There has been much talk in education about removing grades and how grades detract from learning. The Globe and Mail article, Why some schools are giving letter grades a fail, by Erin Millar explains the discussion well. In my own experience I have seen a grade (particularly a low grade) hinder learning.
We can have all of the discussions we like, and perhaps at some point things will change, but at this moment in time, an educator in the majority of schools in North America, K-20, has to report achievement of Curriculum expectations using grades in some shape or form.
Another complication: How can we capture learning that is non-traditional, using traditional methods? Most of our evaluation techniques might work effectively in an analogue world, but when we consider the variety of product options for students which are multi-modal, what does the assessment of that learning look like?
Thinking it through
Triangulating Data
In Ontario, the Growing Success Document (2011), has given teachers some flexibility with the idea of triangulation of data. We arrive at an evaluation by not just evaluating final products, but by using professional judgement informed by observations (anecdotal notes, checklists, process work), and conversations with students. 
(Growing Success, 2010, page 34)
Triangulating data really helps a teacher to assess the process that might go into a multi-modal project which requires a different kind of working and thinking. The problem most teachers have in this regard is how to do I take all of those observations and conversations and actually get a mark?
Sandra Herbst has an interesting approach to this. While students are working on an assignment, she closely observes what each student is doing and how that meets a curriculum expectation. She codes the expectations using the first letter and then takes the most consistent to determine a level/grade.
This is a real shift for some. It moves the teacher into a position where she can actively engage with students while they are working so as to provide specific descriptive feedback and support to students who need it while paying particular attention to the Curriculum expectations being met in the process. It may not be plausible to get to every student every day, but certainly it is possible to check in with each student over the course of a few days. Consider how much more a teacher might learn about her students vs the traditional method where we wait to grade the final product only at the end.
So when I think of a multi-modal product (an infographic, a video, e-literature, an interactive poster, etc…), I may not be able to necessarily evaluate the product, but the thinking (aligned to the Big ideas in the Curriculum), could very well be captured using the triangulation of data.
Metacognition and Reflection
One of the arguments I’ve heard is that students who create multi-modal work can do so with very little thought. Denise Nielsen in her response to my post, Can we move beyond the literary essay, states:
An infographic, or any creative project (and I use many varieties of digital projects as culminating activities) can absolutely demonstrate the kinds of critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis that demonstrate deeper understanding, and by remixing, students can repurpose information for multiple audiences thus moving to the higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Having said that though, I am a mother of high school kids and I know just how easy it is to do a digital or multi-media project without any in-depth learning or knowledge of a subject. The ease of the Internet means a savvy teen can skim the surface of any topic and create something that looks impressive but is superficial and does not demonstrate the deeper learning and critical thought process of a truly engaged learner. I’ve seen it. More than ever, there is no need to read the book or poem or play, or to understand the historical significance of an event. Wikipedia is there to do that. What we need then is a reimagining of assignments.
And I think….to return to the start of this discussion….that starts with the research and the inquiry, involves writing that is ideally both evidence-based and creatively authentic, and only then, armed with the depth of knowledge and understanding, can the infographic, video, podcast, Twitter-broadcast, or presentation be created.
I agree with this whole-heartedly. Students engaged in multi-modal creations (e-literature, infographics, films, etc…) need to make thoughtful decisions about structure, format, font, space, colour, etc… If we do not ask students to pause and reflect on the decisions they are making and why they are making them, we lose out on the opportunity for students to think critically about the work they are creating. Metacognition (thinking about thinking), or Assessment AS learning (in Ontario), therefore can also be an invaluable assessment strategy for multi-modal texts.
Big Ideas in the Curriculum
Rather than being bogged down in the minutia, does a multi-modal product created by a student show that students “demonstrate an understanding of…” Whenever I see this phrase in a Curriculum document, I realize that though we may have traditionally assessed this expectation using a pen/paper task in the past, there is flexibility in the way that students actually demonstrate an understanding of a big idea in creative and innovative ways.
Heather Theijsmeijer writes an interesting post, Ditching Effectiveness, the Miracle of page 18, about rich tasks and assessment in Ontario which may be also be applied to this discussion.
What about Learning Skills?
I think that we can all agree that learning skills are essential to success. When I look at 21st century competencies (I use Fullan’s: Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication, Citizenship, Character), I see much overlap. So, can we agree that fostering these skills and competencies through a variety of creative projects is completely worth the time and energy?
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I definitely do not have all the answers here; this post is an attempt to work through my ideas about the topic. What I do know is that if we consider the potential of technology to help students demonstrate their learning in a variety of new and innovative ways, then we need to grapple with how we can allow them this freedom while assessing them fairly.
Would love to hear your feedback and comments!
