[etni] Fw: HOTS
- From: "Ask Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:18:37 +0200
----- Original Message -----
From: Joan Orkin - joano@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: HOTS
Dear All,
Whilst the debate may be dying down as an OLD teacher who has just taken
this course, I would like to add my two cents.
Firstly, the course given is beautifully structured. I know of other
teachers who are experienced and have been in the classroom for too many
years to mention and we all agree the course we did online with 2 F2f
meetings was the best course we have taken. It is challenging and well
thought out. We put in hours of work happily. The instructor we were
blessed with, Ellyn Marciano, was humble, firm, intelligent and helpful.
Literature is not the focus of the course. The focus is the totally new
approach to teaching literature in the classroom. HOTS hands back respect to
the students. In fact it assumes that students are not 'empty vessels' being
filled with facts like Mr .Gradgrind in Hard Times did to his unfortunate
victims. HOTS insists that literature cannot be taught as a fully frontal
assault or a display of the teachers understanding and magical ability to
decode. The students in the examination or the log and in the classroom are
being invited to join this thinking process.
Is it complicated? Yes. Do we have enough hours? No. Am I nervous for next
year? Absolutely. How will I manage the project as well? Haven't got a clue.
But none of the above is a reason to reject a thoroughly bold plan. I have
heard teachers on this site bemoan slipping standards in Israel. Here is an
actual attempt to raise standards.
I think teachers who attend the course will be excited. I was and I am.
Joan Orkin.
-----------------------------------------------
** Etni homepage - http://www.etni.org
or - http://www.etni.org.il **
** for help - ask@xxxxxxxx **
** to post to this list - etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx **
-----------------------------------------------
Other related posts: