Exemplars

I will never forget when I was about 6, my brother 11, and my sister 9, and our parents asked us to pull out the pea plants in the garden (for they had already been picked). So we set out to work (per the parents’ request) pulling out plant after plant. We had done great work... fantastic work... work we thought was so great... until our parents returned. They informed us that not only had we pulled out the pea plants, but the bean plants as well. And as you may have guessed, the beans had not yet been picked. And as you also may have guessed, we were ecstatic... because we did not like beans (unfortunately my parents would feed us frozen beans, which were way worse).

As with most anything in life, showing somebody how to do something, or showing them exactly what is being asked of them, is beneficial to the process. The model or showcase to strive for in education is the exemplar. For assignments, assessments, and evaluations, it is imperative that students are given examples of what is expected of them. These exemplars can be created by the teacher, or by students from previous years. Equally as important, is to show the student a variety of exemplars that show how the same assignment can be done successfully in different ways. Going a step further, it is advantageous for teachers to show level 1, 2, 3, & 4 exemplars (and the reasons why those exemplars fall into each category). Usually this process is performed with an accompanying rubric. I have utilized exemplars both effectively and ineffectively in my (brief) experience in the classroom. As a first year teacher in 2008, I was in the midst of teaching curriculum that was foreign to me, in a position that I had never held before. Some of the assessments I used were passed down to me by my co-workers. I re-worked them to fit my class, but I failed to provide students with a concrete example of what I wanted. I thought that the instructions I had given them would lead to the finished product I had constructed in my head. And for some this (kind of) happened... but for others... not so much. It was a big eye-opener, and I ended up not counting it for much of anything, but rather adapting my final assessment to include some of the things I wanted previously. Optimistically, I like to think this process bettered me as a teacher (my first students may or may not agree). That semester I rarely did anything significant without an exemplar... even if I was up till 3am creating one.

The Ontario Curriculum Guides offer teachers (and parents and students) examples of what is expected from students at different grade levels. The exemplars that I am going to examine (I use that term a bit loosely given the amount of space I am expected to use) come from The Ontario Curriculum – Exemplars Grade 5 & 6 document http://www.ontla.on.ca/library/repository/mon/3000/10303844.pdf. Specifically I am going to look at grade six exemplars – which should coincide nicely with our module 8 group assignment.

First and foremost, it is nice to know, after reading the first few pages, that the performance tasks and scoring scales (rubrics) – depicted in the document – were used in classrooms, given changes to, and marks provided, resulting in  actual student work being used as exemplars (for all levels) in this document. This tells me that a large amount of time was spent with these documents, encompassing a large group of people (which is very encouraging, and demonstrates that an authentic process has taken place). The exemplar documents show two examples of student work for each achievement level (1, 2, 3, &4), for an assignment in each course strand (in this case Early Civilizations). This gives teachers an artillery worth of exemplars to draw from in the classroom. In addition, the teacher package is something that first year teachers (who may not have a lot to draw from – especially in subjects that may not be their strong-suits) can utilize, and experienced teachers can build on and liken other tasks to.

Unfortunately though, these documents are difficult to find, and not as easily available in a school setting (in my experience) as one would expect. If a set of these exemplar documents were found in each classroom (maybe that is unrealistic), teachers could show these more efficiently. That being said if each classroom had a Smart-board or a projector, we could just beam the examples to the head of the classroom. Now that would be ultra effective. In any event, having the chance to use these documents more practically would have been extremely beneficial for me as a first-year teacher (and beyond). The thoroughness of these documents gives students no excuse for achievement fogginess – if the documents are shown to them properly. Additionally, there is a substantial amount of information here for students and teachers to grasp. A quick look through its pages shows a variety of graphs, bullet points, charts, rubrics, etc. There is a lot going on. Even teachers can be quickly over-whelmed by the content. The specific exemplars of student work on pages 40-58 from the task for Ancient Civilizations grade six are quite convoluted – even in level one. While the information following each exemplar gives first year teachers a good idea of what they should be noting (e.g. understanding of concepts, communication of required knowledge, application, comments / next steps), and the type of assignments they can provide to students, the information overall seems quite daunting. Furthermore, it is unclear if the specific tasks are the golden standard that teachers should be holding all of their tasks up to. Perhaps some of the tasks provided in the exemplars will not, a) work for my students, or b) work for me. If this is the case, does it reflect negatively on me?

Moving on, the Ontario Curriculum Exemplar Documents are not just designed for teachers (and consequently students). Parents should also eat this information up (Sorry, I realize the preceding sounded incredibly informal). The document acknowledges that, “the samples in the document provide parents with examples of student work to help them monitor their child’s progress” (Ontario Document p.3). Communication between teachers and parents can also be fostered through this process. Parents can look through the document to give them a better understanding of the type of work their child should be striving for.  And while I believe that these documents are difficult for parents to peruse, if given the opportunity to look through (and perhaps are made more readily available), these documents can educate parents with the “here and now”, regarding current assessment tools, expectations, and achievement charts that are being used in Ontario’s classrooms and learning institutions. Through this document parents can be given (some of) the knowledge to better help their child progress and reach the appropriate achievement levels. A much better summery is given in bullet points on page nine of the document.

Finally, principals also share an invested interest in these documents. They should use these documents as guides to help ensure their teachers are using the appropriate measures provided within. Principals can use these documents to help ensure that their teachers are following similar methods of assessment, especially in larger schools where multiple teachers are teaching the same grades. I believe that schools should have a variety of teaching personalities within its walls – teachers with unique skills and strengths that give the building character. I find a school can truly thrive if constructed with an approach of this nature. But I also think there needs to be a level of accountability... a level of similarity and conformity. The Ontario Curriculum Documents and Exemplar Guides help facilitate this desire.

Thank you.