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The Winsome Scholar

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The author is reading a bit too much into his Frogger playing. “Why did the frog cross the road? Well, for many of the same reasons that Odysseus did.” Cool comparison, though Check it out at: Homeward Bound: Odysseus, Frogger, and a Simple Teleology of Play < PopMatters. {0}

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Brilliant idea. Anyone signing up?

48 Hour Magazine, a raucous experiment in using new tools to erase media’s old limits. As the name suggests, we’re going to write, photograph, illustrate, design, edit, and ship a magazine in two days.

via 48 Hour Magazine. {0}

5, 7, 9

AP Language

May 3rd, 2010

Themes: , ,

Comments: {2}

I’m not a big fan of playing the numbers game when it comes to your educations. This game draws attention toward the numerical value of assignments1 and away from the stuff you want to know. This is why you cannot do extra work to raise your grade, but are welcome to re-work anything (read: master the material and make an improvement). This is why your practice essays are not in the grade book. This is why your multiple choice tests are not in the grade book. In turning your backs on the (potentially) high-anxiety grading system in favor of one that promotes self-reflection and improvement, you have made great strides in your writing.2 By taking risks and viewing all of your work as steps toward mastery, even if you falter occasionally, you have become true students.3

However, even with that polemic against the current number-centric grading system…

I couldn’t be more excited about those three title numbers. Why, you ask?

Exam Score Avg. Essay
3 7 5
4 9 7
5 10 9

The middle column is based on your previously discussed multiple choice scores. The right column is based on your MC scores from today. Whereas before, the 5 would have been out of your average2 reach, based on the current evidence of your mastery, I’m confident that you will all pass this test with flying colors.

In the past few weeks we have blown through several exams worth of multiple choice questions, learning new vocabulary, reading/skimming skills, and (ugh) test-taking strategies. And it has paid off.

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More important, though, you have become engaging writers and skeptical readers. You have the skills to continue learning about arguments, to create your own, and to improve upon those of others. This is a great achievement. I hope you will move forward with these skills and learn with an unceasing eagerness.

Good work, guys.

  1. We’ve discussed the “how many points do I have to score on the final to get an A” game before. [↩]
  2. I realize I’m committing my second least-favorite teacher offense by lumping you all together, but this proud moment wouldn’t be happening if you all hadn’t made some progress. [↩] [↩]
  3. L. studere, “to be eager, diligent” [↩]
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Maybe unicorns aren’t wholly mythological: a one-horned deer has been spotted in a nature reserve near Florence, Italy. And it’s not merely a case of having one weird antler off to one side; it’s a horn poking straight out of its forehead. via Unicorns Are Real! | Wired Science | Wired.com. {0}

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Comic book publisher praised for reflecting ‘tolerance of Islam’ : There is no religion in the story line, Mutawa said, but he studied the Quran to find archetypes — what he calls basic human values like trust and generosity — that he weaves into the dramas. via Comic book publisher praised for reflecting ‘tolerance of Islam’ – CNN.com. {0}