---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sharon Tzur <sharontzu5@xxxxxxxxx>
Subject: changes in Lit program.. make no sense!
I have read the document concerning changes in the literature program,
and some clarification from my inspector, Anne Saggai. I hope I've
understood. My reaction is based on my understanding of the changes.
ARE THEY OUT OF THEIR MINDS??
What kind of sense does it make to give the same weight to all three
genres of literature? To give the same weight to a poem (say, "As I
Grew Older") that is given to a full length play or novel. What is
DIFFICULT for teachers is NOT doing a calculation that involves a
weighted average (i.e. where some elements get more weigh than others)
- in this age of computers and excel, that is no big deal. What is
DIFFICULT is the large number of pieces of work that have to be
assessed, and kept account of. So what is the rationale between the
crazy idea of giving a poem and the play the same weight?? What kind
of pedagogical sense does that make?
Furthermore, at present, those of us who do the log can give the
students their summative assessment just after we finish a piece. This
is extremely advantageous for the students, especially our 4 pointers.
So now we are supposed to give one summative assessment at the end of
each year - presumably on the 2 or 3 pieces we taught that year. This
is much harder on the students. Why not simply change the
requirements for a summative assessment so that fewer questions are
required for the poems and short stories? (For example, 1 LOT and 1
HOTS per poem / 3 LOTS and 2 HOTS per short story - and bridging task
only for poem or short story, but not for both.. something like that).
If the Personal Response is no longer to be marked (good move), then
why not eliminate it altogether? What is the point of making us
collect and "check but not mark" a personal response every year. How
exactly does that save us work? And I think we all know just how
seriously students relate to the Personal Response when it is not
graded (or to anything that is not graded for that matter). Are
teachers in ANY OTHER SUBJECT required to collect and read a personal
response from students?? And why is it compulsory only for those doing
the LOG? Those of us who do the LOG already have a lot more work than
those doing the exam - why are we being punished for choosing the LOG?
Book reports are now up to 20%!! The more weight something is given,
the more important the assessment, and we are all well aware of the
major problems of assessing book reports, beginning with the fact that
with the exception of native speakers, probably not more than 10% of
our students actually read the books they claim to have read. The one
or two honest students who do not write book reports on books they
haven't read are punished. And the book reports are also a lot of work
to collect, check and assess.
As for those doing the exam.. it certainly makes sense to do an exam
at the end of each year instead of at the end of the whole program,
but while it is much more fair to the students, it is MORE work for
the teachers.. not less!
I beg the Ministry... please don't rush into changes that make no sense.
Yours,
Sharon Tzur
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