As part of the Faculty/Staff Forum peer-to-peer professional development, I offered #LL2LU as a session. Shelley Paul (@lottascales) co-facilitated this session for our teacher-learners.

We set a lofty goal.  In the hour, we wanted everyone to write a learning progression and complete a feedback loop.

Here’s the learning plan:

I was not completely sure we could accomplish the challenge, but it was worth a try.  We started with my 4 minute Ignite talk on SBG and the additional layer Leading Learners to Level Up adds.

Experiencing a leveled assessment always feels a little uncomfortable to a teacher.  I was worried, but Shelley encouraged me to persist. Feedback indicates that it was a good choice.

It was good to actually practice this method– how it feels to both TAKE a leveled assessment and CREATE the levels.

It was exactly what I needed. I have noticed that my kids have a hard time asking for help or knowing when they need help. Having “I can” statements will help them know where they are and where they need to go.

It was a great exercise in thinking about the proficiency levels and where we would like all students to be with a given skill. Practicing how to work backwards was important to see how to break down the skill. I also liked the idea of not having “grades” but levels and how that empowers students to learn to ask question.

It helps for me to have time to think & do. Evaluate & synthesize. It also really helps to have you there for guidance & advice.

It was exactly what I needed. I have noticed that my kids have a hard time asking for help or knowing when they need help. Having “I can” statements will help them know where they are and where they need to go.

Samples of the learning progressions generated during this hour are show below.  For the first time, I have seen a visual leveled learning progression for non-readers. Yay! Chari Nickerson (@charinickerson) sketched the four levels for Kindergarten for the life cycle of a plant and included I can… statements for reference.

One hour goes by really fast when you are engaged in the work and learning. We did not have time to convert these learning progressions into formative assessments, but we did complete the first feedback loop.  Just offering and receiving feedback deepens understanding and motivates revision.

What if we used this type of plan with our student-learners? What if we offered a challenge and a feedback loop? What might be learned if learners review the work of others? What feedback might they offer and receive?