Several hours have passed and it seems like you are still in one piece. Ser=
iously, you make some great points about the different perspectives from th=
e discussion to date. Perhaps the issue is that when reflecting on "reformi=
ng education," many of us don't know where to begin. So we move slowly from=
the general to the specific, and you have now provided some specifics. I'm=
very happy you chimed in because, as teachers, we have a tendency to begin=
these examinations by doing what teachers do: read a book, an article, or =
research study for confirmation of our beliefs. Certainly I have great resp=
ect for Mark Prensky, Alan Bain, and Will Richardson, but I think the colle=
ctive wisdom of the members of this list will give any expert a run for his=
or her money.
Grades are a good place to begin an examination of educational reform for a=
ll the reasons you state in your message. Which independent schools no long=
er give grades to their students? Perhaps we should begin by opening a dial=
og with them.
Joel
--=20
Joel Backon
Director of Academic Technology / History
Choate Rosemary Hall
333 Christian St.
Wallingford, CT 06492
203-697-2514
On Mar 2, 2010, at 2:07 PM, Norman Maynard wrote:
> All,
>=20
> One of my personal frustrations with the current conversation around
> educational reform (at least the admittedly small parts of the conversati=
on
> that I hear) is that it seems so lacking in specifics.
>=20
> I went to a workshop at the recent NAIS convention on de Bono thinking
> methods. After a couple of hours, I had some very specific procedures tha=
t I
> understood and could use. I had had witnessed (and been party to) its
> application and the change in results.
>=20
> Next day I went to a workshop (generically) on the use of tech tools in
> progressive education, where I heard a lot of talk about embracing energy=
,
> embracing change, empowering students, etc. One example given of innovati=
ve
> teaching was a woman who used her iPod to play music to her students to h=
elp
> set the stage for a piece of literature they were about to read.
>=20
> I remember my 6th grade teacher doing the same thing, and 6th grade was a
> long time ago. (Okay, he didn't use an iPod - he used a a turntable.) Thi=
s
> is innovation?
>=20
> Can we get real?
>=20
> I'll throw this bait out there, knowing I am setting myself up to be torn
> apart, but how about we abolish grades and use a systematic creation of
> digital portfolios instead? Isn't it obvious that grades are outdated,
> highly fallible representations of a student's abilities and that a keyed=
,
> online portfolio, while not infallible, would provide a much more accurat=
e
> representation of a student's skills, knowledge and overall abilities?
>=20
> Wouldn't this alleviate grade inflation, honors courses, a whole swath of
> cheating (while admittedly opening up other opportunities, but corruption
> will never cease), as well as whole slew of other benefits?
>=20
> Yes, there are downsides, and it is a process we'd have to work through
> thoughtfully, but *when* can we get started on this? *How *do we get
> started?
>=20
> What other real, practical, concrete ideas can we begin pushing?
>=20
> Sorry to be so prickly, but I love to talk, and I love to
> talk philosophically, but at some point, you have to just *start*.
>=20
> Norman Maynard
> Executive Director
> National Coalition of Small Schools <http://www.coalitionofsmallschools.o=
rg/>
>=20
>=20
>=20
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