Theresa Lewis

Principal
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary, Alberta

Theresa Lewis is a principal with the Calgary Board of Education with more than 30 years experience as a teacher, school administrator, and system consultant. Prior to working in public education, she studied, taught, and performed violin, piano, dramatic arts, and dance. Informed by her extensive background in classical performing arts and by her undergraduate socio-cultural studies at Simon Fraser University, Theresa brings a passion and devotion to learner-centred education deeply rooted in the frameworks of aesthetic education, generative curriculum, and multiliteracies. She holds degrees in multidisciplinary studies (Sociology, Political Science, and Anthropology), Education (Curriculum and Instruction), and Educational Administration.

  Assessment is an important part of my work because….

Whether initiated by curiosity, inspiration, discovery, provocation, intention, or by surprise, children and their teachers stimulate learning. Implicit in learning processes are such intellectual engagements as observation, reflection, documentation, experimentation, interpretation, and representation. Assessment is central to making explicit to oneself and others the next steps on the learning journey. A collaborative focus at our school involves the celebration of mutliliteracies. A major aspect of my role as pedagogical leader is to design with students, staff, and parents, learning conversations, observations, and artifacts that enrich the learning lives of children at school. Located in a community that speaks 42 heritage languages including English, 575 students and 45 staff come each day to learn. My task to is to gather evidence that points not only to improved achievement and performance but also to growth in attitudes and dispositions.

  The current assessment focus of my work is:

• documentation of language and learning contexts for the multilingual learner
• student self-assessment, goal-setting, and reflection
• nested systems of professional learning and inquiry/li>

  You can find out more about assessment in my jurisdiction here:

Alberta Education Ministerial Learning Order:
• http://education.alberta.ca/department/policy/standards/goals.aspx
Alberta Education Inspiring Education:
• http://education.alberta.ca/media/7145083/inspiring%20education%20steering%20committee%20report.pdf
Alberta Education Curriculum Redesign:
• http://education.alberta.ca/department/ipr/curriculum/curriculum-development-prototyping.aspx
Calgary Board of Education Assessment and Reporting:
• http://www.cbe.ab.ca/Parents/assessment-and-reporting/overview.asp
Generative curriculum, student engagement, interdisciplinary curriculum design:
• http://galileo.org/
Pedagogical Documentation:
• http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_Pedagogical.pdf

• http://pedagogicaldocumentationconnections.blogspot.ca