12 November 2009
Group 5: Sunday School
We viewed this week’s text and story from the viewpoint of assessment. Assessment and self-reflection is supposed to be a part of every curriculum, so that teachers are able to upgrade their tactics and lessons. One of the things we learned this week is that in assessing a situation, good or bad, right or wrong are simply not applicable or encompassing enough to use. Instead we used three sets of verbs and principles that were at use in her story, and looked at how she used each.
First we had the Bloom list of verbs. We identified these verbs in action in the psychomotor section (where I suspect much of the learning occurs at that age): Play and Build. Clearly, the students identified the most with the lesson when they were involved in the creation of a world both inside and outside of their heads. Through both the physical learning and their little mini-lecture we found these cognitive verbs to be the intended outcome: identify, compare, apply, and examine. The children were encouraged, by examining a different culture, to find a way back to their own.
Within Vella’s list of verbs there were a few that really stood out as well used principles in this situation. First was sequence and reinforcement. She had a very well structured class, and the kids knew what to expect and what was going to happen. They were eased into their discoveries. The next one as well, reflection, seemed to be a primary goal, building self-awareness. They definitely learnt by feeling, and feelings, and engagement, as I’ve already mentioned was there as well. Also safety, because she created a safe space by separating the known offenders, having a helper in the room, using safety scissors and also by establishing a place where everyone is loved and chosen.
We also looked at the six facets rubric, which sets criteria for the learner to achieve (presumably over time) moving not so much from ignorance to knowledge, as from unawareness to mastery of concepts. It was very interesting that although these kids were too young to be at anything but the very lowest rung for nearly everything, she still managed to lift them (hopefully) in the empathy category.
To summarize, there is no right and wrong when dealing with assessment, instead we try to maximize the fulfillment of these principles and verbs. Even through the kids were young, and the story was short and not exhaustive, we all seemed to agree that she should pat herself on the back, and perhaps get an icepack for her neck.
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12 November 2009 at 8:54 pm
group4 says...
For me personally, I think it is very difficult to allow myself to get outside of the box of right and wrong or good and bad, because they are much simpler. I think that these categories, though, can lock you inside your own box of what you think the best way is.
Working at several summer camps over the years, I started out with the wrong/right dichotomy in my head, memorizing everything everyone instructed me in over during orientation in hopes that I could learn the correct schema and do everything right. I quickly learned 1. that real life and real learning don’t happen that way and one who hopes to teach must be prepared but also adaptable and not shattered when situations change and 2. that the dichotomy of right and wrong and close us up to other people’s ideas, which may be completely different but just as valid as ours. There aren’t a lot of simple answers and schemas here.
I like the idea of using these new verbs to analyze the situation. Can someone clarify for me, in the bloom verb sections, would you measure the situation based on how well they play & build? Would you determine which verbs go there by thinking about how you want them to bloom?
Peace, Julie Bender, Group 4
13 November 2009 at 9:03 pm
Frieda says...
In terms of assessment of faith formation, I agree with Maria Harris that the basic assumption of curriculum design “that knowing and learning and understanding are measurable, quantitative realities–products rather than processes” needs to be challenged. Too much biblical knowledge like the scribes and Pharisees prized leads to self-righteousness. I believe that character ethics is much more important, especially for children, to model oneself after Jesus. For the children to feel loved and chosen and that God loves them that way is most important for nurturing a relationship with God. I think this is a long term process that the faith community practices. Perhaps I am interpreting assessment too narrowly as I sense that word is judgmental when curriculum planners should view themselves as artists rather than technicians or programmers who have to assess how well they are doing when it is the spirit that gives life.
Just some thoughts, Frieda
13 November 2009 at 10:16 pm
Assessing the educational experience I think this is one of the more challenging parts of the educational process. This teacher did a lot of things right in her classroom. When you’re the educator, it’s easy to find the examples of what didn’t work and criticize yourself, but it’s also important to look at the unintended results and what the students learned and you were not even hammering that point home. Having taught Sunday school, I can identify with the preparation, the experience and the end result – sometimes you wonder if the students got anything out of the lesson but I think we’d all be surprised at how much a student walks away with if they are in a setting such as the one in Wailing Walls. Blessings,
Hope Deutscher
13 November 2009 at 10:17 pm
Thank you for a very thorough assessment on the assessment.
) I really love how she used “confirmation” (Robert Kegan – The Evolving Self) in the “Loved and Chosen” experience that included each of the students, the parent and assistant teacher. This use of confirmation in this learning experience allows the students to engage the knowledge that they are loved by God and have been chosen by God while having a positive affirming emotional feeling as this is being said. How great is that! And what I love is that she does this each week with the students. I think I am going to use it. It is a wonderful reinforcement.
14 November 2009 at 9:54 pm
In terms of the right/wrong teaching methods, I really liked the progression in the chapter, from scripted to adaptable. The preparation and pre-scripting of the hour that the leader did before hand paid out in many regards (children’s comfort in structure, seeds planted especially in the marker/juicebox and wailing wall construction excercises). But in the end, she was also able to let go of most of her need for control of the situation, and fall back on simply entering the boys’ world and creating together with them. What great seeds were planted in the educational leader!
15 November 2009 at 3:39 pm
hessma says...
Maybe I’ll just add a short comment to note that “assessment” can have many definitions, but for the purposes of this class I’m trying to help you think about identifying where the learners are in a given setting. How might you assess, evaluate, identify, where the learners are, and where you’d like to accompany them? So in using the Vella/Bloom verbs list, for instance, you can consider — as the group did — which of those verbs are being activated in a given setting (which activities, which intelligences), and which might you want to add. Then, you can evaluate an activity once it’s concluded for whether or not it helped the learners get to where you wanted them to be. It’s precisely what Maryanne is pointing to, and what Dean is acknowledging here!