Inspiration

Picturing Writing is a literacy program that uses student-created watercolour paintings as the inspiration behind enhancing and developing writing skills. It encourages students to move away from common and overused noun-verb-focused sentences to rich descriptions that stimulate imagination and foster self-expression. Meanwhile, the structured writing process provides flexible scaffolding for students of all abilities and needs. I received training on the poetry and story-writing programs twice while teaching in Nunavut and have merged the techniques with units in science (e.g. weather), social studies (e.g. ancient civilizations) and health (e.g. growth and development). It continues to be a valuable tool in my literacy tool kit. 

Sandra Herbst's keynote address and workshop at the territorial-wide teacher's conference in 2012 significantly impacted my understanding of the phrase "Assessment for Learning." Her presentation highlighted how a continuum-based approach using authentic writing exemplars from within the school can engage students through mindful scaffolding, personalized goal setting, self-assessment and documentation. In other words, the focus moves from teacher-controlled to student-empowered assessment. Though I have not yet been able to engage in the school-wide methods (e.g. collaborating with colleagues to develop a school-create continuum), I have found the other techniques extremely successful with a wide range of primary and junior students, many with additional needs (E.g. ESL, ADHD and Autism etc.). This professional development led to my foundations for how I view and incorporate the importance of student engagement in the assessment process, regardless of the subject. 

I attended a workshop and week-long mentorship guided by Phyllis Engram in 2011 on PWIM. This set of techniques was created by Emily Calhoun, and they focus on teaching students to be observant when reading. It starts with authentic pictures of the topic the class will be learning in other subjects and the opportunity for students to "shake out" what they see in the picture. Students of all language abilities can contribute equally and learn from each other. The collected words also become the scaffolded vocabulary used in general decoding, targeted skill and vocabulary-developing activities. This technique is like comfy clothing in its simplicity but effectiveness. It is one of the first processes I introduced to the students at the beginning of the school year.