REPORT FORM THE FIELD |
A report from the field, based on a classroom project by Jennifer Tait, a level three, four and five LBS Instructor with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Objective: The completion of a final research report which interconnects various level three skill sets, aligns with a student's long term goal and is supported by computer technology. Outcomes-based assessment provides a challenge for literacy instructors. Although there are many creative ways to develop an outcomes approach to classroom activities, as a very visual instructor, I have developed a tracking tool that allows me to 'see' how I intend to weave many lessons together that ultimately complete an outcome that will support a student's long term goal. In this project, the final outcome for my level three class was to produce a research report using the Internet as the information source. Each report was to be three paragraphs in length and completed on a word processor. Many steps were involved in this process because the students had not used the Internet or a word processor prior to this activity. In addition, how to write and link paragraphs was all new. The entire process was twelve weeks in duration. In a condensed version, I compiled a list of skill sets, taken from the Ontario Learning Outcomes Matrix, that would be necessary in reaching the final outcome. From that I created a flow chart so the students could see all the skills inherently embedded in our final outcome. This chart, which I've included below, is organized by number to match the more detailed lists of the skill sets in the Ontario Learning Outcomes Matrix. This chart can also be used for conferencing by using colour codes to indicate success at the appropriate level, or areas that require further practice. I have found colour coding to be very successful. The students can easily understand that all of the skills that are highlighted in purple, for example, are excellent while all of the skills that are highlighted in yellow still need more work. This particular approach could be adapted to any outcome objective that requires a series of steps to complete. Level Three Skill Sets, taken from the Ontario learning Outcomes Matrix
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