[etni] Fw: re: lit in exam
- From: "Ask_Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "ETNI" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:21:18 +0200
----- Original Message -----
From: judyastary@xxxxxxxxx - judyastary@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: lit in exam
Everyone has been piping out their utopian dreams of having literature on
the test again and believe me, I too would love these to become a reality.
However, two major points have not been raised in this discussion and they
are the main reasons that literature was initially removed, first as part of
the written Bagrut in the 1980's and then from the Oral test in the 90's.
1. The subjectivity of marking literature
2. Taksiv (for training teachers to teach and the actual testing
process+marking!)
Can anyone suggest ways to surmount these two crucial aspects?
Aside from the above, some of you might be dumbstruck to discover how little
many younger teachers know about literature - let alone teaching it - unless
they come from a literarybackground, i.e. have studied literature as a first
degree. In teacher training courses, the emphasis on lit. is not extensive.
(I choose my words advisedly since this emphasis varies from college to
college. However, very often the lit. courses are optional and generally not
opted for, in my experience. Can anyone prove the contrary?)
Judith Astary
Ora wrote:
I think that there must be creative ways of testing literature in the
bagrut
that can replace the obsolete methods you so correctly object to in your
message below:
For example:
1) Part of the exam could be about a set text, and the other part an unseen
poem or story.
2) Or else the questions can be asked in such a way that pupils have to
answer about the text they studied (from an approved list of options). For
example "Discuss the conflict in one of the stories".
3) There can be an element of choice, to cater to all the sections of
Israeli society.
4) The questions can test facts, perhaps more for the four point exam. They
can also test the pupils' ability to distinguish literary elements such as
point of view, voice, tone, mood, theme, form, characterization, and all the
other elements we teach in our literature classes.
This is not a "black or white" situation, i.e. either the old way of testing
literature or maintain the present situation where some of the teachers
don't even teach literature because it's not tested in the bagrut.
It's difficult and expensive to make changes. This is something I realize.
Sharon wrote:
I STRONGLY disagree with those who want to put lit back in the bagrut exam.
Do you know what that would mean? It would mean going back to the days when
we had to choose from a set number of pieces!! Today, we are free to choose
the literature we like, and even more important, literature that suits our
students. In a country with a large number of "sub-cultures", literature
that speaks to one groups may not speak to another. Furthermore, we are
free to choose a variety of assessment tools. I, for example, award
students points in literature for intelligent answers given in class. This
has proved a great motivating factor in literature lessons. In contrast,
standardized tests on literature tend to be pretty much tests of memory -
a student with good "Cliff" notes or the equivalent can invariably do well
on a standardized literature exam without even reading the work itself.
I realize that some teachers shortcut literature. That is there problem (and
their students). I don't see why I should be punished if some teachers are
not doing their job.
As to students who wait till they graduate and retest without a school
grade; first, it is very foolish not to take the exam in school. It means
the student is not eligible to get a bagrut certificate when he/she
completes high school. If I'm not mistaken, when such a student takes the
exam later, it will be the latest grade that counts - not the highest -
until he/she fulfills all the bagrut requirements. Furthermore, I'm not sure
that the oral exam counts for such a student. If they want to take the exam
and retest later - fine. Students who decide not to make an effort to study
literature or do a project because they can retest later without these
elements not only end up learning less English - they also lose the
opportunity to get a higher school grade than they might achieve on the
exam. (A lot of students do better in literature than on unseens because
they can prepare, and they can do well even if their level of English is not
that high). I haven't come across too many students who decide in advance
not to try to get a high school grade just because they can retest later
without one.
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