Some subscribers to Phys-L might be interested in a recent post "How
Much Value is Added at Elite Institutions? [Hake (2011d)]. The
abstract reads:
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ABSTRACT: In a previous post "Value-Added Inequities: Should
Value-Added Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" [Hake (2010b)] I
implied that the less-than-stellar value-added rankings of Boris
Korsunsky's high school and Stuyvesant High School (each with
top-tier reputations) were examples of "Value-Added Inequities." I
thank Catherine Johnson for correctly pointing out that those two
appraisals were not *necessarily* inequitable - they could, in fact,
be *correct*.
Two cases in point are the less-than-stellar value-added assessments
of instruction at two elite institutions: (1) Eric Mazur's
traditional 1990 calculus-based introductory course at Harvard, and
(2) traditional introductory courses in electromagnetism a MIT. Both
assessments are correct as judged by the value-added assessment
provided by the average normalized pre-to-posttest gain on valid
tests of students' conceptual understanding. Fortunately, in both
cases "interactive engagement" pedagogy greatly improved normalized
pre-to-posttest gains in those courses: (1) Mazur switched to "Peer
Instruction," as is engagingly described by Mazur (2009) in
"Confessions of a Converted Lecturer" on UTube at
<http://bit.ly/dBYsXh>; and (2) John Belcher instituted TEAL
(Technology Enabled Active Learning) as is cogently reported in the
"New Your Times" by Sarah Rimer (2009) in "At M.I.T., Large Lectures
Are Going the Way of the Blackboard" at <http://nyti.ms/e3JtYN>.
In my opinion, demonstrations that the less-than-stellar value-added
assessments of Korsunsky's high school and Stuyvesant High School are
inequitable would require meaningful value-added measures such as
normalized average pre-to-posttest gains on valid and consistently
reliable tests of higher-order learning developed by disciplinary
experts, not the value-added measures that characterize "Race to the
Top," and that have been called into question by the many expert
panels listed in my previous post "Value-Added Inequities: Should
Value-Added Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?"
It is conceivable that if there were "Eric Mazurs" or "John Belchers"
at Korsunsky's high-school and the Stuyvesant High School, scenarios
similar to those at Harvard and MIT might occur, even though all
those institutions are regarded as "elite."
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"I point to the following unwelcome truth: much as we might dislike
the implications, research is showing that didactic exposition of
abstract ideas and lines of reasoning (however engaging and lucid we
might try to make them) to passive listeners yields pathetically thin
results in learning and understanding - except in the very small
percentage of students who are specially gifted in the field."
Arnold Arons (1997, p. vii)
REFERENCES [URL's shortened by <http://bit.ly/> and accessed on 22 Jan 2011.]
Arons, A.B. 1997. "Teaching Introductory Physics." Wiley. Amazon.com
information at <http://amzn.to/bBPfop>. Note the searchable "Look
Inside" feature.
Hake, R.R. 2011a. "The Ceiling Effect #2" online on the OPEN! AERA-L
archives at <http://bit.ly/hUnHZe>. Post of 12 Jan 2011 16:19:49-0800
to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post
are being transmitted to various discussion lists are also online on
my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/gLWr7W> with a provision
for comments.
Hake, R.R. 2011b. "Value-Added Inequities: Should Value-Added
Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" online on the OPEN! AERA-L
archives at <http://bit.ly/fN1HmD>. Post of 18 Jan 2011 15:34:47-0800
to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract and link to the complete post
were transmitted to various discussion lists are also online on my
blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at <http://bit.ly/h23shQ> with a provision for
comments. See also Hake (2011c).
Hake, R.R. 2011c. "Value-Added Inequities: Should Value-Added
Measures Be Used to Evaluate Teachers?" online on the OPEN! AERA-L
archives at <http://bit.ly/fAvRpA>. Post of 19 Jan 2011 11:36:22
-0800 to AERA-L, EDDRA2, Math-Teach, Net-Gold, and PhysLnR.
Hake, R.R. 2011d. "How Much Value is Added at Elite Institutions? "
online on the OPEN! AERA-L archives at <http://bit.ly/g25OHd>. Post
of 22 Jan 2011 14:50:14-0800 to AERA-L and Net-Gold. The abstract
and link to the complete post are being transmitted to various
discussion lists are also online on my blog "Hake'sEdStuff" at
<http://bit.ly/gnLPjH> with a provision for comments.