I think that every educator has heard the following, “I didn’t do well on this assessment because I have test anxiety.” The fact that every teacher has heard this should be a red flag. Certainly, a bit of test anxiety is healthy—I mean you have to be motivated enough to study. The problem is when test anxiety results in diminished performance. Not only is this stressful and demoralizing, but it also creates inaccurate results. We need to do assessment better. 

Assessment should be less like judgement day and more like growth events. And this is where Aaron Cook, the Director of Secondary Curriculum and Assessment at the Delaware City Schools in suburban Columbus, makes a dramatic appearance. Aaron is an assessment savant. In this episode, he’ll promote assessing the whole child. My wife and I strive to eat a whole foods diet. We feel a lot better when we’re not scarfing down all of those preservatives that we can’t pronounce. A whole child approach to assessment will be just as healthy. Not only will Aaron’s ideas inspire you to empower your students through assessment, but he’ll also guide you to creating much more accurate probes.  

Episode Template

The Problem:

Contemporary assessment produces anxiety in students which can lead to inaccuracies. 

The Solution:

Take a more holistic approach to assessment. 

What you can do Tomorrow:

• Consider using a multidimensional approach to assessment for your next assessment event. 
• Consider helping to facilitate an outstanding classroom culture through the use of restorative circles.
• Check out the book Late Bloomers. 

Create a positive assessment culture that inspires growth.  

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I went to grade school in a small town. Our school was right on Main Street in the town center. A few of my most vivid memories were the brief class excursions into town. On various days, we visited the post office, the dairy, the glass blower, and the bakery. I had no aspirations to be a postman, a dairy farmer, a glass blower, or a baker. Regardless, I loved these field trips. It got us out of the stale classroom. It unveiled to us how products that we regularly consumed were produced and distributed. I loved these experiences and my classmates did too. We’d cheer every time a new scenic detour was announced. Those experiences happened 50 years ago. 

And here, dear listener, is where Brent and Molly Watson make their dramatic appearance. Brent and Molly have created the Garden Learning Lab. It’s an awesome community resource. It’s exciting and humbling to think that in the year 2071, some old-timer will be waxing eloquently about the trip they made to the Garden Learning Lab all the way back in 2021.

Brent and Molly’s Learning Lab Website

Episode Template:

The Problem:

Kids are too isolated in the classroom.

The Solution:

Inspire a local resident, or business person to create a learning experience for your students. 

What you can do Tomorrow: 

• Study your curriculum for outside learning opportunities.
• Check with your administration about the feasibility and logistics of taking a class excursion.
• Recruit a local to host your class and help create this experience.

And finally, if you feel moved to donate to the Watson’s Garden Learning Lab, visit this Kickstarter site. 

Creating a community learning opportunity for your students could inspire a future calling and create a vivid enduring memory. 

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