[etni] Fw: projects
- From: "Ask Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:00:10 +0200
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sharon Tzur" <sharontzu5@xxxxxxx>
Subject: projects
Hope there aren't too many mistakes in the posting - I'm too busy to proof
read what I wrote
Despite being extremely pressed for time, I just had to make a few comments
on Adele's posting. I'll try to be brief.
1 - Lev is correct. I'm not against projects. In fact, I'm for projects. The
issue is not curriculum but pay.
2- I really don't see how anyone can argue that projects are not a ton of
work. Briefly, bagrut examiners are given about 5 minutes to evaluate an
essay of 120 words. They do not mark up the essay. The essay is judged
almost entirely in terms of "technical" issues of grammar, vocab, spelling,
etc. Almost no judging is done on content, beyond it being on the topic, and
being "well organized.
A small project of say 5 typed pages would run at about 2000 words. Some
projects might be a bit less than that, but I've also read projects that
were 10-20 pages. That is already equivalent to about 16 essays of 120
words. Of course, many essays are longer, so let's just say about 12 times
longer. By bagrut standards, that would require 12X 5 minutes - an hour.
Unlike bagrut checking, when we read a rough draft of a project, we mark up
the papers, which of course makes the going a lot slower. Furthermore, we
don't just relate to technical issues - we relate to content - not only the
technical issues of topic sentences, connectors, developing paragraphs, but
to the ideas themselves. Logic, bias, "coverage" of the topic, etc. etc. The
rubric for checking the rough draft is more complex than the rubric for
checking bagrut essays because it relates not only to mechanics but to
content.
And then we make comments on these issues. So let's say that we're not up to
an hour and a half to two hours.
Personally, I don't see any way to evaluate an essay based on sources
without reading (or at least skimming) the sources. That adds about another
2,000 - 4,000 words of reading. And I also make comments on my student's
markings of the sources. (Well, that might be my own personal problem of
being thorough - but if I see that there is something very important in the
sources that my students ignored, I make a comment.) So now chalk up another
half hour or more.
OK - Now, this longer paper is supposed to be evaluated twice - (process
writing) - a rough draft and a good draft then there is checking the good
copy against the rough draft and evaluating if the corrections and
suggestions have been related to. Even done in a very sketchy manner, mark
up another 15 minutes.
Keep in mind that book keeping takes a lot of time. (this is also an issue I
have with the logs). We have to keep records of each stage and eventually
add up. I'm not even counting the time spent writing letters to parents
whose children have not given in a rough draft or final paper.
Again, I think the project is very important - but you can't compare it to
checking an exam, even one that includes writing. Projects also demand a
solid "chunk" of time and a "clear head". When projects began, it was the
first time that I found myself reading papers on Shabbat (the sources) and
during summer vacation. I just couldn't do the job during the week.
Regular "textbook" teaching is very efficient in terms of teacher's time.
The students must read and answer, but the teacher can go over the answers
in class. A really conscientious teacher might spot check and take home work
of one or two students, but the students can basically check their own work
(as is done in Math, etc.) Of course, we also check all sorts of writing,
but as I wrote before, normal writing assignments are not nearly as
time-consuming to check as projects are.
Again, I'm not against projects. However, time must be allocated for the
extra work it involves - time in terms of HOURS of g'mul (not just
percentages). Why should English teachers, doing book reports, logs,
compositions, projects, etc. etc. get the same g'mul as Math teachers, who
do almost no individualized assessment beyond checking 6 exams per year (and
maybe an occasional quiz)? The ministry understands this when it comes to
Civics. (btw - I'm sure that their paper is any more demanding than hours -
perhaps less -my daughter tells me that they can work in groups of five! She
said the Civics paper was nothing compared to the English project - I'll try
to get more details.)
Lastly, the result of the increasing work load on English teachers in terms
of assessment (projects, logs, PBTs in junior high school) together with the
cut in the number of hours allotted to English means that teachers are
carrying a tremendous load in terms of assessment. This cuts into our
preparation time, and ultimately, more students and more classes means that
each individual student will be getting less. You can only spread yourself
so far.
Yours,
Sharon Tzur
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