Emily, Would you share more -- anything that would help xmca get a better perspective on what you are doing?
bb
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: <duvalleg@adelphia.net>
> 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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> > > > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > > > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> > > >
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> > > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
> >
> >
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> > xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
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