Assessment for Learning

Assessment for Learning Hope and Inspiration for the Secondary School Religion Classroom Linda Graham – St. Thomas Aquinas High School Vancouver, B.C. November 2009

Opening Prayer Reflection • A wise woman once said: “Prayer is the raising of the heart, mind, body and soul to God in a relationship of love (not mushy gushy infatuated love) with God, self and others.” (Sr. Josephine Carney) • We, therefore, pause to begin in prayer. May the Holy Spirit guide our formative time together: • http://www.loyolapress.com/assets/Bookcovers/5208_gifts-of-grace.swf

What do I hope to achieve and inspire as a Religious educator in today’s classroom? • Increase student ownership and relevance to enhance the meaning of assessment in Religion class, and to reach a diverse spectrum of learners within the classroom to bring them to understand that Jesus ROCKS!

Jesus R.O.C.K.S ? • Based on ideas from Virginia Smith’s article 50 • St. Mary’s Press: Touching the Hearts of Teens • http://www.smp.org/resourcepage.cfm?Article=50&Print=Yes

Relevance – “relevant to their fast paced lives” • Observation – “observe the elements of their • world and come to grips with • God’s place in it” • Challenge – “what appears murky, ambiguous, • even erroneous” • Knowledge – “unless they possess knowledge that • is verifiable” • Spirituality – “build a spirituality that is their own”

OR ELSE . . . “…the chances of religious faith achieving centrality in their lives are slim.” Virginia Smith

Relevance: • “Pope John XXIII understood that church teachings would have to be compelling to modern believers in order to survive • Seek new ways to express old truths, new forms for old practices • Does not imply change for the sake of novelty, but change for the sake of clarity • Pat answers are unacceptable and rote replies are routinely rejected • This generation wants its religion on the level of where the rubber hits the road • Science and Religion need to be brought together”

Observation: • “To be trained to observe carefully the world in which they live. • Compare their world with the ones they find in the bible. • Pointless to teach the elements of the historical-critical approach to Bible study. In and of itself, the approach is as dry as dust. • If the search focuses on what biblical books mean for us in this era, it becomes fascinating. • What is its message today?”

Challenge: • “We do not teach the Catholics of tomorrow. These are the Catholics of today. • We need to be realistic and optimistic. • We need to increase growth. • Independent study of other religions is strongly recommended. • The greatest challenge is to instill critical thinking skills. • The adventure is in the search. • Class participation constitutes anywhere from 25 to 33 percent of the grade .”

Knowledge: • “Magic answer boxes we are not. • Fonts of wisdom we are not as often as we would like to be. • Masters of our fields we are only in our dreams. • But knowledgeable professionals in our discipline, especially this discipline, we simply must be. • What we know and how much we care are not mutually exclusive. • Young people must be equipped with both belief and basis for that belief. • If they do not possess a solid, rocklike foundation upon which to erect their faith structure, they will build a house of cards.”

Spirituality: • “To know about God is one thing; to know God, quite another. • …must unite the two without slighting either, a neat feat. • We would not put God in a box, we should not confine our students either. • They need plenty of spiritual elbow room. • Among other things, that involves exposure to many forms of prayer and styles of spirituality.” • NB: Assessment tasks should match the different learning styles and intelligences of the students. (CISVA)

An anonymous prayer says: • “May you hear God’s call to follow the Christ in your own unique way, united with the church, in service to all the world.”

“My hope is to become one of the R.O.C.K.S in my students’ lives… to teach rather than to preach the word of God.” Linda Graham STA – November 2009

Closing Reflection • Consider :The Classroom as Holy Ground, Kevin O’Brien, S.J., 2003 • Faith, Hope and Love • http://www.loyolapress.com/assets/Bookcovers/4991_changing-focus.swf

Appendages • ROCKS: (Article 50) Virginia Smith Teacher, Department Chair, Billings Central Catholic High School, Billings, Montana http://www.smp.org/resourcepage.cfm?Article=50&Print=Yes • Assessment: Excerpt from the Philosophy of Catholic High School Teaching (CISVA) http://www.rcav.org/Diocesan_Offices/Default.aspx?id=1812 • The Classroom as Holy Ground, Kevin O’Brien, S.J., 2003 http://www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=3009

Assessment for Learning