This is just about a perfect collection of personal essay #MentorTexts - a *wide* variety of topics from authors who are diverse in just about every way imaginable. Great work from @theguardian.com. #EduSky www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

Today 1 of my students told me that she is going to send me an email in a few years after she has become a teacher and taught her 1st #ungraded class. 😀

❤️

I introduced Gr 11s to Hexagonal Thinking (the gift that keeps on giving) last week & asked them to work together to find connections between the 'big ideas' they've found in their group novels so far. 1 student liked it so much he used the format for his post-activity reflection. Really cool!

1 of my Gr 9s has spent almost 2 months pretending to read during our daily 15mins of choice reading time. Hasn’t read a sentence.Today, we started Long Way Down as a class. At the end, he asked if he could use his 15 mins tomorrow to keep reading it. By George, I think we have a reader!!!

Yesterday in Gr 9, we were talking about if, and/or how, the film Moana 2 challenges stereotypes. 1 student raised her hand and said, "Yes it does because she is her own hero." 😍

Jason, this is 🔥. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So many of us will benefit from your generosity here!

Today was a GREAT day. Civil Rights activist, 2-time Emmy-Award winning writer, producer, director & educator Paul Saltzman came to work with Ss to identify ways to strengthen our school's sense of belonging & community. Ss were in awe of him (so were we). Action plan tomorrow! (Photo permission ✅)

Hey @theresameikle.bsky.social, look what arrived yesterday afternoon! Excited to share with colleagues. 😀

Another fantastic share from the always generous @jasonhimsl.bsky.social

Introducing UNgrading to 9s & all week. 1 Ss' body language has strongly suggested they are not overly impressed. As they left today, I commented that it seemed the 'struggle is real' & the response was a vehement, 'Every Day!' But then they added: 'But this is inspiring me.' I was shocked!

This is great!

Gr 11 Enriched went to Library today. Librarian pulled books - contemporary, challenging, high-interest, etc. I mentioned there was talk about classics. Led to discussion about Wuthering Heights & how we might read it differently now vs when we were Ss' age. We now have a book club with us & 7 Ss 😍.

At this point in the year, I usually post a whack of links to student portfolios (with permission). Due to unforseen events (👀 at you never-ending sinus infection), it won't be possible this time. To make up for it, see 1 from Y12 Enriched. Brilliance. I could never do this! tinyurl.com/2937un9b

During our #ungrading intro, I always show Ss a clip of Tomi Adeyemi talking about her writing process www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mVZ... I ❤️ how much it resonates with them. This is the moment where they start to understand that any good writing starts as a "deformed potato"...even for the pros.

This cracked me up. 😂

Student portfolios are in & now the fun of going through them all begins. Starting with Grade 11 College Prep students today. Had to lol at 1 response to the ?: "Have I seen a difference in my work because of feedback?"

There are always moments during the semester when I wonder whether #UNgrading is "working" for Ss. Sometimes it's really hard to tell & I start to question myself. And then portfolios start rolling in. These snippets from the "Learning Journey" stories of a few 9s help reinforce that it is.

👇,👇, and more 👇 please. SO good.

An important part of our Gr 12 seminar process is the peer feedback requirement. Presenting groups receive pages and pages of thoughtful, constructive, and genuine comments on their work, while audience develops their ability to provide effective feedback. A valuable exercise for all.

Revisited @iamnoadaniel.bsky.social's assessment ep ft. @raspberryberet3.bsky.social, (me) & 3 of my former Ss. Listening 2 it a year later was surreal. Great reminder to keep fighting 4 change. & my Ss? CHEF'S KISS 🥰. Work doesn't get easier, but does feel like it's worth it. tinyurl.com/2854l8om

Day 1 of Grade 12 Enriched seminars. Goal is to connect core class novel (Beartown) to another text from "The Canon" 🙄 (Ss choices = 1984, Crime & Punishment, Dorian Gray, Jane Eyre, Little Women, Anna Karenina, Huck Finn, The Odyssey, Passing, Dracula, Handmaid's Tale, Maurice). Bar was set high!

So why do education systems and practices that alienate, isolate, burn-out, and dehumanize persist? Who does that benefit? And why can't we seem to do better?

1 thing I really appreciate in @theresameikle.bsky.social's Assessment in Action is how authentic it is, just like the author herself. Centring students from start to finish, the evidence-based strategies in this book help educators empower Ss to become invested & engaged in learning. A great read!

