Drape's Takes - Latest Comments in Change, But On A Larger Scale

Re: Change, But On A Larger Scale

Darren Draper — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 17:44:24 -0000

I'm afraid that's just it, Bill - and the very reason change doesn't
take place so quickly on this one.

This is an extrememly complex issue with no simple solutions that
easily present themselves.

Re: Change, But On A Larger Scale

Bill Ferriter — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:41:47 -0000

Darren asked:
How do we create assessments that take into consideration that our students
are able to look up facts within seconds? If we allow our students to stay
constantly connected, what can we require of them to demonstrate their
learning?

This is new thinking for me, Darren---and I'm not sure how exactly I feel about it.

My first response when reading your question was does "demonstrating learning" mean demonstrating an ability to manage information INSTEAD of knowing the right answer independently? Shouldn't our expectations change to recognize the fact that we ARE constantly connected?

And what about fluency-----is there something to be said for knowing how to work your way through to an answer independent of technology simply because it's more efficient and can get you there quicker?

For me, the only advantage I can see in requiring kids to demonstrate learning independent of their "connections" is that there is a measure of speed that comes with stand-alone proficiency.

I'm mentally stuck on this one....
Bill

Re: Change, But On A Larger Scale

Darren Draper — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:12:29 -0000

Thank you, Liz.

I agree that some teachers are beginning to change the way they teach - and
in my opinion, that's fantastic. But until we change how and what we test,
we'll never be able to get very far.

To be honest, Liz, I can't think of a better person to ask this to than you
(because of your experience with cell phones in the classroom):

How do we create assessments that take into consideration that our students
are able to look up facts within seconds? If we allow our students to stay
constantly connected, what can we require of them to demonstrate their
learning?

Re: Change, But On A Larger Scale

Liz Kolb — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:53:08 -0000

Great post!
I think in some ways it is the other way around...we are starting to change the way we teach, but not the way we test. We may try a cell phone in a lesson, but NO way are teachers using cell phones in testing/evaluation. I personally think evaluation should reflect the networking and collaboration of the global world. We need to evaluate students' abilities to collaborate, network, and communicate information.