(1) Alternative
Assessment, Gila
Glatter
(2) The
Netherlands’s 2nd TACT Workshop, Eleanor May-Brenneker
(3) From Mahyar
Rahbarrad
(4) Kay
Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
(5) 5th Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual
TOCFE International Student’s Conference, Cheryl
A. Edwards
(1) Alternative Assessment
Gila
Glatter, Israel
Shalom, My TOC Friends,
I would like to share
with you some of my significant work experiences at the teachers' college,
where I teach several courses dealing with solutions for improving the
teaching, learning and assessment process.
All my courses are based on the 3 change questions according to the TOC
process. The first part of our learning
process is aimed at identifying the problem that the course deals with, and
finding a solution.
We identify the core
problem of the subject that the course deals with by using the 3-cloud approach
and identifying the direction of the solution, which enables the learners to
examine the quality of these solutions.
The solutions are those that are presented by various researchers found
in the recent articles regarding the improvement of the teaching, learning and
assessment process. I would like to
share one example of a course process on the subject of Alternative Assessment.
The
dilemmas/conflicts presented were:
1.
Multiple choice questions or open-ended questions.
2.
Grading or verbal assessment.
3.
Giving a class exam or giving a take-home exam.
4.
Presenting the assessment criteria to the students
or not presenting.
5.
Giving a test based on a small number of questions
or giving the test based on numerous questions.
6.
Making up the same test for all or catering to the
needs of the students according to their styles and abilities.
7.
Limiting the time of the exam or not limiting the
time of the exam.
8.
Assigning a group task and giving grades according
to the product or giving individual grades.
9.
Assess the product or assess the process.
After presenting the
various dilemmas/conflicts, the teachers were asked to work in small
groups. They were asked to try to
identify the reasons/needs for each one of the wants in the conflict. They were also asked to formulate a common
objective for B and C. As a result, we
received several specific “clouds.” We
presented 5 specific clouds and through a short process found the generic cloud
that reflects the specific individual clouds:
A: Quality Assessment.
B: Objective Assessment of achivements which
enable comparison and generalization.
C: Assessment which allows for feedback
on processes and achievements for the individual. Assessment that encourages self motivation, self-competency,
leads for growth and improvement.
D: Traditional Assessment.
D': Alternative Assessment.
After identifying the
two needs B & C, it was easy to “invent” the Alternative Assessment, which
emphasizes the evaluation key. For
example:
·
A Research project with the grading key (rubric),
created with the help of the students themselves, that reflects all the
components and skills which have to be integrated and used while doing the
research.
·
Or another alternative: Performing a clearly
formulated "Authentic Task", which enables students to plan, to think
and make responsible decisions for performing the task.
The
teachers showed great enthusiasm and involvement because, everyone clearly
understood what two needs the task must fulfill. The teachers formulated authentic and clear tasks that arouse
interest and curiosity, and require taking responsibility both for the learning
process, itself and for the framework (like teamwork and keeping to schedule).
The reflections of the students at the end of each stage of learning,
clearly showed the need for answering both needs in quality assessment: graded
objective assessment and assessment that allows for individual student
motivation and growth.
I'm very proud guiding
the thinking process with teachers,
with my “silver bullet…” Next
time: Curriculum planning with the PrT.
Best,
(2) The Netherlands’s 2nd TACT Workshop
From
Eleanor May-Brenneker, England
During our Ambitious
Target session at the end of the first TACT workshop that I taught in The
Netherlands, exactly a year ago, we set as our goal to launch a second workshop
in January 2001 with the 5 course books translated into Dutch. Everything worked out to plan till a week
before Christmas. Three of my sisters
received terrible medical news within two days of each other’s
viz. two had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, one very seriously, and the
third suffered a nervous breakdown. I
did not feel like teaching a five-day TACT and How to Teach course, starting on
Jan. 8 (my birthday!) as planned. My
flight to Amsterdam was booked and couldn’t be changed.
Because most course
members couldn’t be contacted at this late stage (two days before Christmas) I
presented my team of excellent assistants (cucumbers) with a cloud:
A: Spend the week from 8-12 Jan. ’01
with satisfaction
B: Honour professional engagements
D: Teach TOC for 5 days
C: Spend maximum time with my sick relatives
in distress
D’: Not teach TOC for 5 days
Assumptions B-D:
• Course members have been re-scheduled at their
schools/work for 5 days.
