[etni] Re: the Meitzav
- From: Ira Director <iradirector@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx" <davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 06:01:26 +0200
Dear etni friends,
What can be "soul destroying" is constantly filling students with "praise
on steroids" which gives them the impression that the meager language
skills we provide them, are enough to "rule the world." Reality is going to
catch up with them eventually.
Please don't misconstrue my statement as denigrating our language
curriculum. The point is: reality/ achievement based praise is never
misplaced while plying students with overblown concepts of their
achievements is.
Bottom line: rather than continuing to lower test standards, try
telling students that their considerable language skills have brought them
to a particular level, and there is a long way to go...
On Wednesday, March 26, 2014, David Graniewitz <davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
> Amanda,
> What you write may be correct, but that still does not conceal the fact
> that many pupils who are conscientious about their studies reach the 8th
> grade lacking a working vocabulary. Whether this is the fault of thier
> elementary school teachers not doing their job properly or to other
> subjective factors is a matter of conjecture. They can get through the
> regular tests that they are given because study the specific material that
> they are given. Even the "unseens" that they are given are thematically
> connected to the unit that they have learnt from the book and contain the
> specific words that they have studied for the test.
> The meitzav is a different kettle of fish though and I still contend that
> it can be a soul-destroying experience for many pupils. It is,
> comparitively, a harder exam than any of the bagrut modules that they will
> do in high school for 2 reasons; firstly, because in a bagrut, they are
> permitted to use dictionaries and secondly, the Meitzav gets them to do far
> more different tasks than in any module (6 tasks in the Meitzav as opposed
> to a maximum of 2 in each bagrut module.)
> Although I have never allowed my pupils to use dictionaries or given them
> the vocabulary before the exam, I can certainly see the reasons to do so if
> the grades are only for internal use.
> David Graniewitz
>
>
> On 26 March 2014 18:28, Amanda Caplan <amandacaplan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> > Regarding the 8th grade Meitzav.
> >
> > It says very clearly in the instructions for the Meitzav that
> dictionaries
> > must not be used. If you look carefully at the vocabulary, and compare
> it
> > with the new vocabulary Bands in the revised Curriculum, you'll see that
> > many of the words in the 8th grade test are on Band I, the elementary
> > school list. All the words are high frequency vocabulary and there really
> > isn't any need for dictionaries for most 8th grade pupils, providing of
> > course that teachers are teaching useful vocabulary throughout the year.
> >
> > The instructions also say that the test may be adapted for different
> > ability pupils. That means that if you choose not to give the third, most
> > difficult unseen to your weaker classes, you can. The Meitzavit also
> makes
> > allowances for schools who opt to do so. This way it doesn't need to be
> a "soul-destroying
> > experience".
> >
> > Amanda
> >
> >
> > On 26 March 2014 17:18, David Graniewitz <davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >
> >> It doesn't really matter how an INTERNAL Meitzav test is done because
> (as
> >> the name suggests) the results are for internal use only. I think that
> >> schools should be able to adapt the exam conditions to suit their own
> >> needs. Why not pre-teach the vocabulary that appears on the exam, for
> >> instance, especially if the pupils in the school are weaker than average
> >> to
> >> give them a fighting chance with the exam?
> >> The meitzav can be a fairly soul-destroying experience especially for
> >> pupils who can do well because they study hard and prepare for tests. It
> >> is
> >> the first objective test that they have to do and studious pupils can
> fail
> >> it as there is no way of preparing directly for it if their vocabulary
> is
> >> weak.
> >> There doesn't seem to me to be a problem if schools allow pupils to
> bring
> >> dictionaries either as they will be allowed to do so in the Bagrut
> anyway.
> >> The problem only arises when the schools' grades are compared.
> >> David Graniewitz
> >> Jerusalem
> >>
> >> On 26 March 2014 17:06, David Graniewitz <graniewitz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> wrote:
> >>
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> >> > From: ETNI list <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>
> >> > To: Etni <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> >> > Cc:
> >> > Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 16:29:14 +0200
> >> > Subject: [etni] the Meitzav
> >> > Because the Meitzav is being done internally at some schools this
> >> > year, it seems that those schools have gotten the Meitzav tests just
> >> > recently. Someone I know works at a school that has prepared
> >> > worksheets to help the students pass this Meitzav after having seen
> >> > the Meitzav. She was asked to use these worksheets and when she said
> >> > it wasn't moral to do such a thing, she was told that they got
> >> > permission from above. I've heard of another school whose students
> >> > already did the internal Meitzav who told their students to bring
> >> > dictionaries to school that day. I haven't heard of any new policy. Is
> >> > this being done in your schools too?
> >> >
> >> > Anonymous
> >> > **************************************
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--
Best regards,
Ira Director
English Plus
Bar-Ilan University
Alumni Poetry Coordinator
English Training for Excellence:
In cross cultural communications
Kibbutz Gezer
D. N. Shimshon 99786
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