[etni] Re: second project
- From: "N&M Barbiru" <nehamab@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, <sharontzu5@xxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 10:23:34 +0200
**** ETNI on the web http://www.etni.org.il http://www.etni.org ****
I second each and every word that Sharon wrote.
The second project should be rethought.
Nehama
Sharon Wrote:
> Recently, teachers have been writing in about their concerns over Vaadat
> Dovrat, and rightly so. However, the issue is a national one affecting all
> teachers. There is another issue which I think we should raise which
> relates
> only to high school English teachers.
> I have just heard that beginning with this year's 10th grade students, we
> are supposed to be doing TWO projects instead of one.
> I think this will put us into an impossible situation, and I would expect
> the ministry to get our feedback about doing ONE project before having us
> do
> a second one.
>
> I know that many people have written in positive feedback about projects
> to
> the list. However, I'd like to say that I find the results very mixed.
> There are students who are happy about the projects, did a decent job, and
> gave positive feedback. However, there are also students who hated doing
> the
> project, had a great deal of difficulty doing the project, or who never
> even
> completed the project. In our first class of native speakers, we had 2
> students who never did a project (albeit one of them is a very marginal
> student who rarely comes to school) I'm having a great deal of trouble
> with
> my 4 point class, because it is so difficult for them to read source
> material in English... especially the weaker ones. And w spend a
> tremendous
> amount of time on the projects - while we are still expected to cover the
> same literature program as in the past almost the same number of books as
> in
> the past, and certainly must still spend time on reading comprehension,
> listening comprehension, writing, grammar, speaking, etc. (and I have to
> make sure to expose the students to a large range of reading genres!) I
> just
> don't see how we will be able to do a second project in addition to
> everything we are doing now. As it is, we don't really have time to all we
> are expected to do.
>
> A second problem is that of school resources. There are only so many
> computers available for any given classroom hour. Our resources are
> already
> stretched to the limit. We simply won't have resources available to enable
> a
> second project per pupil.
>
> like to relate a story. In our school, beginning last year, one "unit" of
> Tushba is now being done as a paper that students prepare in pairs - and
> this in place of 1 external bagrut exam. We are considered a "good" school
> in a "good" area. Last year, 6 of our girls finished school without a
> bagrut
> certificate because they never managed to get their paper in! The Toshaba
> teacher is now trying to go back to the old method - and think that this
> paper is done in the student's native tongue!
>
> Besides lack of resources and the problem of students who do not benefit
> from the project, there is the question of our workload. When we were
> first
> told about the projects we asked about extra pay for this extra workload.
> We
> were told that it really isn't more work because we can give a test or two
> less. I have to say that neither part of the previous sentence is true.
> Doing projects and assessing them is a TON of extra work - starting with
> the preparation, continuing with the supervision, and ending with the
> assessment. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I have my students turn
> in
> ALL their sources, and I read them. Otherwise, I have no way of knowing
> whether or not they cut and pasted, or related to their sources, etc. The
> assessment takes a lot of time. All of this is far more work than giving a
> test or two which I can theoretically skip - I say theoretically, because
> I
> have not fund that the project means I can give fewer tests. Now that I
> have
> to give three differential school grades - one per module, I have to give
> more tests if anything - certainly not less.
>
> Furthermore, I've been interviewing students about how they feel about the
> project. A few really enjoyed it. Many others didn't and thought is was a
> waste of time. Several reported that the work was only done by some of the
> students while others in the group did nothing. Some reported that they
> learned a lot about doing research, but many did not feel that it helped
> their English. When I asked if they think it would be a good idea to have
> students do a second project, they ALL said no!
> I would like to make a proposal. Have one project mandatory. Allow
> teachers
> (or students) who wish to do a second project to do so.. but it would be
> in
> place of 2 pieces of literature. (This might allow the teacher to have
> students do a literary based project instead of the present research-like
> project) - but do not make two projects mandatory!
>
> I think it is really important that we get together on this - and if other
> teachers feel the way I do, I think we should begin with a massive e-mail
> write in campaign - write to the "contact us" address of anglit.net. I
> really think we should do this now, before things become a fact.
> Yours,
>
> Sharon Tzur
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ##### To send a message to the ETNI list email: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> #####
> ##### Send queries and questions to: ask@xxxxxxxx #####
##### To send a message to the ETNI list email: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx #####
##### Send queries and questions to: ask@xxxxxxxx #####
Other related posts:
