individual student needs. It has been received with mostly positive feedback, and thus this practicum has achieved its stated objectives.
The summary of this endeavor begins with a description of the impetus for this initiative and a review of existing literature supporting the need for such a tool. That is, the benefits of feedback, self-‐assessment, and reflection on student achievement. It also discusses current teacher practices while mentioning impediments to progress in effecting real and sustained change in education. An outline of the process that was undertaken in order to complete this practicum is outlined, followed by a discussion of the results of the implementation as well as anecdotal and scaled responses from a teacher and a student survey. Results are summarized and discussed as well as their limitations, with reference made to extensive appendices. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of connections made to the leadership framework through the process. BACKGROUND
It was quickly becoming evident that Growing Success, the latest policy of the Ministry of Education of Ontario (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010), was going to disrupt the status quo for a lot of educators. Perhaps most daunting was the new (or renewed) focus on learning skills. As with most initiatives involving change, there is usually a time of adjustment, confusion, and displaced roles causing a great deal of anxiety amongst staff (Fullan, 2007). This would be no exception. Moreover, it was easy to perceive that with attention on learning skills increasing along with the requirement to gather sufficient evidence of achievement and growth in these skills, the result could easily be increased workload for teachers, particularly if schools and boards approached the task in an erratic and disorganized fashion, as many feared they would.
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While most teachers concerned themselves with restated intentions surrounding late penalties for assignments, minimum marks, and the permissibility of other traditional punitive measures, it was quickly determined that the best direction in which to proceed in this practicum was to deal with the greater issue. Growing Success makes recommendations and assertions based on extensive research (some cited below), the implications of which are nothing less than a fundamental shift in the teaching and learning process. Though firmly grounded in science, the implementation of its core principles could easily result in increased workloads if mishandled, particularly in the collection of evidence to measure and incorporate learning skills and self-‐assessment. The aim of this practicum was to endeavor to prevent this from happening. The goal seemed clear then: accomplish this task in a way that minimized or even reduced teacher workload, while incorporating some of the central themes of Growing Success with its enhanced focus on feedback, assessment, and student self-‐assessment.
This is an endeavor worthy of the time devoted to it. Assessment and self-‐assessment are hardly the result of political fashion. It is now understood that formative assessment, regular feedback, and in particular self-‐assessment and self-‐reflection have very strong influences on student achievement (Andrade & Valtcheva, 2009),(Black & Wiliam, 1998), (Bierer, Dannefer, Taylor, Hall, & Hull, 2008), (Brown & Hirschfeld, 2007), (Butler, Pyzdrowski, Goodykoontz, & Walker, 2008), (Chen, Heritage, & Lee, 2005), (Heritage, 2009), (Kohn, 2009), as well as on student learning habits, motivation (Biggs, 1998), and self-‐confidence (Nguyen, Hsieh, & Allan, 2006). Indeed, the more a student believes that assessment builds individual accountability while simultaneously accepting that this in turn is good for students, the better student outcomes are (Brown & Hirschfeld, 2007). As if measurable benefit was not enough, advances in the cognitive sciences have confirmed not only the benefits of reflection on learning (CISCO, 2008), but that virtually all adolescent learners are capable of engaging in it (Heritage, 2009). This confirms that self-‐assessment needs to be a major component of every secondary teacher’s skill set, yet as recent as ten years ago, self-‐assessment was rare in most classrooms (Biggs, 1998). According to the outcomes of this practicum, it still would appear to be so, which only further strengthens the case for developing this tool.
It is not only a moral imperative to care for and ensure each student reaches his or her fullest potential (Ontario College of Teachers, 2010), (Lingard, Hayes, Mills, & Christie, 2003), there is a legal albeit vague obligation in the Education Act to promote student achievement and deliver effective and appropriate education at the supervisory level (Government of Ontario, 1990). In light of this and the extensive body of literature on the benefit of feedback and reflection, an educator could hardly be considered professional if he or she failed to provide time for such activities, or if an administrator did not encourage or develop staff to do so. However, as previously stated, this is not occurring.
The need for a tool that can easily administer, collect, and collate reflections seems clear; the only question that remained was what form it should take. It was understood that though feedback is valuable in many forms (Debuse, Lawley, & Shibl, 2008), it needs to be on going, regular, sufficiently specific, and timely enough that students can bridge gaps in their learning and make productive changes in their
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learning habits (Orrell, 2006), (Weaver, 2006), (Bierer, Dannefer, Taylor, Hall, & Hull, 2008) (Butler, Pyzdrowski, Goodykoontz, & Walker, 2008), (Mok, Lung, Cheng, Cheung, & Ng, 2006). Thus, this was the challenge: to devise a way to allow teachers to easily collate and collect this data so that they can respond to individual student needs without a high demand on their time. Only modern information technology can make this happen to the extent necessary to realize significant effect.
It was understood well in advance that this would be the easy part of the process. Ever since Black and William (1998) first published their significant work on assessment there appears to have been only moderate progress in its adoption and productive usage in most classrooms. Teacher use of feedback does not match stated beliefs, nor is it usually timely enough or specific enough to yield any benefit (Weaver, 2006), (Orrell, 2006). Most teachers continue using traditional testing methods despite their detrimental effect on developing independent life long learning skills (Harlen & Crick, 2003), (Boud & Falchikov, 2006). This should be a major concern since we know that positive student attitudes often result in improved achievement, and course characteristics such as types of assessment can affect those attitudes (Nguyen, Hsieh, & Allan, 2006), (Harlen & Crick, 2003). Change appears to be a slow if not nearly stagnant process in education. Given that what is known to constitute productive practice with positive results on student achievement is largely absent from most classrooms in developed countries (State of Queensland, Department of Education, 2001), (Lingard, Hayes, Mills, & Christie, 2003), (Boud & Falchikov, 2006), it stands to reason change is not forthcoming in education.
