Continued learning about assessment techniques is an integral component of ongoing professional development. What I’m discovering is that all strategies for all subject areas are transferable. I’ve used EdPuzzles for my grade 5, 6, 7 and 8 classes, and now I’ve made one for a grade 11 media arts class. I’ve co-created rubrics and classes guidelines for my intermediate classes, and now I’ve created a unit plan that includes co-created rubrics and pledges for a grade 11 class. I see how similar it can be.
I've realized that I want my classroom to be a fully functional studio. I want it to be an inspirational and flexible space where my students have the opportunity to explore all aspects of the media arts field, helping them find their passion and their voice. My hope is that this environment will feel comfortable and safe, so they'll be willing to take chances and risks. That kind of atmosphere fosters a strong personal investment, and I’ve found that engaged students provide the most accessible opportunities for assessment. I just have to be prepared to assess a wide variety of mediums and messages. As long as I’ve prepared my students with clear expectations, I'll have created an atmosphere that not only allows for true personal expression, but also for some deeply connected assessments.
I noticed, as all other readers likely did, the connection of the ‘6Cs’ outlined in Fullan’s report to the learning skills from Growing Success that are reported on in report cards. I don’t think that it is a 1-to-1 connection, but all 6Cs can be seen in the learning skills and vice versa. The 6Cs are not documented by the Ontario Ministry of Education exactly as they are represented in Fullan’s article, but are instead known as Transferable Skills. These are closer to a 1-to-1 relationship with the 6Cs.
I’m experiencing a little bit of confusion while researching, because I’m finding that around 2017 there was a potential shift from the learning skills of the time [which are the same we see today] to using transferable skills as the headings for the learning skills. I may be misunderstanding this. There may have also been a shift around 2010, but again, I’m really struggling to find consistent information or samples.
Either way, the concentration of teaching and assessing students based on real-life, transferable and applicable skills is an undeniably good idea and obviously beneficial. Given the reports discussed in Fullan’s report, and the fact that they are so closely tied to the Transferable Skills and Learning Skills reported on in Ontario report cards, I wholeheartedly agree that they should be considered in all lesson planning, instruction and assessment.
Going forwards with the 6Cs, here are some ideas that I have about integrating them into my Media Arts course.
Character Education:
I think that developing integrity and empathy would be a very noticeable throughline in my classroom. Just to note, my group unit plan is about biases, stereotypes and audience manipulation in advertising. One of the lessons we created ends with the students co-creating a pledge, as creators, to ensure that content they produce always displays compassion, acceptance and inclusivity. Schoolwide PSAs would be a valuable assignment that would tie together the learning of media technology and techniques with ethical responsibility. Moreover, allowing students the opportunity to experiment with all available technologies and fostering that creative atmosphere provides the students with a venue to develop their perseverance.
Citizenship:
As this is quite connected to Character Education, I think the PSA idea works again here. But this is also an opportunity to discuss and engage in environmental stewardship. In previous discussions, we’ve talked about the degradation of media arts tools and technology and the carbon footprint left behind by many production companies. I’ve read a good deal about engaging in outdoor educational activities for math and science, but I think that this is another subject that would highly benefit from this concept. In my discussion post about Caroline Monnet, I revealed that many artists have developed Collectives, wherein a group of artists with a similar agenda create multimodal exhibits to spread awareness of environmental issues. I think this is a project that exemplifies global citizenship.
