Assessing the Aims of a Punahou Education in English I, Poetry/Drama

I am collaborating with fellow English I teachers Michelle Skinner, Dave Scrivner, and Mark Maretzki on a summer fellowship investigating the following:

• Identifying key Aims for focus, also 4-6 specific "competencies" within the larger areas of mastery defined by the Aims of a Punahou Education.  Currently, these are

Critical Thinking: This requires the willingness to take intellectual risks.

• Develop an understanding of and ability to explain how information (in this course such things as word choice, line breaks, metaphor, conventions, etc.) shapes one's understanding
• Delve into the underpinnings of one's own point of view and one's stances and explain those clearly
• Rationally assess one's own work and the work of others

Collaboration: Learning is not a solitary endeavor.

• Engage in thoughtful discussions that lead to discovery and insight; for example, you should leave a discussion with new thoughts and more ideas than you began

Persistence and Resilience: Growth comes from working thoughtfully.

• Consider and thoughtfully incorporate feedback from other sources
• Review one's own work and consider strengths and weaknesses as well as understand the process that led one to a certain point.

• Collecting a variety of English I Poetry/Drama student work that exemplifies/demonstrates mastery of our chosen Aims and associated competencies. 

• Creating effective and sustainable assessment and feedback tools that will enable students to focus on ongoing growth, progress, and mastery, rather than grades.