• Course
members have re-arranged appointments and or loose income these 5 days.
• Assistants have worked hard to recruit course
members.
• I’ve been told expectations and motivations for
this course are high.
• I hate to disappoint people.
• I carry out my duties, I’m reliable, I’m
professional.
Assumptions
C-D:
• Family comes before duty, career, promise.
• My sisters mean a lot to me and vice versa.
• If I don’t see them now it might be too late.
• Later I don’t ever want to say: “I wish I had…”
Injection: B-D:
I teach for 3 days,
sessions 1-2-4, to return at a later date for sessions 3-5. Therefore, I have just about enough time to
visit sick relatives, living or hospitalized in different parts of the country.
I received tremendous
support from my cucumbers. Geerte, the
course organizer, added to the injection, viz. the assistants, who are on the
HTT course use days 4 and 5 to practice with the new course members what has
been taught and learned in days 1-2-3.
Thus, gaining insight and work experience towards their TOC trainer
qualification. Together we made a
virtue of necessity, the mother of invention.
This plan turned out to become a roaring success, in fact, the new members
welcomed the practice days and really felt they were ready to take TOC into the
big wide world of education. The
cucumbers experienced a taster of “How to Teach the Tools” during the
well-organized and structured practice days.
At the beginning of the
course, the members were invited to verbalize their expectations. At the end of the course, they filled in an
evaluation form. All the information
learned this way will enable us to POOGI our efforts to a level of higher
effectiveness (producing better results) and efficiency (productivity with
minimum waste of effort). The immediate
conclusion is that, in future, the pattern will be: 3 full days for Part A,
sessions 1-2-4, followed by practice days.
A month or so later, Part B for sessions 3-5 followed by practice time. This course is very intensive and has very
high standards.
NEXT WEEK: Part 2— An
account of the experiences of newcomers to TOC, old-handers, and a trainer’s
view point.
(3)
From Mahyar
Rahbarrad, Seattle Washington, USA
Hello,
I
enjoy receiving/reading the Journal. I
often find myself wanting to go to the TOC for Education website after reading
the Journal. Here's the POOGI
suggestion: Would it be
possible/helpful to add the link to the TOC for Education website at the bottom
of the Journal?
Thanks for
your consideration,
(4) Kay
Buckner-Seal, Cheryl A. Edwards
Gila, Eleanor, and Mahyar thanks for your
contributions. It was quite interesting
to read about a TOC connection to one of the hottest topics in education today:
Standardized Testing. And, Mahayar
thanks for the POOGI! Take a look at
the bottom of the page of this week’s newsletter.
To the rest of our TOCFE, send us your courageous
utilizations, successful applications, humorous connections, favorite quotes,
worthy news, flying pigs, and POOGIs.
Send them by mail to Cheryl A. Edwards, 2253
S. Hill Island Rd., Cedarville, MI 49719, USA.
Or, send hyperlink to <redwards@sault.com> or
<bucknek@earthlink.net.
(5) 5th
Annual TOCFE International Conference/First Annual TOCFE International
Student’s Conference
From Cheryl A. Edwards
“The best way to predict the future is to create it through
TOC."
TOC
for Education, Inc. presents the 5th Annual TOCFE International Conference and
the First Annual TOCFE International Student’s Conference!
Date: June 25-28, 2001
Location: Detroit, Michigan USA
Hotel: Northfield Hilton
5500 Crooks Road
Troy, Michigan 48098
248. 879. 2100
The
Northfield Hilton is adjacent to Interstate 75 at Crooks Road, Exit 72
Reservations: 1. 800. HILTONS
Ask for TOC for
Education’s special room rates.
Single
or Double Occupancy
Per night $139.00 U.S. + Tax (6% Michigan Sales Tax and 7%
Occupancy Tax). This rate includes
breakfast for two.
Transportation: Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW)
To
view TACTics in its intended formatting and to read previous issues,
visit
the TOC website at: www.tocforeducation.com