[etni] Fw: More on the unfairness of the log

From: "sbshai" <sbshai@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 21 May 2013 16:39:20 +0300
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "sbshai" <sbshai@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, 21 May, 2013 2:37 PM
Subject: Re: [etni] More on the unfairness of the log


> OK, I'll accept David's request to go public!  I'd like to state that I'm
> not afraid of repercussions from colleagues who don't accept my point of
> view since that's what I think ETNI is all about -- sharing our ideas and
> growing professionally from doing so. A problem arises, however, when the
> discussion starts getting too heated because then subtle or not so subtle
> accusations fly, and before we know it, we've done more damage than we
> have
> gained benefit.
>
> David's argument about the log's lack as an assessment tool is valid, as I
> believe any objective reader can determine.  (I realize that some will
> brand
> me as a biased reader, which is OK if they're willing to see that my bias
> is
> on the side of fairness and equity -- and no, I do NOT mean to imply that
> anyone who disagrees with me is not interested in fairness!)
> Granted, there are problems inherent in the testing option as well, as
> others have pointed out.  But it is altogether unfortunate that some of
> the
> messages I've read recently clearly imply that teachers who choose the
> logs
> are martyrs, while those doing the exam are trying to cheat the system!
> Perhaps this is true for some (I hope few!), but a cheater can find ways
> to
> be deceptive on the logs too.  (I'd rather not repeat what I've seen or
> heard about both students and, unfortunately, teachers..)
>
> Frankly, I find it tiresome to rehash points that have been made
> previously,
> whether by me or by others.  But I will say this (I know I'm broadening
> the
> scope of the subject, but I think this is important): if we're set on
> indiscriminately lauding every so-called innovation that's thrown at us,.
> I
> fear for the future of ESL education in our country. Of course,
> indiscriminately rejecting every idea can be just as bad.  That said, I
> wish
> to add that it's generally more comfortable to take what we're given than
> it
> is to revise or protest it.
> Thinking skills that are NOT artificially induced are the only ones worth
> cultivating -- for students, teachers and the general public (whether
> we're
> discussing literature or dealing with any other subject matter).  They're
> watered with sweat, not dished out as fast food!  As long as we modify
> what
> has landed in our laps so that it's palatable to our students (and meets
> the
> Bagrut requirements, of course), we're doing the job we're supposed to do.
>
> How good it would be if the "powers" could admit that success can come
> through different routes! I'd like to think that was at least partly the
> idea behind offering us a choice between the log and the exam, but
> experience suggests otherwise.
>
> With regard to the idea that was recently expressed about the folly of
> dancing to the music of the universities, I believe that reality requires
> that we reach some sort of compromise.  Right now, we're trotting to the
> tune of the MOE's directives, and it's not clear to many of us that our
> students' best interests are being served this way either.  There are
> bosses
> wherever we turn, but at least in our classrooms we can try to adapt the
> decrees to suit our students.  Incidentally, THAT is the mark of a truly
> dedicated teacher -- to make the best of what he/she must do.  The only
> negative aspect of this credo is that some  colleagues might try to
> pressure
> others to fit into a "one size fits all mold," possibly because it
> justifies
> their own methodology.
>
> End of speech.  (Lucky for ETNI readers, I've got to create a lit. exam
> that
> will encourage my students to think!)
>
> Batya
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "David Graniewitz" <davidzalman@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx>; <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, 20 May, 2013 5:45 PM
> Subject: [etni] More on the unfairness of the log
>
>
>>I was very pleased to read the number of reactions to the long missive
>>that
>> I wrote last week. It made all the time that I spent on it worthwhile.
>> However, I don’t understand why there are teachers who will reply to me
>> personally not contribute to the general discussion on the ETNI list
>> (although one did proffer an explanation.) This, by the way, is not the
>> first time that I have received a number of replies offlist and leads me
>> to
>> wonder whether people are afraid to express themselves in public.
>>
>> Anyway, I feel that I must respond to those who wrote defending the log
>> claiming that because a number are randomly checked by representatives of
>> the Inspectorate, it is an objective and fair method of assessment. I
>> would
>> like to point out that, as far as I know, the logs are checked for
>> QUANTITY
>> not QUALITY. In other words, they are checked to see if all of the
>> components have been done for each piece, not how they were done or on
>> what
>> they were based.  Even if pupils from different schools do the whole log
>> properly, their grades will still not be commensurate with the amount or
>> the level of work that they have done if their teachers are allowed a
>> free
>> rein with the pieces they teach and the assignments that they set.
>>
>>
>> The log remains, therefore, an unfair method of assessment and the fact
>> that it is worth so much in the final Bagrut grade means that the whole
>> Bagrut exam itself has ceased to be an accurate measure of the pupil’s
>> knowledge of English. In fact,  I have heard that this salient point has
>> reached the Israeli academia, which is now seriously reconsidering the
>> value of the English Bagrut exam in university acceptance procedure.
>>
>> David Graniewitz
>>
>> Jerusalem
>>
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[etni] Fw: More on the unfairness of the log

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