Jane reminds of when Standards were introduced and we were TOLD to
show examples of exemplary, proficient, etc......
I cringed and covered my eyes-- How dare we??????? How did we
forget the exploration??????
Here's what I'm working on ( and I stole this from somewhere I
don"t remember where):
When confronted with a problem, I spend time gathering information
about it from several sources:
I ask questions to get more information:
I examine beliefs, assumptions and opinions and weigh use them to
inform my work:
I refrain from making judgements or decisions until I've considered
all options.:
I try to see the merits of others' opinions even if they are
different from mine:
I enjoy finding new solutions to problems:
For this project I…
If we are to continue to advocate that art fosters critical thinking
then we MUST ask the thinking questions. More and more my assessment
is about the process and not the product. I teach high school and I
am sick to death of kids with so much to say stifled by conventions
and what they think is expected. I am sick to death of slick
technique over idea. And I'm sick to death of lessons that mimic
instead of asking the "what if" questions.
Patty
On Feb 12, 2008, at 3:28 PM, ejb35@columbia.edu wrote:
> When assessment started to be a serious discussion for art teachers,
> a video example made my blood boil. The assignment was to make a
> "whisper box" out of paper. Just an empty cube of paper. And to
> decorate it "appropriately." Then the box examples were rated. Some
> were colorful and school-art "pleasing" as Patty described, you
> know, PLEASING.
>
> One box was covered with little pencil scratches and runes, very
> lightly, hard to make out. In other words, a perfect whisper box...
> and IT GOT THE LOWEST RATING.
>
> So, when you make an assignment, think: what should students know
> and be able to do for an "appropriate" outcome?
>
> One time an AP told me she wanted every single thing every single
> student did in art to have a rubric of 20 items to rate attached,
> every day. Let's see, 150 students a day, five days a week times
> the daily work efforts in a 40 minute period times 20 items to
> assess and each of those 20 items had 4 rating categories...
>
> So make the rubric useful and sensible, and hand a duplicate to the
> student to fill out for self-assessment.
>
> Given the project description, students can write what they intended
> to make/do and how they think it turned out; What might they do
> differently next time? As for skill evaluation, What did they do
> best? What do they need to work on?
>
> Be simple, be specific. And as my granny would say: Good, better,
> best, never let it rest, 'till your good is better and your better
> best!
>
> To all who assess, best wishes. Jane in Brooklyn
>
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