Wednesday, August 25, 2010

What I Learned Today #5 - Tests are like fine art?

While in a workshop today, a conversation started on how reading comprehension is not just how the reader reacts to the text, but what the author's intentions are as well. As I thought over this, it occurred to me that this helps to explain why students have difficulty with testing in ELA; I realize that when a student is responding to a test, they are engaging in a discussion with not only the authors of the pieces that are used, but also the creators of the test questions.

Every test is written by someone or a group of "someones". Those people, as they create the test questions based on the authors' works, are actually initiating a conversation about these works with the test-taker. The creator of the test has (on well-made tests) brought out essential qualities and understandings inherent to the authors' words and is asking the test-taker to join in that discussion by selecting reasonable responses in multiple choice form (though I still think that written response works best - tougher to grade, I guess).

This conversation between test-taker and test-maker should not be overlooked as we work with students. Success on tests (and in class) is not found by simply having a personal reaction to a text, but it’s also not just a matter of “saying what they want you to say”. It’s somewhere in the middle, nested in that space where a teacher is looking for a student to open her or his mind to new ideas and perspectives, but to also bring an element of self to the conversation.

This draws me back to something that I've thought about quite a bit: that reading is more similar to viewing art than we acknowledge. For instance, I can debate with someone the merits of a certain painting and I can describe my feelings about that work, but I also have to take into account that there was a painter, and that painter had an intention. The painter's intention led to the creation, and that is where true understanding lies. I take my own visceral reactions to the work, then combine those feelings with a sincere attempt to understand what the artist is trying to convey.

So, how do we read this way? When I approach a text, I am bound to have a personal reaction to it in some way. However, I am also searching the author's work for clues to her or his intentions - the infamous "author's purpose" test question. Like a painting, I balance my reaction with my analysis to create understanding. If students were taught to do this with text, test-taking would become easier. When coming to a new passage, the student would read it and try to find a personal connection to it, but would then allow the test-maker to engage them in a discussion of elements that might not have been apparent on first glance.

I'm not saying that taking a standardized test is the same as viewing a Picasso, but it pays to note that in both cases there will be reaction that must be balanced against the creator's intentions. And when a student approaches a test this way, he or she is much more likely to be able to engage in the conversation that the test-maker has begun.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

What I Learned Today #4 (What I like might not be what THEY like)

This past weekend I had a chance to go to Boston with my family. We had city passes that allowed us to go to multiple attractions, and we chose the Aquarium, the Children's Museum, and the Museum of Science. We had a blast as a family, and the kids really were excited (in truth, I was excited, too - this was my first time in Boston).

As we went through the various museums and exhibits, something became very clear: if something caught my or my wife's interest, the kids inevitably didn't want to spend time with it; however, the two of them gravitated toward things that we didn't think they would be interested in. This explains why the kids didn't particularly like the electricity room at the museum or want to spend time with the penguins at the aquarium, yet insisted on looking through every exhibit in the mathematics exhibit and wanted to listen to the complete presentation at the top of the giant tank (Don't get me wrong. I'm excited that they were into these things; it was just surprising).

But thinking back over our fun weekend made me consider the fact that this situation might be happening with my students. They might very well not enjoy the activities that I think they will like, and I may be missing activities that my students would really get into just because I don't think they will. In other words, what I've learned is: What's fun for ME might very well not be fun for MY STUDENTS.

Okay, so this is only a minor revelation, but I think that these are the little things that could make me a better educator. How many lessons, activities, and books have I passed over because I thought they wouldn't be fun for the students? How could I have known that for sure? These assumptions might be leading me away from creating an environment where the students are truly enjoying their learning.

This is not to say that I am now planning to have my students plan every task (I don't think that a year solely consisting of vampires, werewolves and Halo 3 would necessarily be valuable) but it's fair to say that I could bring their interests in a bit more often. A small tweak to be sure, but one that could vastly improve the delivery of my lessons.