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a. Any assessment that doesn't then lead to modifying instruction is wasted. Assessment is how the teacher ensures she knows where the student is and therefore what the student needs to get to where they should be. Even summative assessment guides the next lesson. When assessment stops guiding lessons and becomes an end to itself, students start to see it as the purpose of the lesson rather than vice versa, and that is unhealthy.

b. Grades are a form of extrinsic motivation: if you get good grades, at least in theory, it will help you professionally. This isn't necessarily a problem if grades and learning are always perfectly aligned, but that's essentially impossible to achieve. Too much focus on grades can make a student become demotivated, for instance, one who has trouble with a lesson because their grades are already down even when there's learning to do, or a student who can manage to get good grades without challenging themselves and genuinely learning. Obviously, all education involves consistent communication and assessment, but focus on grades can make that necessary assessment emotionally  loaded and difficult. I believe that the best teaching strives to help students find intrinsic motivations to learn by engaging them with things that are genuinely interesting and important to them. From this perspective, there is a necessary tension with the extrinsic motivator of grades. As for which deserves focus, the answer is obviously learning. Learning, at least in a good classroom, is useful to the student and will serve them in the future. Grades are merely indicators of learning and have no use except to make another person believe learning has happened.

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What makes essential questions important in designing meaningful, engaging learning environments?

Essential questions encourage students to connect their own ideas and values to the things you are doing in class. Without them, they can just be activities that the student doesn't have to engage with or consider at anymore than a superficial level. Essential questions push students to think deeper into what's being done and connect it to themselves in meaningful ways. Also, it provides practice in considering these same essential questions about life and being able to make thoughtful, deliberate decisions about meaningful things. The educational environment is an excellent place to safely develop those needed skills of reflection, planning and decision making that are at the base of everything in life.

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All of the criticisms that this article raises against the predominance of the Tyler Rationale seem very well formulated to me. I at some points wondered if it could be that they were intentional omissions; that is, that it was intended to be a general framework that could be mixed with any educational philosophy in order to make it more effective towards its own goals. That would make much of this critique somewhat beside the point. However, the Tyler rationale was ever taken as complete in and of itself, that would make this a very necessary piece. The most dangerous kind of philosophy that any person can engage in is the kind that isn't intentional and they aren't aware of, because it is so subject to inconsistency and influence by oppressive mores. Also, of course, in this case, as the article says, the Tyler rationale says little more than "gather multiple sources of information and assess honestly when making curriculum", which is I think legitimate, but obvious.

I personally have a negative reaction to the idea that education is meant to push students to behave in ways consistent with social norms. I think it is very easy for such a philosophy to fall into enforcing norms on students and trying to wall in student diversity. At base, I would argue that the goal of education is to empower to children to grow in healthy ways. Of course, I can't answer how one would distinguish when a child is being pushed towards norms and when they are growing into themselves consistently, which is a significant weakness.

I find the idea of unintended consequences of instruction to be very interesting and an excellent issue to raise. This may answer the earlier question the article raises about the difference between good education and brainwashing/torture/etc: the latter means of changing behavior cause trauma and other negative consequences which (good) education should never do (though in practice it can). This may also be a way to approach the difference between supported growth and coercion: coercion forces a student to hide away rather than realize parts of themselves, which has serious negative consequences.

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Lillie,
This is such a well-written reflection.  I have to agree with you on the notion of forcing social norms on children.  Who decides those, specifically?

Grade:  A
LP

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CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.4.OA.A.1
Interpret a multiplication equation as a comparison, e.g., interpret 35 = 5 × 7 as a statement that 35 is 5 times as many as 7 and 7 times as many as 5. Represent verbal statements of multiplicative comparisons as multiplication equations.

2a. The student would instinctively be able to move from phrases like "times as many" or "twice as big" to multiplication problems that would give the answer. Also, they would be able to rephrase multiplication problems as such statements rather than only seeing them as examples of a particular process.

2b. Word problems and real world problems would engage this standard. The teacher could ask the student to rephrase multiplication problems as sentences about their answer, possibly filling in blanks as a scaffold. Students could explain how they are going from facts to problems either to the teacher or to each other. Unit conversion involves this.

2c. The standard focuses on having a flexible and thorough understanding of what multiplication is as well as being able to do it consistently.

2d. The student should be introduced and have a grasp on basic multiplication. They should understand addition and subtraction as combining and finding differences, respectively. They should be able to understand multiplicative comparisons and comparisons in general. Their understanding of math should be joined with their understanding of other subjects.

2e. They should be able to see how this understanding fits in with the understanding of multiple groups. They should be able to make similar comparisons about division "Five is a seventh as big as 35". They should start to feel confident with multiplication as an operation.

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You successfully "unpacked" this standard; your responses are exemplary!  Now you can see how much is involved in a single standard!

Grade = A
LP

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Lillie,
You make an excellent argument on grades and learning.  I especially like your  views on extrinsic motivation .  Your very last line in this response about grades being indicators made me say "Wow"! Your other responses are equally impressive. Keep up the good work!

Attendance Participation Points granted.
LP

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Formative informs instruction.
Summative demonstrates it.

Assess student progress.
Make something meaningful.

Constantly assess students
quickly then productively

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Lillie,
You need to have a visual for each story.

LP

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Feedback and Score for Differentiated Instruction Assignment

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Feedback and Score for Differentiated Instruction Assignment

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Lillie,
First of all, I love the activity! :)  You did an excellent job thinking of very specific and deliberate strategies for your targeted students.  Well done!
Score = 10 points/10 points
LP

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Dr. P