Collaboration:
Once again, to leap frog off of the last ‘C’, collaboration in a Media Arts class could be untravelled land. Artists tend to create independently, however, this is not the real-life experience, nor is the real-life experience for any profession. The ‘studio classroom’ is a wonderful opportunity to expose students to the true environment of a production company. Knowing your students is the best way to help guide them into the roles that they feel is the best fit. Providing them with a ‘studio classroom’ gives them the opportunity to explore different components within the field of Media Arts. In an article by Nicole Bourassa in LEARNing Landscapes, Bourassa discusses ‘The Classroom as a Studio’ and explains how the classroom can “become a home for rich learning both within and beyond the classroom walls. She observes that through the skills, work ethic, processes, and discipline inherent to the arts, students develop the competencies that transfer easily across disciplines.”(Bourassa)
Communication:
Media Arts is inherently about communication, but that doesn’t mean that they will become experts in communication inherently. Mastering technical skills to convey a message is one thing, but the nature of the message is what is important. I remember talking about how the story drives everything in an early discussion post. I likely reference Casey Neistat and link a video. This may be a different video, but it conveys the same message. It even addresses how, in the era of AI, storytelling is more important, and human, now than ever before:
Casey Neistat's SECRET to Filmmaking
A huge component of my course would be just that: Storytelling. There would definitely be a full unit on Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey’.
Creativity:
Once again, Media Arts is inherently creative. What I would concentrate on is helping my students find their voices. Open-ended questions and open-routed questions are a proven approach to nurture creative problem solving with unique approaches. This is another concept I’ve discovered in the realm of mathematics, but is again applicable in this field. A quick search in google for ‘Open-ended Media Arts Projects’ unveils a myriad of assignments that allow students to engage uniquely. Collaboration can play a big role here too, in that students are exposed to new ways of thinking and approaching problems through collective brainstorming. Creativity can lead students to new appreciations and open doors that were previously closed. To refer back to Bourassa, she talks about the multidisciplinary approach and tells the reader that, “In this way my classroom became a studio. In my English classes I have always used a variety of art forms to interpret works of literature…Once they are given the opportunity through the various art mediums, namely, music, drama, visual art, and dance, to make Shakespeare their own, student attitudes change completely. They discover a deep appreciation and ove for Shakespeare’s works.” (Bourassa)
Critical Thinking:
I would challenge students to critically analyze media that they consume and that they create along with their peers. In the media arts curriculum for grade 11 and 12, B1.1 through to B1.4 outline the critical analysis process. My unit plan group and I have thoroughly explored the critical analysis process, addressing their initial responses, analysis based on agenda and manipulation, algorithmic targeting, reimagining of create works through an ethical lens, and finally creating their own content with ethical responsibility in mind.
I believe that this approach is very ‘Student as a Global Citizen’ forward. It is an inquiry based, exploratory and open-ended pedagogy that would nourish unique and creative voices with an ethical agenda. I think that this would equip them with the technical proficiency to be able to tell a well thought out and effectively communicated story. I don’t think this is easy, and it looks good on paper, but the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.
I love this video. I think Jenny Hoyos was great in this 4 minute TED Talk. She explains how she creates short form content that reaches large audiences through expert storytelling...she's an expert.
Instead of questions about the content, I used the video as a guide for students and asked them open-ended questions that would result in them coming up with their own 60 second short. It is broken down into steps that are reflected in the questions.
Among others, this activity draws from The Creative Process section of grade 11 and 12 media arts, by constructing a story. It satisfies The Critical Analysis Process by breaking down a viral video with Jenny and what makes this video and delivery so effective.
I thought that this would be an interesting way to use edpuzzle that would provide me with some real responses that I could assess. The digital aspect of it gives me their responses immediately so I can see who may be struggling with some of the concepts of storytelling, and who may be ready to shoot their viral video.
The rapid pace of the creation actually sets students up to make mistakes, which is perfectly fine since this is the brainstorming process. That's actually a benefit because it allows us to look at some of the ideas and discuss how possible they would be in terms of location or budget, or more importantly, if they are ethically responsible ideas. Sometimes the first idea can be a little inappropriate. Learning to take time to reevaluate and consider all perspective is another opportunity for myself to give feedback.
Though simple, I think this video and activity provides some great assessment opportunities and very cool next steps.
https://edpuzzle.com/media/688a4365e2d0d3d73bde8549