What if the process not product mattered more?
I remember one junior high math teacher above all others because she taught me to show my work.
She said that the process of getting to your answer was just as important as the answer at the end of the problem.
In that one exchange she showed me that the process was just as important as the product, and through following the process we could better arrive at the right product.
Just a little riff that comes to mind as I’ve been reading through a few related posts today around ePortfolios - or rather Personal Learning Environments. The first comes via Dave Tosh
then over to Aaron Campbell.
Are portfolios finished products or process markers or both? Can they coexist? How do you assess growth, or a person in development? Aren’t most schools geared to measure success or failure? The “in-between” or the journey seems to matter little.
And even if a school valued the journey in assessment, how would you arrive at a “this is good development” or “this is bad?” Can you grade that sort of thing?
I’m all for the Personal Learning Environment. I’m working to employ them where I work…I just wonder how the school and the portfolio should work together.
Great stuff, man
THe analogy of the math teacher is brilliant. It has me thinking…in math, you usually get partial marks even if you don’t arrive at the right ‘end note’, as long as you show your work.
I wonder why we don’t do the same in humanities or english classes? Hmmm….very good stuff to ponder.
Perhaps with an essay, for example, having the proposal or outline being worth a substantial amount, as well as the bibliography the student is working with.
I have had this in university courses. TO be honest, I didn’t enjoy them. I found the way I thought was quite different than a formal ‘proposal’ as it was dictated in form.
I like this idea. I think it needs implementation.
We do need to acknowledge that the journey is just as important as the end destination.
Thanks for that.
Comment by james matthew — February 14, 2006 @ 3:06 pm
Super late reply…sorry. Yes this does need implementation…but more so I think it needs a rethink about how school evaluates things. How can we bring on that kind of reform?
More focus needs to come on the process of growth, because that has just as much value as the end or final product. And that leads me to the greatest question of all in all this, is there ever really a final product?
I don’t think so, unless you’re into being out of date.
Comment by Aaron Nelson — February 28, 2006 @ 10:20 pm