No practicum initiative that introduces change could be successful if it does not address the change process (Fullan, 2007), moreover, the initiative in question had to be technological in nature, complicating matters further. The literature is clear that educators have been slow to adopt technology into curriculum delivery, even when they may use it frequently for administrative tasks in their role as teacher or just to make what they have always done more efficient (Kotrlik & Redmann, 2005), (Palak & Walls, 2009), (Tucker, 2009). This is more than a funding or access issue as well (Scardamalia, 2001). In fact, some of the largest technology initiatives have failed miserably due to poor implementation, a lack of effective teacher training and continued support (Dale, Robertson, & Shortis, 2004). If this process were to be successful in the long run, it would have to address the two largest obstacles to that success: getting teachers to use the software, and having teachers use the results to adjust practice or respond to student needs.
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METHODOLOGY THE CHALLENGE
The challenge then was to devise a process that would manage all of the realities that existed at the time. A process recognizing that the redefined focus in Growing Success had the potential to increase workloads if mishandled, that the literature strongly confirmed the benefit of not only regular and timely feedback, but of self-‐reflection and self-‐assessment by students, and that as an educational leader to tolerate the absence of such activities in schools was tantamount to professional malpractice. Moreover, through this process this practicum would offer as a remedy a tool that required the implementation of changes in practice, at the very least the adoption of a technology tool some would be uncomfortable with. Given the time constraints of this endeavor, it was determined early on that little could be done to assist teachers with the interpretation of results and how to adjust practice or respond to student need, though results would suggest it may not be necessary (Appendix A, questions 15-‐17) contrary to research (Lachat & Smith, 2005). Instead, attention would be directed to the design of the tool prior to the second semester. Beginning in the second semester the dissemination of the tool would begin, followed by training and follow-‐up support as required. An evaluation would take place towards the end of the semester to determine successes and issues needing to be addressed. THE PROCESS Building the file
The initial design proved to be more difficult than anticipated. As this author is experienced in spreadsheet design, it was felt that a Google Docs survey (which compiles the results automatically in spreadsheet form) could be used to gather student responses, and then the data could be exported to an Excel spreadsheet. From there it would be organized into a report format for each student. The design incorporated the feedback of one other teacher in a minor capacity, who was helpful in finding a number of issues in the early stages. Though the technology was sound, the process proved untenable when first attempted at a trial run during a Professional Development session (Appendix E,Appendix E Dec. 6-‐7). The size of the audience was too great to instruct clearly, and the steps required were too much to comprehend for the less technically savvy educators. The decision was made to limit the initial trial run to those more willing and able to embrace the initiative, both technically and pedagogically. It was also decided that to simplify the learning for staff, the entire file would be designed to operate within Google Docs so that a single, web-‐based tool would result. The problem was no one knew if that was even possible. The result was a great deal of time determining how to make it happen.
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Assembling a team of the willing
Though changed attitudes do not occur until one has actually tried something new (Fullan, 2007), the original approach was not the solution. It became clear that it would be necessary to build upon success in order for all staff to buy in and consider using the software. This necessitated assembling a small team of staff who were already both more confident with technology and willing to experiment, and who saw the potential benefits of the software and of the process of collecting student reflections as well. It was hoped that these perceptions would make a difference in the willingness of participants to try and incorporate the tool in their practice as the literature suggests (Kotrlik & Redmann, 2005).
Distribution and training
This team was voluntary and met together only once for the initial training and distribution of the file. It consisted of a much more manageable group of eight teachers. The process involved an overall explanation, followed by distribution. The remainder of the workshop involved one-‐on-‐one support with using the file, as well as with the use of Google Docs itself. Some staff were intrigued enough that they quickly moved on from using the survey (which they grasped quite quickly) to building their own surveys. The file was subsequently distributed at three separate workshops during the semester to teachers outside of the author’s school and board, where it was well received also (Appendix E, March 7, April 8, May 6). Implementation and monitoring
The timing of distribution was significant; it preceded the start of the second semester. Staff was left to introduce and implement the survey in their respective classes. If they required assistance they were to contact the author for support. The same instructions were offered to staff at out-‐of-‐board locations, but they did not receive the file at the start of their respective semesters. Feedback and evaluation
A feedback survey was designed to monitor progress and collect anecdotal comments after one semester. In the spirit of this practicum, it was designed using Google Docs and administered to both staff, as well as to the students of this author who were also involved in the trial run and initial use of the software. Both surveys were administered in the last two full weeks of school in June (Appendix A and Appendix B), which was much later than originally planned due to time constraints as well as the sense that it had not yet been widely used by all members of the team. The decision was thus made to delay the surveys until semester’s end, at which point the survey was designed, administered, and results were analyzed.
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RESULTS TEACHER RESULTS
Overall the response was overwhelmingly positive for the efforts undertaken during this practicum (Appendix D). Although the sample is hardly representative – indeed the survey is anything but scientific – results indicate what most would call a qualified success. Indeed, they are consistent with the author’s expectations. By the semester’s end thirty-‐four teachers across Ontario had willingly received the Google Docs file during four separate workshops. The semester-‐end teacher survey was distributed by email to each of these individuals with responses totaling twelve (Appendix A). Of these twelve, three reported having used the file during the semester, though the rate of adoption may be higher as it is known that at least one who did not respond to the survey used the file.
One-‐variable data is still very telling, suggesting the methodology was sound in selecting willing and technically able colleagues to build the initial test team. The fact that an additional twenty-‐six teachers in the province who received the file also self-‐selected for the workshops, increased the likelihood that they shared similar technical confidence and pedagogical views with the original eight team members. These two facts likely help explain the responses of the nine teachers who did not use the file. Most significantly, only two experienced any technical hesitation. In fact the nine laid blame almost exclusively on time constraints, as expected. Some were just waiting until the beginning of a semester to incorporate the survey as part of regular learning, given that they were not part of the original team and received the file part way through the semester. One did respond that follow-‐up several weeks later would have been helpful, confirming the findings of (Scardamalia, 2001) and (Dale, Robertson, & Shortis, 2004). Though help was offered if needed, regrettably neither the logistical constraints of the author’s job nor of this practicum enabled effective support (such as additional workshops) for the 26 teachers spread across Ontario.
