Submitted by Bernie Van Doninck
It’s onerous to consider that it’s been virtually six months because the CAFLN convention in Dartmouth and that there’s nonetheless a lot vitality right here because of this occasion. On a private observe I wish to prolong my deepest gratitude to everybody who attended. Equally so, I humbly thank the members of the CAFLN government for inviting me to be part of this nice group. As convention chair, I’m so grateful for having had the chance to see the convention to fruition – particularly since, as a result of circumstances past our management, it was virtually the conference-that-wasn’t! Nevertheless with persistence, flexibility, perseverance, and a dedicated planning committee, a terrific occasion got here to go. Whew!!
I nonetheless can’t cease speaking in regards to the keynote; it was merely excellent! However I might be lower than sincere if I didn’t say that the preliminary thought was greater than a little bit dangerous. The implementation needed to be good. If I’ll digress for a second, Mike Rutherford, previously of Genesis and Mike and the Mechanics, talks about “locale reminiscence” being one of many skills of the “Artisan Instructor”. Merely put it’s that innate potential, intentional and unintentional, of a instructor to maximise the usage of house to help the retention of studying. I point out this as a result of I can nonetheless bear in mind each element of the night time the keynote was born, over dinner at The Bicycle Thief restaurant, with important buddies, Geoff Cainen and Lorna Earl. I do know with certainty that someplace in a drawer in my home there’s nonetheless a serviette on which I wrote down notes and particulars.
Our objective was for example how a efficiency activity – on this case, a musical efficiency – can present essentially the most concrete instance of the specific follow/suggestions cycle that’s foundational to evaluation for studying. All too usually, I hear that efficiency evaluation can’t be replicated in tutorial topics. I couldn’t disagree extra. And so a name to motion at this yr’s convention was to ask delegates to use efficiency assessments to all topics. This started as a problem, issued to delegates by way of the keynote, to use all components of evaluation for studying to their very own, particular person contexts. The breakout classes prolonged this problem all through the day.
So what did we really witness through the distinctive “keynote” session? We witnessed a grasp instructor demonstrating each content material data and exemplary educational expertise; we witnessed the usage of clearly articulated studying targets and efficiency standards; we witnessed a instructor setting the very best of expectations for his college students; we witnessed these college students demonstrating important proof of their data and expertise; we witnessed the exemplary use of suggestions to enhance college students’ efficiency; and we witnessed a deep, respectful relationship between instructor and college students. And the outcome? Whole scholar engagement in studying, in addition to excessive ranges of feat.
The exemplary instructing demonstrated that morning in Dartmouth mirrored the fixed cycle of modelling, follow and suggestions. As CAfLN founding member Damian Cooper teaches us, “plan, train, assess” and repeat.