Gr 9s are developing their annotation skills as we prepare to move into literary paragraphs next week. Some great critical thinking skills from many students!

@theresameikle.bsky.social, lookee what was waiting for me at school today! Can't wait to dive in 😍.

Okay #poetrypeople Sharing my favorite poems to teach and what I focus on. Please do the same! First, is “Fuck your Lecture on Craft, My People are Dying” by Noor Hindi. #EduSky docs.google.com/presentation...

At the beginning of the semester, I polled Gr 9s about how they felt about reading. 18 of 27 students answered "not a fan - hate it", 7 were "meh" & 2 "loved it". Pretty depressing tbh. With about a month left in the course, thought it might be interesting to see if anything has changed...

In June, I asked Ss if they were willing to share their porfolios. Got an email today (little late to to the party, lol) granting permission along with a reflection on the impact of being in an Ungraded class last year. A timely reminder of how important this work is and motivation to keep going.

Grade 11 College Prep Ss are starting a personal writing unit. As an intro, we read Sharon Creech's, Love That Dog to see how powerful mentor texts can be as 8yr old Jack uses them to work through the grief of losing his beloved dog. 11s then used Jack's poem as THEIR inspiration. Cool results! 😍

Gr 9s are making cases for their Top 3 Group Novel choices. Those opinon paragraph writing skills from the last unit are coming into play! #iteachEnglish

A4. In addition to recommending the work of many of you here, I've started sharing 'real-world' examples of the learning process in all its messy glory to highlight the disconnect between how we view/treat 'failure' in school vs in real-life. tinyurl.com/26ghywzz tinyurl.com/2255aryq #UngradingChat

I keep trying to write something eloquent and just being tired. History matters. Philosophy matters. Languages and literature matter. Indigenous studies matter. Arts and humanities and social sciences matter. All of them. Signed, a physicist

Today at Grading for Growth, it's a guest post from faculty in Quebec, about how they are activating alternative grading in the CEGEP environment, an approach to secondary/higher ed unique to that province. We love international perspectives! gradingforgrowth.com/p/workshops-...

Listen to our conversation with @sarahmzerwin.bsky.social on #LearnerCenteredSpaces @crystalfrommert.bsky.social podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s... #EduSky #Ungrading #UngradingChat

Was looking for the address of a former student today when I came across this email from 2023. A great reminder of my #Ungrading 'why' & motivation to continue despite the many challenges that can sometimes feel like...a lot. 😀 #alternativegrading

I wrote a comment on an "in progress" personal response (feedback was to be given at a later date). Student came up to my desk this morning to tell me how much of an impact that ONE WORD made. Was a good reminder not to take the trust they put in us for granted. #Ungrading #📖 #EduSky

That moment when a Grade 9 shows you they have embraced the self-reflection process 😍 📖 #alternativegrading #EduSky

When I started #Ungrading 2.5 years ago, I knew it was going it was going to be a game changer for our classroom. What I didn't realize at the time was just how much it was going to humanize it too.

Buy all banned books as presents

Yes, yes, and more yes to every bit of this.

I love how this Gr 12 Enriched student chose to communicate her Learning Journey for Term 1. #Ungrading

A student used AI to respond to a prompt asking them why they shouldn’t use AI to do their English work for them. 🤦‍♀️ On a positive note, I have a new example to use for my next irony lesson. #edusky

Q4. I try to set up my courses so that students have ownership over their learning from the start, so that when we have to have the grade pitch discussions (boo), it becomes an extension of the mindset they have hopefully already developed. Grade pitch process feels...yucky. #ungradingchat

Don't know where I saw this poem (might even have been here), but man oh man, is it ever great!

Based on a wonderful suggestion from @jaustinedu.bsky.social, I've created a rough Starter Pack for those involved with #ungrading & alternative #assessment. If I forgot someone (I'm sure I have!), please forgive me & let me know if you want to be added to the list. Thanks! go.bsky.app/G6hA6Ru

I’m excited to share this #teacher review of my book #assessmentinaction It is exactly what I’d hoped for - a book that makes #formativeassessment manageable and powerful @profcarolcampbell.bsky.social @literacyengine.bsky.social

!!!

Since I started UNgrading in '22, my fav part has always been when Ss give me permission to showcase their portfolios. See the next post for links to just a few who volunteered their work from Gr 9, 11 College Prep, & 12 Enriched classes this semester. Enjoy! #ungrading #assessment