Significantly, all who used the file agreed that the process was worthwhile. One unexpected result was that all teachers who responded as having used the file viewed results, and all felt more than able to adjust teaching or instruction to accommodate student feedback, suggesting that student responses can and would be used to have an impact on learning outcomes, somewhat contradicting the findings of (Lachat & Smith, 2005), (Ljungdahl & Prescott, 2009).
As well, one-‐variable results suggest that teachers who attempted to use the tool felt that students were not disagreeable to reflecting or self-‐assessing through this medium. What’s more, most do in fact complete it and as though to confirm the literature, students are able to provide valuable feedback (Heritage, 2009). One teacher writes:
“Several students who I would not have expected to respond gave very thoughtful input. I found that this helped me understand my students
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better and this information was useful when speaking with parents during interviews” (Appendix A).
Results seems to be insightful and surprising for this teacher, and this holds the promise of benefits for student achievement and apparently even for the parent community. This same teacher did not prepare students for self-‐assessing and self-‐reflecting by discussing the purpose and value of reflection on learning at any time prior to students completing the Google Docs survey. In fact, this was the only teacher responding who assigned the reflection and self-‐assessment activity for homework exclusively. Notwithstanding this, it would seem this teacher obtained tangible results anyway. If this is true with minimal effort, imagine the potential if this educator had made reflection a centerpiece of the learning in his or her classroom.
When data was more closely examined (two-‐variable statistics), there were further results of interest. It became clear that the same teacher just mentioned was also was the only teacher who did not experience meaningful class discussion as a result of conducting the survey. All the rest including this author, discussed the purpose and value of reflection on learning prior to administering the survey, and had at least some meaningful discussion at some point afterwards. These increased results from greater student acceptance also confirm what is found in the literature (Brown & Hirschfeld, 2007). Thus, in spite of the lack of discussion or preparation, significant results were achieved. Interestingly, age may also be a factor, as the older the grade level, the more the teacher reported students as being agreeable to the process. STUDENT RESULTS
Results from the survey of the author’s students were perhaps more compelling than those from the teachers (Appendix B). There was an overwhelmingly positive response, confirming virtually all the literature on the subject and thoroughly validating the author’s efforts and this practicum’s purpose. Results are more compelling since they represent a voluntary response rate of over 50% of all students this semester; unfortunately, the fact that they are exclusively grade twelve students in academic courses diminishes the impact.
Just the same, they are worthy of note. Responses indicate that 68% of students already reflected on their own learning long before the Google Docs self-‐reflection file was introduced into the class. Not surprising then is that 92% of respondents were agreeable to conducting the survey, and 80% agreed or strongly agreed that they reflected in a meaningful way so that responses would yield useful results. In fact, three students commented anecdotally that they felt it would be advantageous to do more reflections, and some stated that results should be compiled and sent to students (though this was in fact done). All survey-‐specific comments were positive; at worst they only encouraged that the process be even more integrated into the learning environment.
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It is easy to understand their reasoning. 56% of students agreed that by engaging in a more formal process of reflection as a result of participating in the survey, they discovered things about themselves that they did not expect, and a further 68% felt that they could use the compiled results of multiple reflections to discover something about how they learned. Overall, 84% found the process worthwhile. Sadly, the strongest statement may be the final question: 52% disagreed or strongly disagreed that they have the opportunity to reflect or provide feedback in most of their classes, corroborating the literature.
DISCUSSION RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES TO LITERATURE
These practicum results confirm what was expected, and what literature reviewed to this point also substantiates. Most teachers are reluctant to invoke a change in practice, but even those who are capable and willing will find it difficult without the proper supports in place. The relatively poor adoption rate is evidence of this. All were initially keen and very receptive to the idea, and particularly to the fact that they were receiving the file for free. However, only three of twelve respondents claimed to have used the file. Responses from teachers outside of this author’s school were positive, but again stressed the difficulty of finding the time to integrate it into curriculum, citing the honest intent to do so at the start of the new school year. One respondent wrote:
“…I learned a lot from Jeff's session and would like to incorporate more of his elements in my class surveys, especially interested in the mapping, graphing sections. Unfortunately time is always running short and being able to grasp a new concept, implement it with some consistency is a challenge. The session I am referring to was short 1hr as part of PD day in April we had enough time for a brief introduction and to ‘play with’ the survey, however any follow up time was independent.” Even the limited team of eight at the author’s school likely required more on
going support than they claimed. Not all attempted to use the survey file, and one did so without discussing the intent or purpose with the class.
What is compelling is that in spite of the challenges, the results experienced by those few teachers who did try it were surprising and intriguing enough that they still saw the value in the endeavor, and intend to try it again. This is the result that was expected, both instinctively by the author, as well as in existing research.
The value of this file is in the data it collects. Examine the comment from one of the author’s students below:
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“There was a big project due but due to my time management skills, I struggled to finish on time. I left it to the last minute, which affected how well I did the project” (Appendix C, student two).
Such a comment indicates quite clearly that not only are students capable of honest reflection, but that by compiling such comments they and their teachers can see a pattern of behavior that may not be obvious otherwise. Any or all of these reflections combined, provide valuable targets for the teacher’s attention and intervention. The result should be improved learning skills and improved outcomes, and the research supports this finding. What is unfortunate is that the number of teachers who will not try to implement such a file or even the practice of self-‐assessment and reflection for students will greatly outnumber those who will, and this is disappointing considering the strength of the student results from the process. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE WORK
In essence this was a trial run that provided tremendous leadership and learning opportunities for the author. However, admittedly, in the author’s class there was limited official response to student feedback, resulting in minimal impact save what intervention was conducted by the students themselves. Most of the effort was put into designing and testing the Google Docs file for its initial uses. It is not known to what extent other teachers responded or modified instruction.
As well, the team was under-‐supported during the semester, meeting only once in the beginning of the process and receiving a reminder to conduct the survey sometime before midterms. No opportunity was given until the end to solicit feedback or dialogue about best practice or success stories. They could have been beneficial to the process, and mere act of continued support is essential for sustained change (Fullan, 2007), (Dale, Robertson, & Shortis, 2004).
