So, what is inquiry and why do we do it? According to Ross Todd, the intent of inquiry is to "foster creativity, [and] knowledge creation" and "to foster the intellectual, social and cultural growth of our young people". Inquiry then, should be a collaborative process, where students are working to develop their social skills as well as developing intellectual growth. To insure inquiry fosters creativity, it should be student led and open to a variety of options; however, from my experiences with collaborative inquiry, most classroom teachers have decided upon the topic as well as the summative assessment piece. As a result, the opportunities for creativity and critical thinking are naturally limited. Todd allowed me to come to the understanding that inquiry, in its truest meaning, should be an opportunity for student choice and personal growth, rather than a teacher-guided process.
In Marlene Asselin and Ray Doiron’s meta-study, they say that by engaging in inquiry, students should realized that they are "active creators of the world". This was such a powerful statement that really resonates with me. To inquire, is to give students the chance to understand their world, and show that understanding in their own unique way. Thinking about students being active creators of the world, led me to reflect upon the inquiry opportunities I have had with students. Yes it was collaborative in nature, digital literacy skills were developed, and knowledge was created; however, I know see that the opportunities were largely teacher-centred as well as limiting to creativity.
When thinking about assessing an inquiry project, I think of self-assessment, teacher-student conferences, and peer conferences. This week I learned about Single Point Rubrics. What a great way to bring meaning and clarity to summative assessment. In the past, I have relied on multiple point rubrics, spending many hours determining how a student could do poorly on an assignment.
Single Point Rubrics eliminate the option for not meeting expectations, but leave a space for personalized feedback where a student may not be proficient. An a-ha moment for me came from Fluckiger's article: "Students need to be taught how to self assess – where am I, where am I going how can I get there". This may seem like an obvious idea, but it made me realize that I am not spending enough time with my students really helping them to understand what it is to self-assess and why it is so important to their learning process. Single Point Rubrics seem to be conducive to self assessment. I found this excellent video clip that demonstrates students who truly understand peer and self assessment. The website is called Snapshots of Effective Teaching Practice. If you're interested you can look at some literacy lessons where students are demonstrating reflective meta-cognitive assessment of their peer's and their own work.
According to Jennifer Gonzalez, Single Point Rubrics are precise and personal, for the teacher and the student. I would definitely consider using the Single Point Rubric to assess inquiry projects, especially because it doesn't spell out what exceeding expectations is, and therefore it promotes inventiveness and creativity.
In the article Nudging toward inquiry: Summative Assessment by Kristin Fontichiaro, Fontichiaro talks about using the Single Point Rubric in the Learning Commons, as a way to summatively assess. Below is a venn diagram I found that helps me to conceptualize formative and summative assessment. I found the idea of doing assessment in the learning commons interesting, as I find time a huge challenge in completing an activity let alone assessing it. Lack of time has been a continual challenge for me in the Learning Commons; coupled with a rigid schedule, these obstacles are areas in which I would like to begin finding solutions, especially to promote a more inquiry based Learning Commons.
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