[etni] [FWD: Re: Oral Bagrut - an interesting experience]
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- Date: Tue, 5 Apr 2005 20:38:29 -0700
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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [etni] Oral Bagrut - an interesting experience
From: "Avraham J. Roos" <avrahamroos@xxxxxxxxxx>
> While realizing there will always be pupils who try to cheat - I think
> it will help if teachers set a very specific "umbrella topic" for their
> class projects and set them very specific criteria as to what/how to
> write the projects. The topic should also be different every year.
> In this particular school the pupils had been given total freedom to
> choose a project topic.
Dear Anonymus and others,
I disagree with your solution concernng an umbrella topic for
several reasons. First of all, the aim of the project is to give
pupils a topic they like and are interested in to talk about.
Finding such a broad umbrella topic that covers all interest
fields (and then changing it every year) is not easy. I therefore
gave my pupils the choice to write about whatever they wanted.
I will come back to the problem you mentioned with this later.
Another problem is the oral exam. I have just finished testing at
a school in Herzliah where the umbrella topic was advertising.
Can you imagine how utterly boring it is to test 21 pupils who
have all prepared the same topics to talk about and all
approximately tell the same thing? You cannot take off points
for being boring, can you? And you must be as interested and
attentive listening to a well prepared argument for the 20th time
as you were the first time you heard it!
So how can you make sure the pupils really wrote their own
projects? Well, this is coming back to the same questions
raised concerning the bookreports isn't it? You could tell them
to write it in class, or you could give specific instructions
concerning the order, the parts to be included and the
research questions raised. Let me give some examples.
My students were required to go through at least two drafts of
every part (introduction, background, reseach, conclusion).
THEY HAD TO INCLUDE THE DRAFTS WITH MY CORRECTIONS
AS A SEPERATE PART OF THE PROJECT CALLED PROCESS.
(sorry for shouting there). My corrections were often not only spelling
or grammar but also advice and requests to add details, change the
order or delete a certain part. This way, they went to the proces of
writing the project under very close inspection. Furthermore, I
demanded certain entries that forced the pupils to personalize
e.g. pupils had to include a section on what they had learned
from the project and why they had decided to write about this project.
Last of all, I decided whether I liked to research question or not.
And I only allowed research questions that forced the puils to do
some real work. One pupil wanted to write about Jerusalem
(had probably a ready made project handy about the topic). He
proposed as a research question which part of Jerusalem is called
the City of David. I told him that that would be interesting stuff for
the
background but that I wanted him to find a tourguide, interview him
about tours to the City of David and find out why there has been an
increase in tourism in the City of David during the last few years.
He had to swallow a few times but in the end swallowed it and
handed in a very nice piece of work which is at least part for sure his
own!
Have fun,
Avraham Roos
PS I tested at Ulpanat Tsivya at Herzliah and need urgently to get in
touch with the English teacher there Jeanette. Jeanett, if you read this
please call me at 03-9794061
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