Though results mirror the body of research literature, it must be made clear that results from feedback surveys consisted of small, non-‐representative samples. Students responding were all in the author’s class, and all were senior academic students from a school in a high socio-‐economic neighborhood. Furthermore, there is no formalized process for following up on responses once student reflections are collected. Reflection is only valuable if it results in learning and improved performance, but without a more formalized or at least systematic response process to student feedback, bad habits or concerns will go unaddressed.
In the future the process of analysis and teacher response should be streamlined, with strategies developed in teams for dealing with some of the most common problems. For instance, when presented with the question: “what can you do to improve”, students usually respond with “study more” as a plan improvement. This is most certainly a sign that they do not have a response or a strategy to deal with course difficulties. As well, missing from the practicum was the critical step of teacher-‐student conferencing. However, the purpose of this initiative was to provide a device through which data could be collected on student self-‐assessments of
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learning skills and on their reflections. Though beyond the scope of this practicum, it is important to mention that the next step is to conference with each student self-‐reporting difficulties in order to provide strategies for dealing with their concerns. RELATIONSHIP TO EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
This project was in line with the standards of the teaching profession in that a teacher who successfully implemented the use of the Google Docs file would be demonstrating all five professional standards (Ontario College of Teachers, 2010). To illustrate, the voluntary use of such a file, which is for the sole benefit of improving student learning, in addition to revealing an educator’s commitment to students also shows a commitment to ongoing professional learning. Acknowledging the benefit of reflection and meta-‐cognition is demonstrating a commitment to professional knowledge, learning to use the file and sharing results is participating in a learning community around its implementation and effective usage, and lastly, using student survey results to respond to student needs for the purpose of improving each individual student’s achievement indicates a commitment to professional practice and the application of professional knowledge. Thus, any educator responsible for the lead role in devising and implementing the use of such a device has clearly demonstrated instructional leadership as it results in teachers practicing and advancing their practice in all aspects of the standards.
In many ways this was an experimental practicum, the outcomes of which were far from certain or assured at the outset. There was little expertise in the building other than the author’s to use in order to construct such a file, and no known exemplars existed anywhere for one to draw upon for inspiration. In this sense, there was little instructional leadership of others. However, in all other respects this practicum afforded the author a tremendous opportunity to develop critical leadership skills (Table 1).
Setting Directions, building relationships, and developing the organization
The purpose and goal of the initiative had to be communicated to both staff and administration in order to gain approval to run a workshop. At the outset it also required the design of an educational tool that did not yet exist, that could be used by the average educator to fill a void that the author perceived (and that research confirmed) was desperately in need of being filled. That would require a leap of faith on the part of any leader.
The fact that the initiative was embraced by colleagues and supervisions, and that eight teachers volunteered from this author’s school is a statement of his reputation for being competent, as well as a statement of the stated purpose and utility of the project. That utility – that is, the potential of the file – and how educators from across Ontario came to see it, demonstrates how that value was
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created in teachers’ minds by the author (see Appendix D). Creating that vision and understanding is an essential skill for educational leaders, if they are to effect change and utilize available technologies and resources to effect real and lasting change. To take on the task required staff to be willing to work under his guidance. The author’s acts of showing, inspiring, and revealing the use and potential of the file to educators not only in his own school, but across the province is an indication of being able to build new relationships and develop the organization (in this case, the initiative). It stands as further proof of setting ambitious goals. Setting
Directions Building Relationships
Developing the Organization
Leading the Instructional Program
Skills � Think strategically and build and communicate a coherent vision
� Develop, empower and sustain individuals and teams
� Collaborate and network with others inside and outside the school
� Initiate and support an inquiry-based approach to improvement in teaching and learning
� Support student character development strategies
Knowledge � Ways to build, communicate and implement a shared vision
� New technologies, their use and impact
� The significance of interpersonal relationships
� Strategies to promote individual and team development
� Models of effective partnership � Strategies for improving achievement
� Use of new and emerging technologies to support teaching and learning
Attitudes � Commitment to setting goals that are not only ambitious and challenging, but also realistic and achievable
� Commitment to effective working relationships commitment to effective teamwork
� Commitment to raising standards for all students
� Belief in meeting the needs of all students in diverse ways
Table 1: Selected excerpts from the Ontario Leadership Framework (The Institutde for Education Leadership, 2008)
Leading the Instructional Program Perhaps the practicum’s most relevant connection to the leadership framework is the opportunity it provided to lead the instruction program, even if initially for only a few willing teachers. The entire process was one of inquiry and experimentation, resulting in changed practices or at least perceptions for several teachers. To accomplish this end, the latest technologies were employed at minimal cost, first by the author learning them (leadership by example) followed by the author teaching other staff how to use them. Clearly, the entire purpose of the initiative was to introduce new technologies and strategies to improve teaching and learning, but more importantly, that aim was rooted in the underlying belief that teachers should and can respond to individual student needs. That, after all, is precisely what the file facilitates. In the end, through instructional leadership at least three teachers were convinced that the change initiated through this practicum was simple, easy, and yielded tangible benefits for students. That kind of success tends to spread.
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CONCLUSION
This author has always maintained that there are only ever two questions a learner wants to know, and before concluding every lesson must answer them to be considered successful in the mind of the learner. “Can I do this?” and “Why do I want to? What is in it for me?” In this case, the learners are teachers. Years of research have spoken to educational workers with a single message when it comes to feedback, reflection, and self-‐assessment: they lead to improved results. Yet, in light of this reality, few have taken the steps necessary to integrate these activities into their classroom practice. With no directive from administration, and limited time to initiate such change, it is not surprising. Teachers feel no pressing need. However, they should. The low sense of urgency is objectionable given the incredibly high benefit and desire on the part of students. Their survey feedback indicates a strong sense of benefit from the experience, as well as a desire to do more reflection not less. Moreover, the content of student self-‐reflections indicates a substantial need to for intervention in the instructional program.
