Last Wednesday in the Eng 504/505 class, I learned something that delighted me: “teaching to the tests” lends itself perfectly to technology, given Alex’s ideal situation.
Professor Kennedy reviewed the 11th grade Regent’s test and the 8th Grade ELA test. The change in test format over the past 20 years is remarkable; examples draw from multiple genre including magazine articles and interpretive graphs. The test can no longer be aced by those who have the innate capacity to b.s. (not that there are any of those on this blog!) Students have to be able to assimilate information on real life issues and opinions, compare and contrast them, and make judgments accordingly.
The most interesting change to me, though, is that students are not asked to simply write for the sake of writing; the issue of audience is present. One question asks students to make a presentation for a board of education to encourage them to purchase personal copies of books for students. Students need to have an understanding of “who’s out there” and need to organize their thoughts to gain their attention.
I’m observing a school that links social studies and English in a writing lab, which is the perfect place to start teaching to the test. The possibilities are endless. Select a current issue that is meaningful to you and become an expert on the subject (involves Web searches, wikipedia, blogs). Form an opinion on the issue based on your research and personal experience (using word processing, graphs in spreadsheets). Cite references from both web sites and professional journals (many of which can be read online through full text searches). Subscribe to a blog that discusses the issue and contribute to it; use your knowledge to edit a wiki. Finally, present your findings to the class (involves powerpoint and/or multimedia tools).
Having the luxury of a writing lab shared with another course gives students a chance to organize their thoughts for a flat world and learn to the test. In Literature classes, students could still delve into literature, learn components of effective writing from literary greats and practice their technique in original work, which only helps them to communicate their arguments more effectively. Original work could easily be displayed on a blog, enabling ease of peer review and community discussion.
Dr. Kennedy’s class has opened my eyes to the concept of genre: each culture has its own set of literary forms used in everyday life. Literature is novels, memoirs, blogs, articles, fairy tales, graphic novels, and so many other wonderful venues that students relate to and need to interpret/respond to. Technology only gives us more tools to teach literacy as it evolves over time.
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3 comments:
Absolutely right Tamara...so glad you are sharing these insights..take a look at the HO from last Tues' class--re: Kajder's understanding of the role kids' voluntary participation in the texts/genres that interest them should play in our ELA classrooms! Match between your post and that piece.
Tamara,
I wanted to tell you how well done your podcast was. I was assigned to view it last week in class and it was so enjoyable. The background music was very fitting and I really love how you were able to relate a personal experience of your friend to the assignment, as well as your view of the 'flat world'. I could tell that you put significant effort and thought into the alignment of your images with the words you were speaking. Although no one else can view it now, at least if they read this they will know it was worth viewing!
Tamara, browsing for new content. I miss your comment so when I don't find new posts. K
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