Thursday, January 8, 2015

Fwd: Annual Conference Keynotes - Kim Campbell and Rick Wormeli



-- Gary Ackerman, Ph.D.


Begin forwarded message:

From: nelms@nelms.org
Date: January 8, 2015 at 8:58:54 AM EST
To: "Dr. Gary L. Ackerman" <gary@hackscience.net>
Subject: Annual Conference Keynotes - Kim Campbell and Rick Wormeli
Reply-To: NELMS <nelms@nelms.org>

January 8, 2015 Blast E-mail
nelms logo

What's planned for the Annual Conference?
Kim Campbell and Rick Wormeli are the keynote speakers

March 24 & 25, 2015
RI Convention Center
Providence, RI

Thinking of coming to the conference and wondering what will be offered? Kim Campbell and Rick Wormeli will give the keynotes and speak at the ticketed luncheons.
Click here to see a YouTube video of Kim Campbell in action: Motivating the Middle!

Click here to see a YouTube video of Rick Wormeli on Standards Based Grading and Assessment.

Remember early registration only goes until March 5 so register soon to reserve your place.
For more information please click here.

Hope to see you there.

 

Save the Date!
Scholar Leader Awards 2015

Click here for more information about this very popular program.

 

NELMS Middle Level Scheduling Workshops

ARE YOU�
Challenged by your schedule?
Looking for ways to create a schedule that "works" for your particular school?
Then NELMS Scheduling Workshops are designed for you!

Attend this workshop to:
gain information about components of a middle school schedule
look at a variety of schedule types
think about the pluses and minuses of your current schedule
take time to identify your school's non-negotiables
identify priorities
share challenges and solutions with colleagues
begin the work of revitalizing your schedule

January 23, 2015�Medomak Middle School, Waldoboro, ME

February 6, 2015�Essex Middle School, Essex Junction, VT

April 9, 2015�East Lyme Middle School, Niantic, CT
For more information about these workshops and/or to register please click here.

 

scan of wizardNELMS Branded Clothing

For the Annual Conference this year the NELMS theme was "Magic in the Middle". Now you can own a bit of 'magic' with the purchase of a tee shirt, polo shirt, or fleece jacket with "Magic in the Middle" sewn on.
Click here to go to the NELMS bookstore and check out the styles.

 

 

 

34th Annual Conference
Providence, RI
March 23 & 24, 2015
To learn more
click here

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Net Atlantic

Thursday, January 1, 2015

On assessment


Michael B. Horn, who is associated with the Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation posted this blog entry focusing on testing:


I finally found time to compose my response:


When faced with a malfunctioning system that comprises Cisco devices, I would be grateful for the assistance of one who had passed Cisco’s assessments. I am convinced he or she would have the expertise needed to solve the problems.

I am equally convinced that there are many jobs that require skills and knowledge that cannot be measured in a meaningful way with tests such as I understand are included in the Cisco Networking Academy assessments.

As an educator, I encounter more “wicked” problems than I do tame problems. The wicked problems I encounter are complex and arise from many interconnect and frequently contradictory (and often unknown) causes. If the causes are identified, they are likely to change before a solution can be identified; and in many cases, there is no consensus surrounding the causes (or even existence of the problem) and different people judge the solution differently.

My children are now adults (one has begun his career in management, the other is finishing his undergraduate studies and working and interning in his field of study), and I talk with them about the problems they encounter in their professional lives.  Their experiences confirm my own: The information we can test is a minor part of the knowledge and skill they need and use daily.


It is impossible to quantify with in a valid and reliable manner to what extent testable skills are necessary in work, and of course the answer depends on the nature of the job. I do know that flexibility to manage and solve wicked problems is a common demand placed on my children and me in our professional lives. I hope we keep that in mind as we define what it means to be educated and how we figure out who is educated. If I had to predict, I think we (and our students and their future employers) would be disappointed of we rely solely on Cisco’s model.