As expected, the lack of time and lack of an impetus has delayed and stifled innovation in an educational setting, as was expected. Nevertheless, the few teachers who did engage in this activity, as well as the students, provided this author with a valuable learning experience, and provided those participants with a valuable experience and future learning tool. The resulting Google Docs student self-‐assessment file is an easy to use, accessible, cost-‐effective way to collect and collate student data in order to respond to individual student needs, and thus this practicum has succeeded in its stated objectives (Appendix F).
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Kohn, L. Y. (2009). The Need for Assessment Literate Teachers. Southeastern Teacher Education Journal , 2 (4), 33-‐42.
Kotrlik, J. W., & Redmann, D. H. (2005). Extent of technology integration in instruction by adult basic education teachers. Adult Education Quarterly , 55 (3), 200-‐219. DOI: 10.1177/0741713605274630.
Lachat, M. A., & Smith, S. (2005). Practices That Support Data Use in Urban High Schools. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk , 10 (3), 333-‐349.
Lingard, B., Hayes, D., Mills, M., & Christie, P. (2003). Leading theory. In Leading Learning. New York: Open University Press, McGraw-‐Hill Education.
Ljungdahl, L., & Prescott, A. (2009). Teacher's use of diagnostic testing to enhance students' literacy and numeracy learning. The International Journal of Learning , 16 (2), 461-‐475.
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Nguyen, D. M., Hsieh, Y.-‐C., & Allan, D. G. (2006). The impact of web-‐based assessment and practice on students' mathematics learning attitudes. Journal of Computers in Mathematics and Science Teaching , 25 (3), 251-‐279.
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Magolda, P. M., & Platt, G. J. (2009). Untangling Web 2.0's Influences on Student Learning. About Campus , 14 (3), 10-‐16. DOI: 10.1002/abc.290.
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APPENDICES APPENDIX A: TEACHER SURVEY RESPONSES In the spirit of this initiative, teacher feedback on the learning skills survey tool was solicited through a web-‐based Google Docs survey conducted from June 7, 2001 to June 14, 2011. All 34 of those with whom the survey was shared were contacted by email and requested to complete the survey. Only 12 responded, three of which had used the file with at least one of their classes. Both the tabulated results and the survey are linked below. Teacher Survey https://spreadsheets0.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&hl=en_US&formkey=dEtrRmNPVjBvbHQ1VVFEdXRkQVZRenc6MQ#gid=0 Teacher Results
1. I was unable to acquire the google docs file in order to conduct the survey
2. I was unable to get the file to work properly
3. I lost my password/login information
4. I forgot about trying to use it
5. I was simply too short of time to do it or fit it in
6. I did not have access to technology to conduct it
7. I did not feel comfortable with the technology or program
8. The technology I had access to in order to implement the survey was inadequate
9. The survey worked as designed without any complications
10. Students were agreeable to conducting the survey
11. I prepped my students by discussing the value of reflection and learning skills before assigning the survey.12. Conducting the survey resulted in a meaningful class
discussion13. I received responses from the vast majority of my
students14. For students who did not complete the survey, I did my
best to encourage them to do so15. I reviewed the written responses of my students after
each survey 16. I used their responses respond to student needs and/or
adjust my instruction 17. I am uncertain how I could use their responses to adjust
instruction or meet student needs18. I used the bubble motion chart to interpret results for all
my students as a whole19. Overall I found students' self-evaluations of their
learning skills to be insightful for at least some students20. Overall I found collecting student self-evaluations of
learning skills to be a worthwhile process.
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Anecdotal Teacher Responses If the previous options did not capture the reason for not trying the survey, please explain your reason(s) below. I teach at an alternative school this year and only have a couple of students who show up regularly. I fully plan on using this approach at my new school in September. I think it would work beautifully in a traditional school setting. I just had a busy semester, and wanted to implement it at the beginning as a part of my course expectations. When this didn't happen, I decided to use it first semester next year and implement it in both semesters. I have worked with and created a few different learning skills surveys on my own prior to this session. I learned a lot from Jeff's session and would like to incorporate more of his elements in my class surveys, especially interested in the mapping, graphing sections. Unfortunately time is always running short and being able to grasp a new concept, implement it with some consistency is a challenge. The session I am referring to was short 1hr as part of PD day in April we had enough time for a brief introduction and to "play with" the survey, however any follow up time was independent. It is an important to evaluate learning skills and critical to putting the ministries "Growing Success" document into practice. I was also uncomfortable with using my own Gmail account and reluctant to set up yet another email account. I was also reluctant to ask students for their e-mail addresses and to thus open the gateway for student-teacher e-mail communication. What would have made the difference (so that you tried the survey)? Starting the survey at the beginning of a course as a part of class expectations. This survey is very easy to set up and use, and a great tool...the only reason I didn't use it was because I got very busy and forgot at the beginning of the semester. Having more time to get together a few weeks later. I just need time to play with it and implement it If I / the students can use our CHATT account instead. If the bugs had been ironed out before I tried to use it...now, looking back at the procedure, it seems convoluted and confusing since there were extra steps I had to do and many retries before I got my practice one to work. I'm not confident that I would know where to begin now and would want better step-by-step instructions that work. I am sad that I didn't use the survey, because I was very impressed with it. I am still planning on trying to use it in September. I think I got overwhelmed with the year and kept meaning to implement it, but it never happened. I'm embarrassed that I didn't try it!
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Suggestions or obstacles to be overcome (in making the learning skills survey more useful): Grade 9s either don't really understand it or see it as something worthwhile. Got few responses from grade 9 classes and the responses were not as insightful. Obstacles for me were waiting to release the survey until after they'd gotten their unit evaluation back. In many cases, due to students writing tests very late, this put too much distance between the unit they were reflecting on. I was concerned that it happened too late. Lost meaning/relevance + I think they forget about how they worked during that period of time. I implemented the survey at the mid-semester. They were sent by email on a Friday without prepping the class at all. I received 18 responses out of a total of 72 students. I found the responses were better on average than my traditional in class survey, although I suspect the students that responded electronically would also respond effectively in a written self-evaluation. To improve this process, I intend to use this next year but will prepare my students more effectively, perhaps by booking a computer room for the first self-evaluation. This will get them familiar with it. Students that did not do the self-evaluation did a pen and paper self-evaluation of their learning skills at the midterm. They were also asked several questions about their strengths, weaknesses and strategy to improve. Success stories if any (from using the learning skills survey)? Multiple students actually realized some reasons why they weren't being as successful as they wanted. Specific goal setting - students showed evidence that they'd been working towards targeted improvement in an area they chose. Several students who I would not expected to respond gave very thoughtful input. I found that this helped me understand my students better and this information was useful when speaking with parents during interviews.
