Will traditional unit tests be eradicated from your curriculum then— with an “event” like the one above replacing each?
By: Wendy on October 21, 2007 at 9:28 pm
If assessment mirrors instruction, which in is the only way that you can effectively use assessment, then why would one want to give a “traditional test”?
By: Thomas on October 22, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Ahh, the Pizza project. While I used it myself before and shared the idea with other teachers, who are now sharing it with others, I no longer think it fits 100% with the idea of performance-based assessment. At least it doesn’t necessarily get high marks on all of the characteristics that I would like to see in a PBA. It is not necessarily culturally authentic and it obviously is not a real communicative situation. Now when I look back at it, it really is just a glorified project. Now, granted, it is a project that gets students to talk (a lot), but it’s not what I would want from a good PBA. It is much more important to think about: What is the goal here? Why are we doing that? I don’t think the pizza project can answer those questions satisfactory.
By: Thomas Sauer on October 22, 2007 at 6:25 pm
@wendy-I would agree with what Thomas has said. If the performance event is set up well (and it might take several tries to get it right) it should measure exactly the things that students have been practicing during instruction in an authentic setting of the target culture. What could be better? Which is why, ahem…, I have to make this next concession.
@ thomas – wow, you have made a very valid point that I didn’t even take into consideration. Perhaps it could be tailored somehow to become more authentic? A personal crepe? quesadilla? Palatschinke? But how to make the communicative scenario authentic? That might take some major tweaking… in that case we would probably have to drop the food association out of it.
…But that’s part of the fun of it. I guess I would side for being less of a purist here. Perhaps this project can play a role more as a transition into the world of PBAs.. (for both teacher and student) it’s not quite there but it’s getting there. I think that if it is placed at the beginning of the year– and not as a culminating activity–there’s no harm in it. And sometimes we can go outside of the normal target culture just to enjoy a little silliness or absurdity—and high schoolers especially enjoy absurdity. It could work well as a simple review and it would generate excitement for the remainder of the year.
In the end though I have to agree that it would be better if this event could be a little more authentically associated to the target culture. A work in progress?
Will traditional unit tests be eradicated from your curriculum then— with an “event” like the one above replacing each?
By: Wendy on October 21, 2007
at 9:28 pm
If assessment mirrors instruction, which in is the only way that you can effectively use assessment, then why would one want to give a “traditional test”?
By: Thomas on October 22, 2007
at 12:47 pm
Ahh, the Pizza project. While I used it myself before and shared the idea with other teachers, who are now sharing it with others, I no longer think it fits 100% with the idea of performance-based assessment. At least it doesn’t necessarily get high marks on all of the characteristics that I would like to see in a PBA. It is not necessarily culturally authentic and it obviously is not a real communicative situation. Now when I look back at it, it really is just a glorified project. Now, granted, it is a project that gets students to talk (a lot), but it’s not what I would want from a good PBA. It is much more important to think about: What is the goal here? Why are we doing that? I don’t think the pizza project can answer those questions satisfactory.
By: Thomas Sauer on October 22, 2007
at 6:25 pm
@wendy-I would agree with what Thomas has said. If the performance event is set up well (and it might take several tries to get it right) it should measure exactly the things that students have been practicing during instruction in an authentic setting of the target culture. What could be better? Which is why, ahem…, I have to make this next concession.
@ thomas – wow, you have made a very valid point that I didn’t even take into consideration. Perhaps it could be tailored somehow to become more authentic? A personal crepe? quesadilla? Palatschinke? But how to make the communicative scenario authentic? That might take some major tweaking… in that case we would probably have to drop the food association out of it.
…But that’s part of the fun of it. I guess I would side for being less of a purist here. Perhaps this project can play a role more as a transition into the world of PBAs.. (for both teacher and student) it’s not quite there but it’s getting there. I think that if it is placed at the beginning of the year– and not as a culminating activity–there’s no harm in it. And sometimes we can go outside of the normal target culture just to enjoy a little silliness or absurdity—and high schoolers especially enjoy absurdity. It could work well as a simple review and it would generate excitement for the remainder of the year.
In the end though I have to agree that it would be better if this event could be a little more authentically associated to the target culture. A work in progress?
By: johnkrueger on October 23, 2007
at 12:38 pm