[etni] HOTS
- From: debora Siegel <debora.siegel@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 5 Aug 2010 08:40:45 +0300
Dear ETNIERS,
We were asked to post our opinion of HOTS.
Although I have taken the HOTS course, I still have not implemented the
program in my classroom. I will begin doing so in September with a very
weak 4 Point class, and then I will be wiser.
Although I believe making literature a "standarized" element of the English
bagrut exam may have positive repercussions; I am not happy with some of the
details of the HOTS program as I understand it.
I think there is a consensus among experienced English teachers that making
literature a compulsory part of the overall English Bagrut grade is a
positive step. Note that literature always has been part of English yearly
grade (once known as Magen) but it hasn't been part of the MOE exam grades
(in recent history). However, when teaching oversized heterogenus
classes, it is to instill the importance of English literature as
the actual exams approach, because the kids focus is naturally (and
unfortunately) on doing well on the exams rather than enriching their
knowledge of English language culture. Most probably, making literature a
standardized element of the English Bagrut grades, will enhance the
significance of English literature in the eyes of the students.
So if my assumption is correct that there is a consensus among English
teachers that literature should be a central element of the English Bagrut,
then what is at issue is the specifics of the HOTS program and not the idea
of a standardized literature program. Knowing this fact, and hearing how
many experienced teachers are upset by the program, if I were MOE, I would
take a step back and say to myself: either the program is indeed faulty or
teachers are just afraid of change (I believe the former is true). In either
case, it would be best not to force the program on them, because that will
ensure its failure, but to coax them into it, while listening carefully to
their feedback; adjusting the program to meet the actual needs of the
varying kinds of classroom situations and most importantly, making sure
English teachers are paid for any extra work involved in the program.
I would have instigated the program as follows:
Steo Zero: Add teaching hours to anyone implementing the literature
program--my suggestion would be an extra hour in the classroom and an
extra hour gmul (for one year).
Step One: Create a high quality in-service course that focuses on teaching
English literature in the EFL classroom. Include the importance of stressing
Higher Order Thinking Skills (explicitly and implicitly) when teaching
literature but don't make it the foucs of the course. Require anyone who
does not have a degree in literature or a certain number of academic
literature courses to take such a course.
Step Two: Require every student to complete a literature log that includes a
given number of literary pieces; require five point students need to include
a literature related research project as part of their log. The Oral Bagrut
exam will focus on the log in much the same way it focused on the Bagrut
Project.
Step Three: Explore additional possibilities of changing the structure
of Module D and Module F so that they are literature related but not
necessarily related to specific texts. For instance the essay question
could be related to the literature Log or include writing a formal letter to
the author of a text read; five point students can be asked to compare a
piece of literature they read to a literary UNSEEN.
Step Four: Evaluate Steps one, two and three and try to improve the
program. At this stage, consider reducing the English Bagrut to two modules
and an oral exam.
To summarize what I have written--sorry for being so long-winded--focus on
what is most important: teaching literature effectively and don't focus on
the explicit teaching of HOTS.
Debora
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