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APPENDIX B: STUDENT RESPONSE SURVEY What follows are the responses from 28 of Mr. Boulton’s 47 students taken from a survey conducted from June 15 to 16, 2011 at the end of the second semester. The survey consisted of two parts. The first consisted of questions about the Google docs learning skills survey, similar to those asked of teachers. The second part solicited feedback about new teaching strategies introduced by Mr. Boulton. Student Survey The questions given to students appear below, but the original version can be viewed at the link below: https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dEgxUllHeHJ1MTRpaUdMSFFtaEdsbUE6MA#gid=0 Student Results
1. I normally reflect on my results and efforts on my own
2. I was agreeable to conducting the survey
3. My teacher prepped me by discussing the value of reflection and learning skills before assigning the survey.
4. Conducting the survey resulted in a meaningful class discussion
5. I attempted to reflect in a manner that would provide valuable information to my teacher and myself
6. I just filled in the blanks to make my teacher happy
7. For me, writing out reflections highlighted things about myself I did not expect or normally don't spend time
thinking about
8. I believe teachers could use this device to adjust instruction or meet individual student needs
9. I believe I could use the compiled results of these reflections to learn something about how I learn or
improve my achievement
10. I would like to have access to the compiled results of these reflections
11. Overall I find reflecting to be a worthwhile process, or at least has the potential to be a worthwhile process
12. Generally I have the opportunity to reflect or provide feedback in most of my classes
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Anecdotal Student Responses Suggestions or obstacles to be overcome (to make the learning skills survey more useful): Being able to see the results, and the class opinions/results as well. Better Questions If we got an email of what we wrote on the survey after a month after the survey was written it would help. You could also send it with your opinion on if you believe we accomplished our goals or not. More completion of the survey. We did it a few times at the beginning of the semester but we didn't do it once after that (or I was away when the class did it). Also, the teacher should take the initiative to ask the students what they put down in the survey after they complete it in order for other students to see what goals their classmates have. The one thing that could have been better this year would be the access to class notes. It would help the students to become more organized. Teacher feedback on the student answers on the reflection. making our own notes in class was hard for some classes. and without notes, it was hard to understand some of the concepts learned for the unit. Possibly more reflections and consistent reflection on the surveys. - Send out the results more often so that we know what we talked about in past reflections. The survey really helped me in terms of me going through what I'm doing well and what not. I think their results will better help people when the surveys are conducted more often. Success stories if any (from using the learning skills survey)? I was able to reflect about my own study habits and techniques, something that i do not normally do. This helped me change my way of studying. I currently have a bad mark, so no success stories from this guy It helped me put everything in perspective. It allowed to look at what my mark was, what I needed to do in order to get where I wanted to go and what I needed to stop doing in order to get there in time for the end of the semester. It made me realize what I was doing right and wrong; it almost served as a midterm report card, except there were multiple of them, which really made me work harder in order to reach my goals in the courses. I have a better grasp of the economics subject as a whole and it will definitely benefit me in post-secondary education. I think that the general "laissez - faire" teaching is not meant to create success, but to teach lessons to prevent future failure. In this way I believe it was a success story, but in order to verify that you'd have to track students into university. Doing an assignment at the end of each unit turned out to be a success for me. it was a way for me to do my own research outside of class to understand the unit in depth. it was sometimes hard to understand the materials covered in class, but doing our own choice of an assignment had us do our own research and understand better. I am very happy with my success in this course and hope that I can continue to do well in the field of business - My problem was always the same. I've known I procrastinate forever, but I think it's more I need strategies to avoid doing it, or to understand why I do it, before I can overcome it. Just reflecting without guidance doesn't do much for me. Still, you're onto something here. :)
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APPENDIX C: SAMPLES OF STUDENT SELF-REFLECTIONS The following are samples of student reflections from Mr. Boulton’s classes, as well as the original survey form that students see when completing these surveys. Survey form as seen by the student https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?hl=en&formkey=dG1LTHdZR3BDQlJhdG1YVWhnQTNJX0E6MA#gid=18 Student One
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Student Two
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Student Three
Student Four
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Student Five
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APPENDIX D: LETTERS OF PRAISE AND APPRECIATION The following are letters and emails sent in appreciation of the efforts of the author during the school year. They relate to initiatives related to this practicum, or in the dissemination of the approaches and pedagogy surrounding his research and the practicum at professional development days, keynote addresses, mentorship, and conferences.
December 3rd, 2010 Attn: To whom it may concern Re: Mentorship by Jeff Boulton
On November 28th and November 29th of this year, Mr. Jeff Boulton agreed to meet with me in order to support our schools new business initiative. Mr. Boulton provided me with a number of insightful resources and ideas. He explained to me the G-‐7 Simulator program which he created and will fit perfectly with our Macro Economics 30 and AP Macro Economics courses that we currently offer. This program allows students to clearly understand the complexity of coordinating a country’s economy in today’s globalized world. Concepts such as GDP, CPI, unemployment rates, fiscal and monetary policies are just a few that are integrated into this interactive activity. A student exemplar was also provided which identifies his authentic learning assessment model geared for 21st century learning. This activity draws essential learning and has the students apply it in a real world scenario. Mr. Boulton also provided a number of his assessments, recommended a number of video resources, and provided me with case method readings. I was having difficulty locating appropriate high school level case method readings and Mr. Boulton has now provided me with a number of good samples to choose from. Mr. Boulton also took time out of his busy schedule to share with me a number of technology ideas. Microsoft Excel activities, Google Docs and the social bookkeeping site called Delicious were just a few of the ideas he shared. From this collaboration, I have gained a lot of insight into how I would like to build our business program here in Calgary and to model it after the Iroquois Ridge Business Department program. Without Mr. Boulton’s guidance and support, I would not have been able to begin to implement a number of these great ideas. During my visit to Oakville, I also had the opportunity to meet and talk with a number of the other teachers in the Business Ridge department. The entire business faculty was gracious enough to share their materials and to welcome me to their school. I would like to extend a big thank you to both Jeff Boulton and the Iroquois Ridge High School Business Department for all their guidance and support. Sincerely, Scott Bennett Director of Business Studies, West Island College, Calgary
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APPENDIX E: PRACTICUM LOG It is worth mentioning that this practicum involved far more than the Google Docs survey file. As the author’s exposure to and understanding of the literature has grown over the last several years, his frustration with education in its current form (particularly in mathematics) resulted in a long overdue transformation in practice in the second semester. Thus, the practicum involved the Google Docs survey, the mentorship of a Vice Principal, and changes to classroom practice, which attempted to incorporate as much of what he has read and believed for some time. Significant time was also spend disseminating these ideas to others through workshops, conferences, mentorship, and keynote addresses.
