I read Eliana Finerman's comments about the outmoded nature of solo assessments.
I find that in my life, there are a variety of contexts in which I have to recall, discuss, synthesize and respond with no one's help. I also find that the brain, as a muscle, needs a variety of types of exercise which keep it fit, even if they don't necessarily reflect activities which crop up in every day use. Students need a balance in assessments -- some which demand that they know how to work with others, some which stress the skill of digging and finding information and some which expect that the student can retain, recall, organize and present information on his or her own. While our lives are increasingly "connected" we run the risk of relying on crutches and being unable to function without them. Students can insist that they no longer need to proofread, use a dictionary, or even watch their spelling, as they subcontract their textual awareness to a computer. They won't be able to do the math in their heads because a calculator is always nearby. The bottom line is that they will forget how to remember and think because they will always be able to rely on some technology (or smarter student) who can remember and do the thinking for them.
When I have to speak clearly with customer service, I don't ask for help. When I have to explain to my wife why I prefer this car to that one I don't ask Siri to do it for me. And when the internet cannot explain algebra to my daughter, and I have to sit with her, I had better hope that I have retained some training and intuition so I can plug the gaps. Clearly, this is not to say that technology and group work do not have their place, but when I get into an argument over the Shabbos table, I had better be able to recall facts and assemble an argument and not expect anyone or anything to help me. I must be for myself.
Unless we aim to embrace groupthink and eschew any sense of individual success, we should be expecting that one of the skills students demonstrate is the ability to think and perform for themselves.
Rabbi Daniel Rosen
Chair, Dept. of English
The Frisch School
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/25/2016 07:08AM by mlb.
