Assessing 21st Century Literacies: Improvisation and Inquiry

• In Event: 77.040 - Literacy and Inquiry-Based Teaching

Abstract

This study explores ways that assessment to support 21st century learning and literacies might be redesigned in a literacy curriculum through narrative inquiry with teachers. Four junior elementary teachers participated over a five month period to use and redesign curriculum and assessment activities in an online literacy program in development. Multimodal methods of documenting these practices of curriculum making included recording videos, photos, notes, and conversations, which were then used as inquiry texts to interpret findings with teachers. This paper discusses the affordances for using narrative inquiry as a methodology to explore questions of classroom practice; and outlines findings on improvisation and inquiry in literacy assessment with implications for teacher education.

Authors

• Mary Ott, University of Western Ontario

• Kathryn M. Hibbert, University of Western Ontario