tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post4543409864881071109..comments2024-03-15T03:38:22.132-06:00Comments on Real teaching means real learning: What a DA clasroom looks likeDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13790571271386459698noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-69041320446826409092011-10-16T09:08:19.437-06:002011-10-16T09:08:19.437-06:00After all the banter back and forth, I have one fi...After all the banter back and forth, I have one final question...Dave, how do you come up with a final grade? Is this exam graded? If that is the case, how do you assign a grade to a student who had the top student in the class "help" them out? Let's be honest, if the assessment is graded then copying the solution from some else isn't very authentic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-58362692092380223132011-10-11T11:43:01.007-06:002011-10-11T11:43:01.007-06:00Sorry Sarah for taking so long to get back to you....Sorry Sarah for taking so long to get back to you. Yes my students take the AP exam at the end of the year, and I appreciate your question about my pass rate. Before I answer that here are some thoughts:<br /><br />I do believe we should stay away from judging success of the teacher based on a standardized exam mark. Remeber ANY exam you give to a student will consist of ONLY a subset of the information you have taught them. There is no way the AP exam can test everything, and consequently we should not use the AP marks as the SOLE indicator of whether or not learning has occurred.<br /><br />I encourage you to check out my post on Learning vs. Achievement. <br /><br />http://realteachingmeansreallearning.blogspot.com/2011/01/learning-first-ranking-second.html<br /><br />Now to answer your question, my students did fine on the AP exam. I had a class average of 4.7, as well as my marks on our Provincial exam(in another course) were higher than provincial average.<br /><br />I do not tell you this information as justification to what I do, but instead I ask my students and my justification comes from their comments such as "I have learned this".Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790571271386459698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-36019151483955893982011-09-23T21:47:28.502-06:002011-09-23T21:47:28.502-06:00A teacher friend recommended me to this blog and I...A teacher friend recommended me to this blog and I found this and the previous post thought provoking. However - do your students take either AP Calculus exam at the end of your term? If so, what is your pass rate?<br /><br />If you are not preparing students take an AP exam, then what are the goals of your students? Is there some other class that requires Calculus as a pre-req? In which case, how do you ensure that your students have mastered the requisite skills to advance when they are permitted to delay mastery of a skill when their workload is high?<br /><br />I like the idea of some assessments being used as a learning tool, but aren't many tests meant to certify whether a student has mastered a skill or understood a concept sufficiently to advance?Sarahnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-64905558685782367562011-09-22T20:58:37.978-06:002011-09-22T20:58:37.978-06:00Great post Dave! Learning is a process, not a des...Great post Dave! Learning is a process, not a destination. Your approach to assessment is a direct reflection of this.<br /><br />The problem with traditional assessment is that it neglects it's own intended purpose. We have become so focused on assessment as a means of giving a grade that we've forgotten the purpose of assessment is to ensure that learning is taking place. The purpose of assessment should be to drive instruction in such a way that ALL students are learning and growing academically. <br /><br />Students benefit much more from the type of immediate feedback you're giving than from a letter grade that means nothing to them. I totally agree with your assessment about motivation! When a student receives a paper with a low grade, they are not automatically motivated to figure out where they are lacking in understanding. Conversely, when students receive specific, immediate feedback, they tend to become more interested in the learning process.<br /><br />In addition, you're not letting students "off the hook". You are holding them accountable for their learning by requiring that they complete the assessment even if it means coming in on their own time. This process allows ALL students the opportunity to get additional help if needed. <br /><br />Thanks for sharing how you are leading your students to success!Kristi Grandehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01484577784454814361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-19314036725842511852011-09-22T00:27:53.065-06:002011-09-22T00:27:53.065-06:00This post has intrigued me greatly! I would love ...This post has intrigued me greatly! I would love to see one of your "exams". Thanks for the thoughtful teaching and assessing.Tiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12895054735882668074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-47606298277462758562011-09-20T18:50:18.908-06:002011-09-20T18:50:18.908-06:00Dave said...
"Is this True Robert?? If YOUR ...Dave said...<br /><br />"Is this True Robert?? If YOUR own son/daughter was being compared to other students in the class, and their assessment was based on the results of these other classmates, would you be ok with this?"<br /><br />Yes it is true. That is how the world works. Where is this world where adults do not compete for a livelihood? What are you preparing your students for exactly?<br /><br />"Do we really need some students to fail such that others can feel success?"<br /><br />No, we do not "need" this, in fact we don't even want it, but again, this is the reality we have. Making grand statements that ignore reality is pointless, and not having assessments doesn't make that reality go away.<br /><br />And my real questions were, if what you promote is authentic learning then what was it that I and all my peers and associates partook of? Non authentic learning? And how can you say something is "authenticate" yet not "assessed"?<br /><br />Your theory of learning, any theory of learning, must be reconcilable with all past theory and success. Einstein didn't refute Newton. Apples didn't all of a sudden start falling up. He extended Newton. You on the other hand seem to be more interested in refuting traditional education and its whole purpose rather than extending it, for social reasons more than pedagogical ones I suppose.<br /><br />Bob HansenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-25129516204446719222011-09-20T11:17:56.415-06:002011-09-20T11:17:56.415-06:00@Robert...."I think in the end we are interes...@Robert...."I think in the end we are interested in what a student can do on their own, compared to other students.."<br /><br />Is this True Robert?? If YOUR own son/daughter was being compared to other students in the class, and their assessment was based on the results of these other classmates, would you be ok with this? Do we really need some students to fail such that others can feel success?<br /><br />I would argue that if every student is required to do the same work, the same way, and arrive at the same answer this is NOT authentic at all. In fact I would go as far as saying this could be seen as standardized learning.<br /><br />You talk as competition is a motivator, and for SOME it may be but remember public education should be for EVERYONE. <br /><br />I do not want to teach my class in a vacuum but instead increase the learning of each and every student any way possible.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790571271386459698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-47137710410249317102011-09-20T11:09:50.602-06:002011-09-20T11:09:50.602-06:00Dave, when you say "authentic" learning ...Dave, when you say "authentic" learning you seem to imply that the other classes, like those we attended, involved non-authentic learning. And how can you use "authentic" and "not assessed" in the same sentence? I think in the end we are interested in what a student can do on their own, compared to other students. That is the reality of life, whether it is math, literature or art. Why do you see this as something to avoid, to fashion a pedagogy in something of a vacuum devoid of competition?<br /><br />Robert HansenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com