Total Hours 100.5
Job ShaddowingTotal 9.00
Day Hours Task
Oct. 6, 2010 1.00 After school. Gallant and I did a walk-around, and he began showing me the on-call system and how he copes with its ridiculousness. Discussed some of his first suspensions, causes and penalties.
Oct. 20, 2010 2.50
Morning. Talked about administrative P.D. and lack of effectiveness. Did walk arounds, on-calls, spoke to a few kids re: thefts, attendance and entrance to Gary Allan program (score). Examined video for thefts. Talked about strategies for dealing with staff late for supervisions (just do the on call and see if show up).
Nov. 18 3.00
Morning. Busy day at WOSS. Several suspensions and numerous interviews. One regarded a theft, the other an assault in the essentials area. Teachers reported, then first student, then second. For theft, first student, then second who was aggressive, father came in an took control of child. Use of video surveillance.
15-Jun 2.50 Morning. A slower morning. We looked at the exam schedule and discussed how it could be designed better in Google Docs. Tracked a truent student. Discussed his impressions of the job one year in.
Practicum LogTotal 91.50
Day Hours Task
Sep. 29, 2010 1.00 Using Google docs created a form to collect information on student learning skills and reflections on their achievement.
Oct. 1, 2010 2.00 Designed an Excel spreadsheet to pull out info from the Google Docs survey and present it in a colated, organized report for teachers, students, or parents. Can be emailed, printed, or just shown on a monitor.
Oct. 5, 2010 0.25 Met with Erin Leahy to show her how to use the Google Docs survey form.
Oct. 6, 2010 0.50 Discussed practicum ideas, nature of job, his enjoyment so far, and mentorship for practicum with Mike Gallant.
Oct. 8, 2010 0.75 Delivered a P.D. day session on Google Docs surveys for learning skills
Oct. 14, 2010 0.25 Requested permission to spend a couple prep periods at WOSS with Gallant
Oct. 19, 2010 0.25 Spoke with Deb regarding Practicum ideas and job shaddowing.
Oct. 19, 2010 0.25 Spoke with Tara re: practicum, plans, ideas. We did some brainstorming and discussed job of administrator
Oct. 22, 2010 1.00
P.D. at the Institute for Chartered Accountants. Delivered a session to teachers from across Ontario on the topic of using technology to improve assessment, streamline workload, and inform practice. Demonstrated the learning skills report generator and online testing to rave reviews.
02-Nov 4.00 Revised and finalized spreadsheet to make it more user friendly in hopes of sharing with many teachers. New version includes instructions.
12-Nov 0.75 Worked on practicum proposal. Laid down initial concepts of areas for mentorship and skills and knowledge sets to build in grade twelve students.
12-Nov 0.50 Researched good study strategies online from various universities.
16-Nov 0.25 Had a discussion with Tara Conner regarding practicum ideas that would be practical, feasible given time lines, deadlines, goals, and school needs. Settled on staff mentorship surrounding growing success document.
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16-Nov 0.25 Answered questions concerning use of a file by Chris Chihrin (TDSB) regarding file use for printing class sets of summatives using my software.
17-Nov 0.50
Correspondance with Scott Bennet about mentoring authentic learning tasks RE: Damian Cooper's book. Correspondance with Jordan Hoffman concerning delivering P.D. at his school around technology to assess for learning and growing success. Correspondance with Damian Cooper about career options in mentorship and P.D. as he is doing.
17-Nov 0.25 Revising files for Tarantino to use to generate assignments/summatives.
17-Nov 0.25 Phone call with Scott Bennet RE: school visit and simulation use, and business program start up at West Island College in Calgary Alberta.
17-Nov 1.00 Worked on simulation for teachers, specifically Scott Bennet, to make it easier to use.18-Nov 1.00 Conferrencing with Monique, Tara, and Joanne.18-Nov 1.00 Perfecting spreadsheet and learning skills survey.18-Nov 0.50 Dialog with Math Head regarding best practices with technology.
22-Nov 1.00 Worked with Kirkup. He had questions regarding formula use and spreadsheet design. Then we experimented successfully with a web-based document for building learning skills reports. Version will need to be refined, but will streamline the process.
29-Nov 0.25 Discussions with Dean Barnes and Allan Kirkup re: arranging students to test the learning skills survey system and being prepared to complete the online file in time for the December 6th staff meeting and instructing staff on how to use it.
Nov 29-30 3.00
Met with Scott Benett from Calgary regarding authentic learning tasks and assessment. We went over google docs applications such as data collection, collboration, assignment submission, Excel applications, incorporating essential business skill in curriculum delivery, and authentic assessment tasks. Share resources and padegogical approaches as he sets up a business program in his school for the first time.
01-Dec 4.00
Email dialogue with Dean re: giving students on learning team chance to try survey before staff meeting. Spent bulk of time on a data investigation to quantify the results of a shift in pedegogy in 2006, when introduced online testing to BAF 3M. Showed dramatic effects. Will integrate histograms into any presentation or seminar in the future.
