Totally Buried In Your 'To Do' List?

Many years ago I made a conscious decision to take care of myself. It may sound foolish because it is so obvious but it wasn't to me. It came about because I witnessed a professional development leader 'give' a session where what was shared had little to do with what was said but everything to do with 'how' it was said. The person's entire being seemed to radiate exhaustion, impatience, and a total lack of self-care.

As I witnessed the day, I reflected that everything that was shared – and it was worth knowing and doing – was totally discounted because of the non-verbal messages being received.

I realized I wanted people with whom I worked to understand that what I was sharing would actually make their life in classrooms and schools easier. I could 'tell' that story but I also had to 'be' that story. That was a long time ago. I still hold the lesson close to my heart. And yet, like all lessons, it can be obliterated by time and life.

Today, as I began to work, I realized that the peace of this season was eluding me. In fact, I was totally buried in my 'To Do' list. I spent some time in reflection.

Instead I decided to breathe. And take time to let my life breathe. And, just in case you need an invitation to breathe and help to do so as you reflect on your 'To Do' list, I am sharing a link to a website. Today was my first visit and I appreciated the invitation to enjoy an audio recording that would help me 'breathe peace.' It did!

May you take time to relax and enjoy the peace of the season,

Anne

PS As a result of my reflection today, I've decided not to share the fabulous resources of our International Delegates until January –  in case it is adding to your 'To Do' list. If you want to go to check them out when you feel so inclined just go to www.assessment4learning.com

PPS This is a painting of the Northern Lights that I did while visiting Yellowknife, NWT, recently... they just take one's breath away! 

And the snow is falling

I've been posting gifts from the International Delegates over the past few days. Today I'm taking a rest from assessment and sharing a painting instead. The snow is falling and the holiday season seems to be so very near :-)
 
I hope you can take a moment in the crazy-busyness that is December in schools to pause for a breath and a wish for a peaceful, health-full holiday for all!

Some Gifts From Susan Brookhart! Leader of the Team from United States

Thank you to everyone who has registered and is planning to register for Assessment for Learning: Canada in Conversation with the World. It is exciting to see the rapidly growing list of registrants. We are thrilled with the response with registrations coming in from all across Canada!

The Canadian Symposium is also a first! We are gathering those who work on behalf of classroom educators - our Ministry of Education colleagues, superintendents, and national organizations – to take a close look at what we are doing across Canada right now as each jurisdiction works to meet their own unique needs.

Another delegate I want to feature – knowing that many of you are familiar with her work – is Sue Brookhart. Sue also led the United States team to the International Symposium in Norway. She writes about assessment topics for teachers, administrators, and other educators.  Here are some links that you might enjoy following:

·         Assessing Creativity
·         Starting the Conversation about Grading
·         The Many Meanings of Multiple Measures

Sue is the lead for the team from the United States which also includes Heidi Andrade, Margaret Heritage, Maria Ruiz-Primo and Caroline Wylie.

Think about how fabulous the conversations will be as we gather the international delegates together with 250 Canadian educators for Friday, April 11 (eve) and all day Saturday, April 12, 2014, in Fredericton, NB! You can register here.

All my best,

Anne

PS For those of you who would like to attend all five days – we were only able to invite 36 people from across Canada to the Canadian Symposium. It is my hope that the conversations we are currently engaged in online and plan to continue in Fredericton, NB, in April will grow and include more and more people over time. How can you get involved right now? Considering joining me as part of the online conversation!

Tagboard: https://tagboard.com/AforLConversation/160953

Discover Michael Absolum and Clarity in the Classroom

Michael Absolum is a member of the New Zealand team attending the

International Symposium in Fredericton, NB. He will also be sharing his ideas and perspectives during the Saturday morning plenary at Assessment for Learning: Canada in Conversation with the World. 

As I followed the links Michael provided to the Assessment for Learning conversation, I found myself once again enjoying the amazing collection of resources on the New Zealand Ministry of Education website. 

I also found his blog. You might enjoy reading the blog entry titled, Evaluation is the Thing. The other thing you might want to know is that Michael wrote a powerful book titled, Clarity in the Classroom: Using Formative Assessment for Building Learning-Focused Relationships. You can find it in New Zealand hereor you can find a Canadian version here. You can also find it on Amazon.com or Amazon.ca. Check and make sure you are getting the version you want.

You can also download some interesting templates on his website. He has provided both the blank templates as well as some examples of the template in use. 

Enjoy the gifts!

All my best,

Anne

PS Registration for Canada in Conversation with the World has been busy. It is going to be so much fun!

More Gifts! John Gardner - International Delegate from UK

 We are so excited that registration for the Canadian Conference - Assessment for Learning: Canada in Conversation with The World begins today! 
I hope you can join us!

For each day of this month of gifts and gift giving, I am going to feature an International colleague who will be part of the Canadian conference in Fredericton, NB April 11 (eve) and April 12, 2014. John Gardner is a member of the UK team.

John Gardner: Assessment and Social Justice

John Gardner was a founding member of the Assessment Reform Group and helped prepare many of their amazing resources, which can be downloaded here. Currently he is a member of the United Kingdom team to the International Symposium and works in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England. One of the links he provides on his delegate page takes us to a paper he co-authored focused on Assessment and Social Justice. It examines the role assessment plays within a social justice context.

Another International Delegate - Dany is from Canada

Dany Laveault: University of Ottawa

Dany Laveault was selected for the first International Conference on Assessment hosted by Rick Stiggins in 2001. Since that time he has represented the Canadian perspective on assessment for learning at every International gathering including the one to be held in Fredericton, NB in April 2014. He, along with Ann Sherman, have been instrumental in preparing the application for a SSHRC grant. When you visit his delegate page you will find out more about him, as well as accessing his report to EQAO in Ontario, in French, as well as download a report on Early Reading Strategy (2003) for which he is a panel member. You can also watch an interview about his work and find out a little more about one of the Canadian team delegates to the International Symposium.