A memorable lesson

On Friday, March 12 we had a memorable speaker. Dr. Sharon Friesen came to talk to us about what inquiry looks like in the classroom. She discussed how to plan for inquiry in the classroom, and indicated that Alberta Education is pushing for inquiry in all programs of study. Upon discovering that she not only used to teach high school, but also had access to the Minister for Education, I had to pose the following question:
"How does the Minister for Education see the future of an inquiry based curriculum in conjunction with grade 12 diploma exams?"
Dr. Friesen had some pretty good responses to that. First of all, she described the vision for changing the way our grade 12 students are evaluated at the end of a course. She indicated that the province is entertaining the idea of developing assessment that is more holistic than just multiple choice testing. Of course, this might be expensive. Dr. Friesen indicated that the best way to make these funds available would be to reduce provincial achievement tests in grades 3, 6, and 9 to their intended purpose, a snapshot. It would then not be required to test every child, and money would become available.
Dr. Friesen provided some very practical, sensible help for negotiating inquiry within the context of the current system of diploma exams in Alberta. Her technique was based on her own personal experiences as a high school teacher, and it seems like something that all of us who hope to teach high school can take with us. She said don't ignore diploma exams, but don't fret either. Teach the course through inquiry, but reserve three weeks at the end of the year to prepare for the diploma exam. Have the students analyze the curriculum and map it. They can make sure that all the big topics have been covered by their work that semester. Teach the students about the way multiple choice tests are constructed. Explain the different types of questions, and what they are assessing. Explain how the answers are generated, and what each answer is trying to do. Then have students construct multiple choice questions on the curriculum topics. Discuss the answers, and why they are correct or incorrect. Have students trade student-made exams and try them. This way, students are not only deeply knowledgeable in the curriculum, but also have an excellent understanding of how to write multiple choice exams.
This information may just help some of us, as new teachers, take the leap into inquiry at the grade 12 level.