10.15.2013

Altered Context

Implementing change in education must include changing teachers’ practices a beliefs. This does not mean abandoning beliefs but gradually replacing them with more relevant beliefs shaped by experiences in an altered context. And it is this altered context that may make the difference.
Teacher Beliefs and Practices Part I: Patterns of Change
http://www.apple.com/euro/pdfs/acotlibrary/rpt8.pdf

I had a discussion yesterday about the growing need for digital assessments in our interactive tv classrooms. The quote above seems relevant. The need has grown because the context of the mail system has changed. We can't change this context. The mail is now only touched once per day - which can translate to 3-5 days in transit - one way. That's the context. If the belief of assessing students includes timely feedback on the assessment, then how does this context shift the nature of this assessment?