I am unclear how your intervention bears on the individual/collective action
relation from what you have written, Emily.
mike
On 8/6/06, duvalleg@adelphia.net <duvalleg@adelphia.net> wrote:
>
> Hi bb and All,
> Your question:
>
> "Are different processes implicated depending upon how one thinks about
> the individual/collective relation?"
>
> seems to touch on my work.
> I have taken a state mandated, high stakes assessment of 3rd grade reading
> and transformed it into a Dynamic Standards of Learning Assessment - for
> children with learning disabilities. The results of the pilot are very
> promising - so agree the participants, parents, teachers and even
> administrators. The question for me is... can there by a buy-in for the
> collaborative nature of dynamic assessment in an environment that esteems
> the autonomous individual?
>
> Emily
> ---- xmca-whoever@comcast.net wrote:
> > Hi,
> >
> > Just a brief response -- need to think a bit more -- but what was
> important to me about organizing 'joint activity''was the sentence
> "Assessments help to define and articulate the zone between the everyday
> actions of the present and new and possible forms of activity."
> >
> > It's proleptic AND the statement moves from the level of actions in the
> present -- not necessarily coordinated , to the level of activity in the
> future-- definitely coordinated.
> >
> > And we are composing a collective subject - it's a thought piece for the
> university.
> >
> > This question is a tough one: "Are different processes implicated
> depending upon how one thinks about the individual/collective relation?"
> >
> > My gut response is 'yes', but that response is not easily forthcoming
> from my observations. More processing needed...
> >
> >
> > bb
> >
> >
> > -------------- Original message ----------------------
> > From: "Mike Cole" <lchcmike@gmail.com>
> > > bb--
> > >
> > > Your "sidebar" on the practices associated with assessment at Lesley
> got me
> > > thinking about several issues. But I'll comment just
> > > on one. Perhaps others will be encouraged to comment on other aspects
> of
> > > your report, perhaps not. Anyway, here is what caught
> > > my attention:
> > >
> > > Community members make no distinction between their day to day work
> and
> > > assessment, but rather identify assessment as the process for
> collecting
> > > evidence that will assist them in their continuing and new work.
> > >
> > > What struck me is that this characterization of (ideal?) members'
> normative
> > > behavior is a lot like what we might term "crticial
> > > thinking" at the level of individuals.This thought, in turn, got me to
> > > reflected on the issue of the "subject" of activity in various
> > > activity theory discussion. Is the subject an individual, or a
> collective
> > > subject? Are differrent processes implicated depending upon
> > > how one thinks about the individual/collective relation?
> > >
> > > I assume that as is true of most people, some of the time community
> members
> > > are not thinking of assessment (evaluatng
> > > crtically the consequences of their actions, at other times -- some of
> them
> > > institutionally mandated by such contingencies
> > > as progress reports or accredidation deadlines--- assessment becomes
> the
> > > leading concern.
> > >
> > > Would it be proper to say that a cultural of evidence takes the
> statement in
> > > red above as an ideal that members value to be strived
> > > for and valorized, a norm that helps to organize joint activity?
> > > mike
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > On 8/4/06, bb <xmca-whoever@comcast.net> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > As a sidebar to the present discussion, I've spent the greater part
> of
> > > > this week involved in program assessment and redesign with the goal
> of
> > > > supporting my institution's application for a new national
> > > > accreditation. In this context I reviewed a vision paper on
> assessment
> > > > practices at the university, written several years ago, sponsored by
> the
> > > > provost, and of which I was a coauthor. We adopted the term
> "culture of
> > > > evidence" (which was used heavily this week) and proceeded to adapt
> it to
> > > > our circumstances, with the following exerpt providing the core
> definition
> > > > -- of which I was pleased to rediscover that the last paragraph has
> > > > a clearly traceable influence to this forum and its several of its
> > > > participants.
> > > > bb
> > > > -----------------------------
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > III Culture of Evidence
> > > > One outstanding pattern in models of best practices that appear in
> the
> > > > literature, and on the Internet, is the systemic weaving of
> assessment into
> > > > the fabric of the institution, as a culture of evidence. Assessment
> is not
> > > > simply patched onto extant practices, as an adjunct or summative
> process,
> > > > but instead is integrated into day to day routines and operations,
> and
> > > > thereby is integrated into the totality of work in the
> > > > institution. Assessment data provides the basis upon which
> departments,
> > > > programs, schools, and individuals evaluate their practices in
> relation to
> > > > their stated goals and the university mission, and upon which
> decisions are
> > > > then made to support the operations of the institution and to make
> > > > improvements. Culture of evidence specifically refers, in its ideal
> form, to
> > > > the systemic coordination of people in an institution who are:
> > > >
> > > > Identifying and addressing student, faculty, and staff issues,
> > > >
> > > > Consulting about data needs and assessment methodologies,
> > > >
> > > > Planning and designing assessments,
> > > >
> > > > Ensuring sound assessment methodology using current
> technologies and
> > > > techniques,
> > > >
> > > > Routinely collecting and analyzing student-oriented data,
> > > >
> > > > Organizing to continually address selected needs and demands
> of the
> > > > university,
> > > >
> > > > Providing institutional support for assessment practices and
> their
> > > > improvements,
> > > >
> > > > Ensuring that collected data are analyzed, interpreted, and
> > > > disseminated to all invested decision-makers, who include faculty,
> advisors,
> > > > support staff, as well as administrators.
> > > >
> > > > Our use of the term culture is to convey an ideal that is not
> > > > undemocratic: everyone gets involved, the process is not one of
> mandated
> > > > changes, and assessment becomes a shared tool. By definition, each
> member
> > > > of a culture necessarily enacts the practices that constitute that
> culture,
> > > > and the culture of evidence can be thought in part as the
> consolidated and
> > > > collaborative coordination of assessment practices in an
> > > > institution. Members of the community continuously ask: What do we
> > > > know? How do we know it? What resources do we have to do something
> about
> > > > what we know? Are we constituting and enacting a responsible
> system?
> > > >
> > > > In contrast to thinking of assessment as an external activity,
> assessment
> > > > is recognized as an ongoing ethnography of the balance between
> challenges
> > > > and capacities. Assessments help to define and articulate the zone
> between
> > > > the everyday actions of the present and new and possible forms of
> > > > activity. Community members make no distinction between their day
> to day
> > > > work and assessment, but rather identify assessment as the process
> for
> > > > collecting evidence that will assist them in their continuing and
> new
> > > > work. This way of thinking about assessment also constitutes the
> culture of
> > > > evidence, where decision-making and planning is based on the data
> and
> > > > information created during the processes of learning, teaching, and
> > > > working. The culture of evidence is both a way of doing and a way
> of
> > > > thinking.
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