In education, the idea of focusing on the conditions of production has its roots in arguments in favor of developing "process indicators" of school performance, an approach that recognizes the fact that "schools provide educational opportunity; they do not directly produce learning."
The book goes on to recommend that states not pursue value-added assessment, but focus instead on "devis[ing] a production model of educational assessment" that would involve developing "process indicators of school performance" and would "differ fundamentally from measuring outcomes."
To that I say, How about no.
I have no interest in production models and process indicators. Ditto "school performance" as distinct from student achievement.
Of course, that's because I am not an Assistant Professor of Political Science.
No.
I am a parent.
Your basic parent, 5 or 10 years into his or her public school experience, is interested in one indicator and one indicator only:
What has my child learned in school if anything?
Just to boil it down.
.......
He does have some cool stuff about shirking, though.
More later.
I am result-oriented, not process-oriented in what comes to learning. There is an outcome (dry yield) of studying. So in terms of efficiency - I would approve of any method of getting the results in the minimum amount of time. That is one of the reasons I stopped giving and assessing any type of art-projects in science (booklets, posters, etc) - It's difficult(if not impossible!) to see the dry yield behind them. I can see the skill of using the microscope correctly learned when the student does it, but I can't infere that from the slopy comic-strip about the use of microscope.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of efficiency - one of my fellow-teachers says it's "cultural"... I take my son to figure skating every Saturday - group sessions for the beginners. I often watch one of the private instructors working with the kids individually there. The guy (One of the former Russian champions, I looked up his info) can yell at kids, can grab them quite roughly to make the do as HE wants them to do, kids cry and skate with tears in the eyes... But when the competition comes - he has the highest number of winning kids. And american parents sit quietly watching him "torturing" their children, and yell at that child themselves after for not practicing enough. The result, that's what driving them.
Why shouldn't it drive us in school?
There is an outcome (dry yield) of studying. So in terms of efficiency - I would approve of any method of getting the results in the minimum amount of time. That is one of the reasons I stopped giving and assessing any type of art-projects in science (booklets, posters, etc) - It's difficult(if not impossible!) to see the dry yield behind them.
ReplyDeleteWe're moving to Brooklyn.