Help Me Assess My Assessment

Poem: Quote from Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare 

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; 
The valiant never taste of death but once. 
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, 
It seems to me most strange that men should fear; 
Seeing that death, a necessary end, 
Will come when it will come.” 

Statement of the Whole: Talk to almost anyone in education and probably sooner than later, the discussion will turn to the hardest aspect of education: assessment.  How do we know if we have taught a good lesson?  How do we know if the student has caught our great lesson?  Why are many forms of testing fraught with the language of suffering, hardship, and even death?  The Backporch dives into this deep pool and swims about with broad strokes.  Come on in, the water is warm!

Should Teaching Be Fun?

Poem: none 

Statement of the Whole: Fun is a fun word to define.  It is even funner to try and inculcate into today’s educational world.  Jason and Steve play around with the word for a while in this episode on how enjoyable learning can be and what the expectations for today’s classroom imply about good learning and teaching.  Come join in the fun; you may be surprised by the experience. 

Adjusting the Climate of the Classroom

The Thermostat Episode  

Poem: Section 106 from Tennyson’s In Memoriam 

Statement of the Whole: 

Every classroom has its own unique temperature or climate.  What determines how that classroom feels?  Given that each student is unique, is it even possible to form a specific climate in the room, or will everyone perceive it differently?  What kinds of things go into classroom climate formation?  Jason and Steve discuss their own classrooms and their assessment of these and many other questions.  This discussion should apply to any classroom (home or school) at any age level. 

Resources: 

  • Gibbs, Joshua.  Something They Will Not Forget: A Handbook for Classical Teachers. Circe Instititue, 1 July 2019. 
  • Hicks, David V. Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education. University Press of America, 30 Sept. 1999. 
  • Palmer, Parker.  The Courage to Teach.  Jossey-Bass, 1998.  
  • Taylor, James.  Poetic Knowledge: the Recovery of Education. SUNY, 1998.