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Course 3, Chapter 8 - Theory Meets Practice

Module by: Fred Mednick

Figure 1: Theory is tested "in the field"
Harvesting Truth
Harvesting Truth (corn.jpg)

A Constructivist Approach

The poet, Kabir, once said, "Wherever you are is the entry point." That quote asserts an alternative view from the "Start with the Ending" approach first offered at the beginning of this course.

For A Teacher's Story that does not "start with the ending", but shows how a continually engagement in the present moment helps both teacher and students to learn and grow as they also assess, reflect, evaluate, (give and receive) effective feedback in a living curriculum, click here or on the document below:

To learn more about William Ayers and a constructivist approach to assessment and learning, click here.

Assignment 10: Active Reading and Dialogue

Assignment 10: Active Reading and Creating Dialogue

HOW TO GET TO ASSIGNMENT 10:

One Way

To do this assignment, click on the link in color at the top of the page. When it appears, press "Save" and name the file so that you can work on this assignment "off-line." You can type right on the assignment template. Be sure to save your assignment on a disk or on your computer hard drive.

Another Way

You can also copy the text below, and save it to your disk or computer.

GOAL: To reflect on A Teacher's Story and a constructivist approach to assessment through the use of a tool known as "Focused Freewriting."

GIVE: Feedback to others on their assignments at the TWB Learning Cafe.

Assignment 10: Active Reading and Creating Dialogue

  1. Choose a sentence or phrase within A Teacher's Story (on the previous page) that captures your attention. Re-type that sentence or phrase; put it in quotation marks. Now, use that sentence or phrase as a trigger to do a "Focused Freewrite" 2-3 paragraphs in length.

    Note:

    A Focused Freewrite is when you use a phrase or sentence from something you've read as a trigger for free-form writing - that is, you write any thoughts, questions, stories that come to mind as it relates to this phrase or sentence. Focused Freewrites may end up 2-3 paragraphs in length, and sometimes you'll stick to the trigger topic and sometimes your mind will wander into seemingly unrelated places. Give yourself permission to move between "wandering" and coming back to writing about the topic.
  2. Choose a sentence or phrase within the William Ayers article (on the previous page) that captures your attention. Re-type that sentence or phrase; put it in quotation marks. Now, use that sentence or phrase as a trigger to do a "Focused Freewrite" 2-3 paragraphs in length.

Assignment 11: Effectiveness of Course 3

Congratulations on completing Course 3: Assessment Practices!

As you know, there are several other courses for you to choose from. However, before you begin another course, please send an email to us at: ctm@teacherswithoutborders.org and let us know that you are ready to receive the "Effectiveness of Course 3 Survey." We ask that you complete this simple survey as your final assignment for Course 3.

We are eager to learn how to make this course even better. Thank you, in advance, for completing this survey as it will have an enormous impact for future versions of Course 3: Assessment Practices.

HOW TO POST TO YOUR E-PORTFOLIO

If you would like to learn how to post student reflections or other documents to your E-Portfolio, please click here.

SAVE YOUR STUDENTS' WORK

Save examples of your students' work as you go through these courses. You'll be glad you did. Course 5 asks you to post samples of your students' work for your final E-Portfolio.

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