Education 830 Class notes: May 12th, 2012

Bavan Singh

What -ISMS have shaped our thinking about evaluation in education. Factory Metaphor An industrial metaphor for schooling is highly problematic and yet it persists. Why? The ISMS- What are the theories that support an industrial/factory model for education.

The only way to think about it differently Industrialism (production and product) is to think with it. But Modernism it is easier to think with Positivism (measurable standards) simplicity- easier to sell if we talk in terms people know, we gain legitimacy its means we mean businessassures people and parents generalizations are made between teachers and parents accountability- by reducing ambiguity and uncertainty Consumerism (supply and demand) Multiculturalism (together or apart?) Classism (who is regulating and managing)- maintaining the teacher students relationship as it is- The teacher is always the expert Reductionism (chunking lessons and ideas so that they can be broken down and easy to deal with- reduce something big) Ageism- hierarchical relationship of time and wisdom- the more you know the wiser you are. Diminish experience based on age, therefore we are norm referencing ages, therefore we are stunting the ability of students Optimism vs pessimism- we are optimistic, and the board or testers are pessimistic (it is a deficit model) Conformism- socialize and make them the same Collectivism Behaviourism- a certain input leads to a certain output

Education 830 Empiricism

Bavan Singh

Oppressionism- limited freedom for students Social constructivism (Humanism, Sexism, multiculturalism) Travel Metaphor If you are thinking what kinds of metaphors would be appropriate in thinking about education? What would be appropriate for this model? Evaluation Methods: journaling as a means of understanding student experience observation of enjoyment and engagement reflection meeting and conferencing individual conferencing about what the student wants to do and how, as well as what the teacher is doing and can then be reflective- a means of opening up student, teacher and subject matter content snapshots of a progression- pre, post and final assessment- a means of grasping the journey itself (portfolio for example, or a passport showing borders they crossed, or places they have beento show unintended outcomes) look to the graduates of the program and see how they are as people- are they happy? What are they doing? What have they done since they left the program? Flexibility of thinking

Naturalistic and Responsive Approaches to Education

Features Qualitative

Education 830

Bavan Singh Non-language based ways of knowing knowledge- multi-modal ways of showing understanding. Iterative: Reforming/Reshaping Autopoeisis- self sustaining system that is self organizingthey are very contextualized Rhizome-metaphor for philosophy and biology- a type of plant that will sprout wherever in an unpredictable pattern. You cant identify the parent plant or see the connection between the pieces- a lack of correlation To be open Realizing possibilities Responsive evaluation- honour the values and beliefs of the people Inclusive of stakeholders Biological Participatory Ethnographic approaches Phenomenological (students experiences as well as other features- not good for multiple choices)- spontaneity- questions of evaluation can emerge Interactive and conversational Connective of people and ideas. A network. Guardini quote from article 2investigation, validating

Education 830

Bavan Singh

Venn Diagrams of Chapter 3: Working with different worldviews, we can be talking, but we might not understand it, or be understood. Also, who is critiquing and how are they trained? Finally, who is paying for the evaluation and why? What Metaphor are you thinking with? How will that inform what you are thinking about evaluation? What is your educational stance? How do you think about education? You are not looking at your students as a cog in a system, so how do you see them? What was your 823 assignment on your credo, and where are you now? Naturalistic Commonalities- all evaluation has an objective! But what IS the objective? Program Theory Based Evaluation

Approach 13 -

High amount of expertise (teacher and evaluator)Familiarity of thoughtful and systemic content approach (this can be subjective observer emergent) subjectivity is valued vivid terms goal is to improve objective could be seen and fulfilled sameness with difference, and there is a structure, but there is a variety in the system Mozarts Musicyou have to know the system to change the system. Insight and analysis is necessary Common jargon so that people can understandcommunication is key Stakeholders involved Systematic Reality Process (fluid, responsive) Performance aspect See a value in providing a product Seeing a product from the end Whos paying for the

Approach 14 theory guides evaluation questions come from theory not practice objective looking at the quality of the theory not the practice pre-set ideas that want to fit an existing idea objectives based Tylerian

Approach 7: Performance Testing standards

Education 830 Rich, thick, vivid descriptions of the educational experience Illuminating the educational experience evaluation? -

Bavan Singh measurement factory language and model validation assessment of performance calibration

What are your IE questions? What might people involved in IE be asking? For example- How do I know if people are Imaginatively engaged? Do IE kids do better on tests than others?

Who is asking? Parents Teachers Students Administrators

What are they asking? Will my child lose something

What makes IE imaginative besides the name? How does IE fit into our cultural expectations of teaching, learning and thinking? What is the importance of the understandings? What is the importance of a metanarrative? How can engaging student curiosity and imagination improve the quality of life through learning? How do you measure imaginative

Education 830 engagement?

Bavan Singh

Are tests allowed in IE assessment? How will I be able to recognize an IE learning space/teacher upon entering their domain. Are IE students/teachers more emotionally intelligent?