tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post928016010676691839..comments2024-03-15T03:38:22.132-06:00Comments on Real teaching means real learning: Cheating or CollaborationDavehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13790571271386459698noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-4118811210873806332011-03-29T08:48:55.996-06:002011-03-29T08:48:55.996-06:00I firmly believe in the value of application of a ...I firmly believe in the value of application of a concept being the best way to test for understanding. Instead of multiple choice answers, or simply writing an answer to an explicit question, testing can contain a whole string of related functions or concepts to be tthought through by each student individually or as a team. The outcome or solution to the situation would be evaluated not only by the answer, but by the process the group or the individual student used to arrive at the outcome.Benjaminhttp://www.keystonespecialties.com/treasuredscenes/school-fundraisingnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-57523871472667995432011-03-28T13:36:02.502-06:002011-03-28T13:36:02.502-06:00Highly prescribed, content-bloated curriculums are...Highly prescribed, content-bloated curriculums are the 500 lbs elephants sitting before us. As long as we ask kids to learn stuff at a break neck speed that denies them the opportunity to learn in a context and for a purpose, teachers will continue to be frustrated over how to artificially induce student engagement.<br /><br />The Government of Alberta is currently re-evaluating the curriculum in an effort to reduce the number of curriculum outcomes. This is an acknowledgment by the Government that there is simply too much curriculum - Alberta Education and Inspiring Action sells this as an attempt to trade breadth for depth. <br /><br />If the Government is prepared to acknowledge the system needs to change, teachers, parents and students should embrace this as an opportunity to both innovate and improve school. Lord knows we're due for a renovation!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15047405950514440042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-13851364284804902952011-03-28T12:25:05.017-06:002011-03-28T12:25:05.017-06:00I am not saying teachers who use tests are not gre...I am not saying teachers who use tests are not great teachers at all. However, we need to understand that even on a multiple choice test, you are truly not "assessing" the students. <br /> <br />What I am meaning, today, is that using the argument "You don't know what the student really knows", can also be applied to an exam mark. <br /><br />For the students who just let the group work on it and sits back and relaxes, I would argue you didn’t give a task suitable for that student. We need to start giving problems to students, where the student actually wants to know the answer, and how to solve it.<br /><br />Projects need to be more open-ended, and actually allow autonomous answers. If every group needs to arrive at the same number as the answer, then the project has failed to be open-ended and autonomous. This is where most projects fail.<br /><br />I am not saying this can be done with EVERY outcome in a course, but I believe we should be moving more towards this, whenever possible. In their future jobs and lives, are they going to be answering multiple choice exams or will they be solving problems presented to them, where they need to discover a way to solve it?Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13790571271386459698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-61011003813171520352011-03-28T10:48:27.317-06:002011-03-28T10:48:27.317-06:00Collaborating or group work was introduced in our ...Collaborating or group work was introduced in our South African schools and has not been successful as far as I know. Most of the time one or two students from the group land up doing all the work, yet, all the group members get the same marks and walk away with no actual knowledge of the task they were required to do. I am at an independent school, so we don't follow the government's education system. This has worked out better, we do assess students individually, but they also do group work where it is ensured that everyone in the group participates. I still don't really get the difference between cheating and collaborating, students know who the 'cleverer' kids in the class are and even if they offer their opinion or answer, they would rather take the 'cleverer' kids answer as 'gospel'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413213147692532190.post-87146758714863681792011-03-28T08:32:27.329-06:002011-03-28T08:32:27.329-06:00Teachers still need to be able to assess whether o...Teachers still need to be able to assess whether or not each student has learned the intended outcome not just hope that this will come with a well planned project. How do you propose this assessment could be done on an individual basis and still appease those who want to make sure that the student is not simply using someone else's ideas?<br />Also, are you saying that teachers who use tests to assess are not great teachers? At this point in education this would refer to nearly all teachers. Kind of a bold statement as moving away from common exams and test based assessment and towards the type of assessment you are talking about will take time. It is something that will be gradually introduced.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com