Self-Assessment

Just presented at the BCAMT New Teachers’ Conference at Queen Elizabeth Secondary in Surrey on February 16, 2013. My presentation was titled, “Not Worth Marks, Not Worth Doing.” It was about Assessment for Learning and formative assessment. One of the big ideas is ongoing assessment. That is one thing that conference presenters are not privileged with. What I learned during this workshop presentation is that these new teachers were already in the know of formative assessment, making most of my presentation meaningless. That was a “teachable moment” and a humbling experience. Now what? On the fly, the purpose of my presentation changed. Although we had a discussion about quizzes and student motivation, my NEW message was to “persevere, make a difference, and BE BOLD.” I loved their enthusiasm and passion for student learning, engagement, and professional dialogue. This was exciting to me. In the end, I hope that these new teachers walked away with something new to consider. If anything, I was the learner. This group taught me so much about what they already know about assessment and what they want to achieve with their students. Thank you new teachers for giving me something new to consider. I will certainly rethink and revise my BCTF New Teachers’ Conference presentation on March 2nd in Richmond titled, “The Implementation Dip.” Thank you to Dawn Driver, the conference coordinator, and the BCAMT Executive for hosting this event to support new teachers and teacher candidates with excellence in math education. MATH MATTERS and I appreciate the work of the BCAMT.