Why am I writing this personal entry? Well, it is not an attempt to gain any sympathy. It attempts to show what is possible if a clear intention and goal serve the learner's needs. In May of 2022 just near the end of another fantastic school year, I do not remember what happened. But, I was unable to finish the school year and was unable to teach the following year. Why? On May 21st, 2022, I fell down a flight of 16 stairs (luckily carpeted) from the 2nd to 1st story of our home. I was found at the bottom of the stairs. I was found foaming at the mouth. This would lead to a 2-month hospital stay which included an induced coma because my seizures would not stop, several rounds of lumbar punctures, and relearning basic physical movements like something as simple as being able to roll in the hospital bed. Simply put, when I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed as being “critically ill.” Please take a moment and read those words: critically ill. They are not terms...
It’s nearing the end of term 3 here and I have a little time for reflection. As a part of their final exam, students are working on their digital portfolio for my class. As I reevaluate everything that I am doing, I am struggling with the “why” and “so what of ” of the portfolios. So it’s time to revisit the why of the portfolio in my class and let that inform what the function of it in my course. Currently in my class, the portfolio has become a vehicle for students to catalog and present summative assessments. Each page is categorized by objective. On a given page, students state the unit objectives and embed their summative assessment. In addition, they provide reflective feedback on the unit in terms of what helped their learning and didn't help their learning. The portfolio has become a place for these student artifacts to be curated and organized based on learning objective. The fact that it’s organized by learning objective p...