Re: just a little more portfolio assessment

nate (schmolze who-is-at students.wisc.edu)
Sat, 27 Feb 1999 22:34:24 -0600

-----Original Message-----
From: Eugene Matusov <ematusov who-is-at UDel.Edu>
To: xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu <xmca@weber.ucsd.edu>
Date: Saturday, February 27, 1999 4:15 PM
Subject: RE: just a little more portfolio assessment

>> So for example kids learn fractions in second grade.
>
>As a teacher myself, I can't miss this sentence without an
ironic remark
>that this is at least wishful thinking. At best we can say that
"kids are
>taught fractions in second grade." Who knows what they learned
from that?!

A few semesters ago as part of a psychology course I was
required to interveiw-assess either children's or adults
cognition within a particular domain for problem solving. I
chose to assess adults and fraction knowledge was pretty much
absent. Adding, subtracting, dividing, multiplying fractions
were very difficult for the respondents. An irony for me was
the respondents that did the worse on the fractions applied the
knowledge to the greatest extent in everyday practice. I am
having a difficult time thinking of everyday situations in which
I would utilize the more scientific way fractions are taught in
schools. The last time I made supper and needed to add 1/3 and
1/4 of a cup of something, I don't remember coming up with a
common demoninater of 12 and pouring in 7/12 of a cup. The last
time I checked there weren't even 12th on a measuring cup.

>>then the
>> kid may never learn fractions. Ask yourself this: why would
a second
>> grader want to learn fractions,
>
>indeed! :-) Although, I wish the teachers can communicate it
to they
>students. It is may be a time to start a discussion why kids
should learn
>fraction in school. The discussion itself may either throw
fractions away
>from the school curriculum (like mandatory teaching ancient
Greek and Latin
>in past) or renew our societal motivation that the teachers can
communicate
>it to kids.

And if a teacher can not give a good argument for fractions at
least admit that the reason we learn/teach certain things in
school is because school's primary purpose is to sort kids.
>

>>Part
>> of what I
>> think is important in a zoped is the appropriation of more
than pure
>> cognition, but of the much richer array of motivation,
curiousity, affect,
>> interest, etc. and to blur several categories.
>
>I don't know how this notion of "appropriation" is different
form old good
>"transmission of basic skills"? But I never liked notions like
>"internalization, " "mastery," "appropriation" (see my article
on this
>critique in the recent issue of Human Development).
>

appropriation only becomes another word for internalization,
mastery etc. when we forget about mediation. If we take
mediation to heart it would imply that there is no direct
input - output relationship. While Vygotsky referred to this as
"doubled experience" for me its a good way to look at the zpd.

>>Here is a more mundane example -
>> a bus. To
>> the person who builds busses, or who drives them, or
maintains them, the
>> bus meets the needs of making a living. To the person who
rides the bus,
>> it meets the needs of getting from point a to point b, or
maybe it is
>> freedom to travel. To the city planner, the bus meets the
need of solving
>> public transportation problems, as well as indirectly making
a living. To
>> the cigarette company, the bus is a way to advertise their
products. To
>> the civil rights leader, the same bus may meet the need of
mediating a
>> discussion on equality. Artifacts, being created in complex
social
>> settings, are made complex by human activity. They often
meet many needs.
>> As for portfolios or other assessements, so it goes...
>
>I agree. However, different uses of the bus should be
coordinated - an ad
>stand on the bus roof should not cause danger when bus rides
under bridges.
>
I also think its important to remember the contractictions with
respect to the division of labor in reference to the bus
example. Recently in my city the city planners changed the bus
system around and the bus riders were very unhappy. Now the
busses come less often and people have to wait in bus hubs with
no seating because the middleclass communities did not want the
hubs to become a hang out. The routes are extended to include
the casual bus use in the sub divisions, but at the
inconvenience of the regular bus riders who depend on the busses
to get to work everyday. While busses and portfolios as a
boundry object may meet various players needs, it meets some
players needs better than others. At least with standurdized
tests we aren't fooled to think it has anything to do with
learning.

Nate