Comments on: Humanities and the DY/DAN Method http://erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/ Notes on education, writing, litracy, and culture Sat, 13 Mar 2010 17:39:48 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: The World (of English) According to Me - Pt. 1 | Sicheii Yazhi http://erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/comment-page-1/#comment-246 The World (of English) According to Me - Pt. 1 | Sicheii Yazhi Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:18:49 +0000 http://blog.erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/#comment-246 [...] an earlier post, Humanities and the DY/DAN Method, I linked to Dan Meyer’s blog and his take on assessment and homework in the mathematics [...] [...] an earlier post, Humanities and the DY/DAN Method, I linked to Dan Meyer’s blog and his take on assessment and homework in the mathematics [...]

]]> By: dy/dan » Blog Archive » Guiding Principles For Assessment http://erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/comment-page-1/#comment-244 dy/dan » Blog Archive » Guiding Principles For Assessment Fri, 06 Jun 2008 14:34:14 +0000 http://blog.erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/#comment-244 [...] I don't know how to fully control for synthesis. I don't know how to fully control for rote memorization. I don't know how to fully integrate this into the humanities. [...] [...] I don’t know how to fully control for synthesis. I don’t know how to fully control for rote memorization. I don’t know how to fully integrate this into the humanities. [...]

]]> By: Jeff Wasserman http://erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/comment-page-1/#comment-245 Jeff Wasserman Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:11:25 +0000 http://blog.erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/#comment-245 I'm eagerly waiting to see where this goes. I have some ideas as well, but I need to stay focused on getting through this year before I can start doing some grand theorizing. There's got to be a better way of assessing students' progress in English class. There simply has to be. In the meantime, I'm glad that top men are working on this right now. I’m eagerly waiting to see where this goes. I have some ideas as well, but I need to stay focused on getting through this year before I can start doing some grand theorizing. There’s got to be a better way of assessing students’ progress in English class. There simply has to be.
In the meantime, I’m glad that top men are working on this right now.

]]> By: Eric http://erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/comment-page-/#comment-243 Eric Mon, 19 May 2008 11:23:41 +0000 http://blog.erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/#comment-243 Thanks for the comment, Dan. I strongly agree with your critique that too many assignments (homework or not) are given in order to have something to grade and with no real sense of purpose. I also agree that a grade should tell the teacher and the student, as precisely as possible, where the student is succeeding and where s/he is struggling (#2 on your list). I'm with you on #1, also ... the English discipline has both concepts and skills. The student's work throughout the course should focus on mastering the concepts and skills deemed relevant/appropriate for that course, and hi/r final grade should reflect hi/r level of mastery <em>by the end of the course</em>. I'm drafting a post outlining the major concepts and skills that English has to wrestle with, and then will consider options for effective assessment. This is fun stuff. I have the luxury to re-think all of this without the pressure of having to implement it immediately, so I'm taking my time and looking for as much input from others as I can get. Thanks for the impetus. Thanks for the comment, Dan.

I strongly agree with your critique that too many assignments (homework or not) are given in order to have something to grade and with no real sense of purpose. I also agree that a grade should tell the teacher and the student, as precisely as possible, where the student is succeeding and where s/he is struggling (#2 on your list).

I’m with you on #1, also … the English discipline has both concepts and skills. The student’s work throughout the course should focus on mastering the concepts and skills deemed relevant/appropriate for that course, and hi/r final grade should reflect hi/r level of mastery by the end of the course.

I’m drafting a post outlining the major concepts and skills that English has to wrestle with, and then will consider options for effective assessment.

This is fun stuff. I have the luxury to re-think all of this without the pressure of having to implement it immediately, so I’m taking my time and looking for as much input from others as I can get.

Thanks for the impetus.

]]> By: Dan Meyer http://erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/comment-page-1/#comment-242 Dan Meyer Mon, 19 May 2008 03:32:09 +0000 http://blog.erichoefler.com/2008/05/18/humanities-and-the-dydan-method/#comment-242 Your timing has me jumping the gun on a post in draft, so pardon my dust. First, as to homework, no way can you avoid it in the humanities. Whether reading or writing a text, class hours aren't enough. I'm fine with math homework, too, but I'm very suspicious of problem set like #1-30 (odd) or problem sets which don't indicate any differentiation at all or problem sets in a class where management is extremely poor or problems sets in a class where time is wasted constantly. But in all those other classes, have at it. As for assessment, I have no idea how the dy/dan method (um?) works in the humanities. I can guess: not well, especially the way I have it set up. I think then, it's best to start, not from a gradebook schematic, but from two guiding principles for grading & assessment. 1. A student's grade should reflect her <em>current</em> understanding of the course, not last month's. 2. Assessment should direct both teacher and student to remediation. (An F on "Chapter 2 Test" when we're in Chapter 7 doesn't tell us anything.) I guess those will do for a start. Traditional assessment in most courses fails on both counts. Your timing has me jumping the gun on a post in draft, so pardon my dust.

First, as to homework, no way can you avoid it in the humanities. Whether reading or writing a text, class hours aren’t enough. I’m fine with math homework, too, but I’m very suspicious of problem set like #1-30 (odd) or problem sets which don’t indicate any differentiation at all or problem sets in a class where management is extremely poor or problems sets in a class where time is wasted constantly.

But in all those other classes, have at it.

As for assessment, I have no idea how the dy/dan method (um?) works in the humanities. I can guess: not well, especially the way I have it set up. I think then, it’s best to start, not from a gradebook schematic, but from two guiding principles for grading & assessment.

1. A student’s grade should reflect her current understanding of the course, not last month’s.

2. Assessment should direct both teacher and student to remediation. (An F on “Chapter 2 Test” when we’re in Chapter 7 doesn’t tell us anything.)

I guess those will do for a start. Traditional assessment in most courses fails on both counts.

]]>