I am sure you have seen the articles reporting that Finland is going to do away with subjects and move to topics instead. (Just in case you missed it, here is one version.)
Each time I saw something about it, I had the same thought: “sounds a lot like what we are already doing with the PYP, MYP, Common Ground Framework and other systems both new and old.” Finally I had enough when Brian Lockwood retweeted Kate Quinn’s tweet about project based learning.
Project based learning is going to be one of the game changers of education, facilitating real world skill development #ciglobal — Kate Rodgers (Quinn) (@katequinn) March 23, 2015
I first heard about project based learning while in teachers college in the mid-nineties but I was pretty sure it had been around longer than that, confirmed by a quick Google search:
@katequinn @BrianLockwood Project based learning has been around since the Ancient Greeks. http://t.co/ax3dqayaZn — Megan Graff (@megangraff) March 23, 2015
I added:
@katequinn @BrianLockwood The flurry over the news in Finland strikes me as odd when that’s what we are already doing with PYP, MYP etc — Megan Graff (@megangraff) March 23, 2015
Brian mentioned report cards:
@megangraff @katequinn are we sure, I still see seperate sections for the different subjects in semester reports — Brian Lockwood (@BrianLockwood) March 23, 2015
At which point Sam chimed in:
@BrianLockwood @megangraff @katequinn I think we are trying to… — Sam Sherratt (@sherrattsam) March 23, 2015
So Brian brought Tosca in:
@sherrattsam btw have you chatted with @ToscaKilloran on reporting @megangraff — Brian Lockwood (@BrianLockwood) March 23, 2015
Cary joined:
@ToscaKilloran @sherrattsam @BrianLockwood @megangraff @NISTSchool I would love to be apart of this discussion. — Cary Hart (@caryghart) March 23, 2015
and then Marina and Sonya:
@sherrattsam @ToscaKilloran @BrianLockwood @megangraff @NISTSchool I’m itching to have a look at these! — Marina Gijzen (@marinagijzen) March 23, 2015
@marinagijzen @sherrattsam @ToscaKilloran @BrianLockwood @megangraff @NISTSchool Me too! — Sonya terBorg (@terSonya) March 23, 2015
And Tania:
@marinagijzen @sherrattsam @ToscaKilloran @BrianLockwood @megangraff @NISTSchool Managebac allow us to give parents & S fdback in realtime — Tania Mansfield (@hktans) March 23, 2015
And Stephanie:
@hktans @marinagijzen @sherrattsam @ToscaKilloran @BrianLockwood @megangraff @NISTSchool following with interest. — Stephanie (@traintheteacher) March 23, 2015
Tosca created a Google form to choose a way to continue the conversation*:
@BrianLockwood @MrBeddows @megangraff @sherrattsam @terSonya @marinagijzen Trythis http://t.co/dWvNZlR7a3 #rethinkreports #pypchat Any1else? — Tosca Killoran (@ToscaKilloran) March 23, 2015
Which she followed up with a Google doc:
@megangraff @mr_hey_j @KlahnAmanda @mrbeddows @brianthebfd @jdotwdot @katie11hunter http://t.co/T5iW2744sP — Tosca Killoran (@ToscaKilloran) March 24, 2015
And that’s how you get from a frustrated reply to a retweet to a global conversation about rethinking report cards!
*This came about because the initial suggestion was a Facebook page to which Sonya and I replied that FB is blocked at our schools. Along the way Brian and I had a laugh about what to do with our teachers who are scared of Facebook (and tech in general): Send them to China!
@megangraff @terSonya maybe those IT Directors could swap with me, government does the blocking for free here — Brian Lockwood (@BrianLockwood) March 23, 2015
I explained the problem is not with my IT director, tech integrators or teacher-librarians but with some teachers who are scared of tech. I spoke to the IT director this afternoon and he got a good laugh out of the idea we should send them to China!
Hi Megan
Always welcome in China. Yes tech can be frustrating – but we have all become great problem solvers and have learnt how to navigate our ways around things. Crash course in VPNs needed, and on how to share, collaborate and even search for information….the mutual frustration and understanding that we all face actually brings us together – the no-FB community.
Want to giggle? Watch any China flight as it arrives anywhere else in the world. Our devices go mad with updates and messages sent ( but not received) from times before. We are like kids in a lolly shop! I know I get so excited about having twitter at my fingertips !! Sad, but true – and it brings the kid out in me!!
Hi Tania,
Thanks for the comment but you do not want me to send the teachers in question to your school! 🙂
The unfortunate thing Megan is that I was not talking about Finland whatsoever, nor was I concerned about report cards. I am glad that your reply to my tweet brought about a global conversation on report cards, but that is not my area of concern or interest whatsoever.
The context of my tweet was a conference presentation I was listening to, and the work that I do as a project manager building software for projects to be done online in an educational context. That is game-changing, as learning management systems have been walled gardens for download-and-digest information for years and it’s a common complaint amongst educators, educational technologists and students. What I seek to create foster are collaborative learning spaces. My interest with the user experience, technology, building software, and I am a project management geek. I have no idea what you meant in regards to reports, don’t know what PYP/MYP is and had to look up the news to find out what any of it had to do with Finland. So, I felt at the time and now stumbling upon this post, that my original tweet was taken completely out of context (in face it should have been project based learning *systems). Again, I’m pleased it opened up a conversation for you and your global colleagues; I guess I can meekly provide a ‘yay’ for instigating it. But do be clear that it had nothing to do with Finland, report cards, nor was it posted in ignorance of the history of education.
Drats, my spelling is right off today!
“create AND foster”
“interest IS with the user experience”
“in FACT it should have” instead of face…
Oh and I am not upset or anything, just wanting to, err… clear my name perhaps, given my humble tweet was the instigator for you having had enough when you saw Brian’s re-tweet.