02-Dec 2.00 Met with Mike Gallant to dialogue about board improvement plan and the role of data, research and the learning skills program I developed and how it might be used in an interview for a board-level position
03-Dec 1.50
Meet with Damian Cooper and discussed effective assessment and padegogy. Explored why my authentic tasks like the G7 simulation he illustrated in his book are so valid, and probed possiblities of co-authoring his next book together. Also discussed teaching as a profession from a global perspective; strengths weaknesses, and challenges.
03-Dec 1.50 Worked with Alan Kirkup and Kevin McConvey on spreadsheet file to compile student learning skills reflections, and discussed delivery of lesson to staff session on Dec. 6th. Sent a copy of the Excel-based file to Tara Connor and Doug Bothwell
04-Dec 1.50 Worked on statistical analysis of all sections of all grade 11 accounting sections I've taught to examine how padegocial practice in conjunction with technology drastically improved student achievement. The results are stunning.
06-Dec 0.50 Met with Kevin and Allan at lunch to go over presentation to staff on report use
06-Dec 1.00 Delivered staff session on how to obtain google docs survey and then copy and paste survey results into spreadsheet that produces reports.
07-Dec 1.00 Techie Tuesday at lunch. Allan, Kevin and I. Follow up for staff from Monday's staff session. No one showed up except Jennifer Burke. Good lessons there.
09-Dec 2.50 With Kirkup's help finally managed to perfect the survey file so it can be 100% web-based with no downloading required for staff which seemed to be problematic at the staff session on Monday Dec. 6
10-Dec 1.00 Preparing research for conferences on A&E and response and results in BAF 3M
13-Dec 0.25 Scott Bennett called at home for some clarification. Answer questions and provided guidance.
16-Dec 4.50 Prepared raw data for a statistical analysis of longitudinal data from my teaching career
24-Dec 3.00 Built models to analyze learning skills reflections correlated with student achievement throughout the semester.
26-Dec 2.00 Added a self-constructing motion chart to help teachers analyse their data as a whole.03-Jan 1.00 Downloaded complete markbook data sets for analysis18-Jan 2.00 Correcting errors in file, setting up my website to distribute the file to teachers more easily.
19-Jan 2.00 Prepared "homework" for staff prior to Jan 31 P.D. day. Topic: the 21st century learner. Consisted of a web page with media and readings to set the purpose and significance.
19-Jan 2.00 Wrote instructions and coded a Flash lesson to go along with the learning skills self-assessment file to be distributed and explained on upcoming P.D. days.
01-Feb 2.00 Delivered a hand's on P.D. centre around Google docs applications for collaboration, student self-evaluation, and improved assessment feedback.
02-Feb 2.00 Read academic research on use of assessment to enhance student achievement03-Feb 0.50 Met with mentor to discuss refining narrowing focus of proposal
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05-Feb 3.00 Worked on interpreting and further developing the prototype for online automated collection of student interests, and info for tailoring lessons and which will form the basis of contextualized learning for students that is relevent to their own interests.
06-Mar 4.00
Prepared presentation for 21st Century Leanrer theme for TanenbaumCHAT, a private school in Toronto. It incorporated learner-centred approaches, assessment and evaluation methods, importance of timely feedback, and illustrate the use of google docs to collect self-assessment and learning skills by students.
07-Mar 5.00 Delivered the presentation and workshop at TanenbaumCHAT06-Apr 2.00 Prepared speech for P.D. address to teachers on April 8
08-Apr 3.00
Delivered part of the keynote address to all math and science teachers in the Halton Board. Discussed growing success and the 21st century learner. What it was really about, approaches they could take. The goal was to provoke thought and engage them in the change process. It was very well received by both staff and administrators. The afternoon was for business teachers. It involved a workshop to discuss, explore, and distribut the Google Docs learning skills survey.
01-May 4.00 Prepared workshop for OBEA Conference on Growing Success and learning skills.
05-May 1.25 Presented a workshop on 50 things to do in accounting which included automated web-based assessment. Incorporated the results of the statistical analysis of my teaching career to date to justify the use of such assessment tools.
06-May 2.50 Presented two workshops at the OBEA Conference. One on how to use the learning skills student self-assessment, the second on an Economic game simulation
04-Jun 2.00 Designed a survey to collect teacher responses regarding their experiences with using the Google Docs survey
10-Jun 3.00 Met with Christina C to explain resources and teaching philosophy and padegogy 11-Jun 1.00 Analysed the results of the Google Docs survey15-Jun 0.25 Concluding meeting with Mentor to disucss results and write up of summary and reflection.
16-Jun 2.00 Worked on feedback survey for students to complete regarding new teaching methodologies and the use and value of the Google Docs learning skills self-reflection survey.
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APPENDIX F: PRACTICUM SUCCESS CRITERIA The following is the author’s evaluation by his own proposed success criteria. Where criteria were not fully met, explanations are provided in red. A Job Shadowing provides this candidate with: ½√ The maximum hours permitted of job shadowing (nine hours was completed, but
the marginal benefit of additional job shadowing rendered it unnecessary), √ Frank and practical advice for my career path, √ Personal anecdotes of initial challenges in the role, √ The opportunity to witness a variety of administrative tasks during different
times of the day, week, and semester, and √ A concept of mistakes made by the mentor in his first year, and lessons
learned from that experience. Practicum should result in: √ This candidate having led a team that accomplishes the goals set out in this
paper’s section describing the practicum, as measured by a survey and anecdotal evidence,
√ The development of a tool for teachers’ use that they report as effective and useful and enabling them to respond to student needs,
√ The mentorship of teachers in the development of this tool in such a way that they learn new skills,
½√ The inspiration, mentorship and training of staff to use this software in such a way that it is quickly adopted and implemented successfully. This will be measured initially by scaled responses from the team, but eventually by the number of staff using the software. This can be measured through Google Docs itself since the file must be shared with each staff member who uses it (More had access than was anticipated, but seemly little integration, though high intent).
√ Some success stories of usage from within the school, but also from across Canada will be compiled, and
√ An opportunity to practice skills and competencies from the leadership framework will present itself throughout the process.