Dear Etniers, I loved the idea of literature being introduced into the bagrut and like everyone I was against HOT because of the blurred categories that have to be taught (what is the difference , for example, between comparing two things and making connections???). However, I do see that metacognitive thinking is a good thing (making the student aware of what he is doing while he is doing it), but I am unhappy about making students choose ONE skill to discuss in an exam question (our thinking is far more complex than that..) Also, HOTs helps teachers who are not orientated towards teaching literature to find a way into literary texts that may be helpful to them (eg. today I will contextualize the text and then I will compare it to anther text etc..). So, whoever wants to know more about HOTs and teaching literature should take the course but HOTs should not be the focus of the lessons to students in the classrooms. The passion, emotion and drama already infused in literary texts should be the main point of the lessons. For those teachers who want to talk about HOTs that is fine, but it shouldn't be compulsory. So, my suggestion is: Do away with the bagrut exam (Literature F MODULE) AND the project which is the basis of the oral exam. Instead, have EVERYONE do the Literature Logs where teachers can choose from a wide range of texts and have students write monologues, diary entries, newspaper articles, plays, wanted posters etc, etc, based on the texts they have studied. The MOE can stipulate how many pieces of writing they want in each log. Instead of doing unseens and essays for the F module, teachers will be focusing on poems and stories and encouraging creative writing. Furthermore, let the oral exam be based on the literature log. External examiners can double check grades so that inflated marks are not given out to students. By doing away with the heavy emphasis on HOTs as well as the project, we can perhaps solve some of the complaints about pedagogy, work load and economic compensation. Glenda Sacks ----- Original Message ----- From: "ETNI list" <etni.list@xxxxxxxxx> To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 11:54 AM Subject: [etni] Fwd: re: alternative for F > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: sara g <saragabai@xxxxxxxxx> > Subject: Re: alternative for F > > historically - there was no G. > when the tzvira started - there was an F exam of 2:30 hrs with 2 > unseens and 2 writing tasks, like in the old 5 pt bagrut. (as far as i > remember). > the MOE said it had to be decided into 2 tests, to make it easier for > kids to retake just part, and not the whole thing. (that is one of the > basic ideas of the tzvira). > > so - late at night, the night before the ETAI conf. in beer-sheva of > that year, judy sent out a very cute email announcing the birth of > "baby G" . > > i think that more than looking for an alternative for module F, they > are looking for a way to get the lit back into the bagrut. which is a > good idea - but the question is how to do it. (NOT by turning the lit > into a tool to teach and test thinking skills.) > > one idea might be having the kids bring a portfolio of their book > reports and lit assignments to the oral exam. they would have to give > a 2 or 3 min. presentation on one of the pieces (inc. plot and why > they did or didn't like it). and the examiner could ask question like > "i see you read 2 detective books. do you like this genere? why? " > or "which of the poems that you studied was the most interesting" or > "which main character, from all the stories you studied, would you > like to have as a friend?" > these are NOT testing literary interpretation of the poem/story/play > (which i understand was a problem when lit was tested in the oral), > but they do make sure the teachers will teach literature. > > just an idea - and not all mine, but based on things i have talked > about with a few teachers. > > > Esta wrote: >> My feeling is that the Min of Ed is looking for an alternative for >> module F which is essentially the same as module G. And for that, I >> thank them all. >> The problem seems to be what the exam should be based on. >> Maybe a poll of some type could give us interesting results and thus >> an insight to what the teachers really want. > ----------------------------------------------- > ** Etni homepage - http://www.etni.org > ** for help - ask@xxxxxxxx ** > ** to post to this list - etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** > ----------------------------------------------- > ----------------------------------------------- ** Etni homepage - http://www.etni.org ** for help - ask@xxxxxxxx ** ** to post to this list - etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ** -----------------------------------------------