[etni] Fw: my ideas for lit
- From: "Ask_Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "ETNI" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2009 09:45:52 +0200
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharon Tzur" <sharontzu5@xxxxxxx>
Subject: my ideas for lit
I'm afraid I must disagree with both Jimmy B. and Maxine T about welcoming
Literature back into the Bagrut. For the past 15 years, whenever anyone has
argued that Literature should be put back in the Bagrut, I have proposed
(using the higher thinking order of projection) that putting Literature back
into the Bagrut means limiting our freedom of choice. I have enjoyed the
years during which I could teach what I wanted and assess as I please. I
have never shortchanged literature and I have never allowed my students to
give it less effort because it's not on the Bagrut. My staff has always
given literature its due weight in the school grade in accordance with the
Ministry's instructions. I'm very sorry if there were teachers who stopped
teaching literature; this was totally unprofessional, and I believe that it
was the job of the Inspectorate to see that teachers were carrying out
Ministry directives. Of course, I understand that the inspectorate is
understaffed and there is no way for the local inspectors to follow up on
what all the teachers around the country are doing. I feel as if I'm being
punished for the sins of others. Well, it's no sense discussing it - the
decision has fallen.
Maxine asked how I think Literature should be taught and tested.
First, I think that Literature is a discipline that already has a well known
set of tools. I think we should teach literature using these tools. (Plot
devices - exposition, conflict, turning point, epiphany; character -how we
learn about the protagonist, how the protagonist changes, the role of minor
characters; theme; literary devices - symbolism, etc. etc). I have found
that the students are familiar with these devices from their study of
literature in their native tongue, and they are pleased to encounter the
same terminology in English class.
In my opinion, an exam on literature should consist of several types of
questions: some questions to test if the student is familiar with what is
written in the story in black and white. (I call these questions of
Bikiyut). These can be closed type questions or short answer. I think this
is important because we must keep in mind that we are talking about a
literature test as part of an EFL program, and students should get some
"credit" simply for knowing and understanding the text.
Next, there should be questions dealing with analysis of plot, character and
theme. (open ended questions)
Last, there should be a question (or two at most) on literary devices
(metaphor, symbolism, etc.) (open ended questions)
I did not come up with this on my own. This was the way we were supposed to
test literature back in the days when it was part of the oral bagrut. The
relative weight at the time was 60% 20% 20% for the three sections. I
think that 60% is too much for the first section - something like 30% 50%
20% would be more to my liking. (The 60 - 20 - 20 might be appropriate for
four pointers)
If the test is also supposed to test writing, I would add a question that
allows the student to use his/her writing skills in a way that goes "beyond"
the text - for example, expressing an opinion about something the
protagonist did. I would NOT take off points for language in any other part
of the exam - only in the writing part. I don't think it's fair in a test of
literature to penalize students who have an excellent understanding of
literature but whose writing skills are weak.
I would certainly suggest having one extra question in each section (except
the writing) so that there would be some choice of questions. Not every
teacher approaches a piece of literature in the same manner, so some choice
is essential. I think that English is currently one of the only Bagrut exams
with no choice of questions. If other subjects have dealt with the problem
of reliability and yet offered choice, I think the English exam can do the
same. (And we haven't begun to discuss the problems of equality, reliability
and accuracy of logs).
Someone mentioned that the core texts were chosen partly to save students
and schools from buying new books. My response: There has been no set
curriculum for literature for the last 15 years (more or less), which means
that schools are using a wide variety of anthologies. Some of the more
recently published anthologies do not have the older pieces. At any rate,
except for the full length play, I have found that there is a tremendous
pool of literature on the internet - pieces that are not copyrighted.
Students can legally download and print out most of the literature they
need. I have even taken Much Ado About Nothing and made a shortened (but not
simplified) version of it, which my students could either print out or
photocopy (for about 10 shekels - less if printed by laser)
A far greater cost to the students will be the need to buy new textbooks.
The new D and F module will make almost all of our current high schools
textbooks irrelevant.
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