In my physics classroom, I don’t want learning to be about memorizing concepts – I want it to be about fostering curiosity, resilience and self-sufficiency. I want my students to think critically, embrace challenges and see mistakes as opportunities to grow. Over the last few years, I’ve shifted my teaching approach to reflect these values, moving away from traditional assessment models and toward portfolio-based assessment that invites my students to engage in deeper scientific thinking.

This change has allowed me to create a space where students can take ownership of their learning, reflect deeply on their progress and build confidence in their abilities. I want class to feel empowering, and I want learning to feel like a journey, not a series of disconnected tasks. It’s been amazing to see the transformation that has occurred for students as a result, and I want to share the changes that have made the biggest impact.

Ways To Shift Toward a More Empowering Classroom 

Portfolio-Based Assessment

A cornerstone of my shift has been co-constructing grades with my students. Together, we create a “What Does a Grade Look Like?” sheet, which provides clear guidelines for different grade ranges and puts students at the center of their own evaluation process. Through self-assessment, I encourage them to think critically about their learning journey – what they’ve accomplished, where they’ve struggled and how their portfolio reflects their growth.

Students compile weekly check-ins, reflections and corrections to create a body of work that demonstrates their growth over the semester. These portfolios are paired with two conferencing sessions – one at midterm and one at the end of the term – where we sit down together to discuss their progress and determine their grades collaboratively. 

The Skills Tracking Form below helps support this work. The top row lists the problem-solving skills I want students to focus on (in Manitoba we call them “Cluster 0” skills, but they’re more widely called “core competencies”), and they are what my students decided were the most important outcomes to focus on – problem-solving skills that are universal, not content outcomes. The next row is an exemplar for students that shows one thing they were happy with that week and one thing they want to work on for the next week. This is where I remind them that with 18 weeks in a course, there is lots of time to figure out how to become good problem solvers, and it doesn’t need to be overwhelming or artificial and happen all at once. There are checkboxes for completing that week’s CYU (Check Your Understanding) questions, corrections on that week’s check-in and reflections.

Exploration and Authentic Scientific Thinking

I believe science education should involve active engagement, not passive observation. For example, rather than lecturing for days before a lab, I let students dive in first, so they’re getting hands-on with their learning when they kick off a unit. This gives students a tangible experience to anchor their learning. Starting with a lab fosters a sense of discovery and pride that sets the tone of the learning. It gives students something real to look back on and analyze as we work through related problems.

Scaffolding for Independence

Throughout the course, there’s a heavy emphasis on collaboration. Students work together at whiteboards and in small groups to build their problem-solving skills and ability to collaborate. Over time, I scaffold activities to help students develop independence.

These Sample Student Assignments, often referred to as “Check Your Understanding” problems, illustrate how students can move on to more challenging assignments as they are ready. I organize questions into a solution sheet that prompts students to look deeply into only a few problems – a departure from the long lists of rote calculation that physics or math can be so notorious for.

Our weekly check-ins play a crucial role here: Each check-in includes a new problem that ties into previous lessons, challenging students to apply their skills in novel ways. While these check-ins are ungraded, I provide detailed feedback and encourage students to make corrections. This iterative process builds confidence and problem-solving abilities over time without the stress and pressure of formal assessment. 

Here’s an example of check-in, which I call a Show What You Can Do assessment. These are done individually, but I start with five minutes of no-writing table discussion. There is no grade, only specific written feedback on the front and generalized feedback on the single-point rubric on the back. You can see that the single-point rubrics on the back are for those Cluster 0 skills I mentioned earlier that revolve around the problem-solving process.

Navigating Challenges and Pushback

When implementing a new system, skepticism from some students and families is inevitable. I’ve found that early communication and transparency are key. After the first month of school, I send home a letter explaining the portfolio system and invite families to review their child’s work. By this point, students have usually experienced the benefits of the system and become its strongest advocates. They see their voice in the work we do and the way we co-construct the elements of our course together. Their enthusiasm often reassures families, who may initially feel uncertain about the nontraditional approach.

The Impact of a Student-Centered Approach

The impact of this change has been remarkable. I’ve noticed that students seem less anxious in my classroom. Students say often that they’ve never taken a course where they learned so much but felt so relaxed. I’ve come to believe that this is how learning should feel. How do we expect students to take in information and apply new learning if they’re stressed to the max? How are they going to synthesize it? How are they going to apply it in different situations if their brain is flooded with chemicals that aren’t conducive to deep thinking? 

I’ve also seen the types of students accessing the material expand beyond a subset of high-achieving students. Enrollment in physics has tripled, and students with a range of backgrounds now feel empowered to try it. 

I have, at times, found myself curious about whether the learning in my classroom would prepare students for the types of more traditional exams I used to give. Once, I pulled out a “final exam” I used to administer years ago, before making these changes, and gave it to my current students. My current students come from more varied academic and socioeconomic backgrounds and have learned physics using a more collaborative, student-centered learning method than my previous students, and they still performed better than my previous classes on this more traditional-style exam.

This work hasn’t been without challenges. Early in my journey, I faced pushback and even considered returning to traditional methods. However, the successes of my students were so rewarding that they reminded me why I started down this path. Today, my goal remains the same: to prepare students for life beyond the classroom. If, by grade 12, my students no longer need me, I know I’ve done my job. Watching them grow into confident, curious thinkers is the ultimate reminder of my “why.”