Again, this blog proceeds with its promotion of
a consumer government approach to civics education. To date, this blog has addressed various
concerns with such a change including commentary on the needs for the approach,
needs of the subject matter, curricular goals and objectives, related teaching
strategies, etc.
Interested readers who have not followed the
proceeding postings, but wish to read them, are directed to the first one, “A Practical
Turn” (March 19, 2024). It can be found
through the citation here[1]
or, along with subsequent postings, the archive feature of the blog. By reviewing them, readers can consider a multi-faceted
rationale for this proposal.
This
posting addresses instructional evaluation.
Evaluation at the instructional level can utilize a variety of
techniques. On a summative basis,
evaluation should be criterion reference based.
Competencies on the following concerns need to be spelled out:
a)
Cognitive
– knowledge (recall) of basic facts and procedures, application of inquiry
skills (modeled after scientific method and other reputable research
methodologies), logical deduction skills, and appropriate communication skills. And …
b)
Affective
– non-graded attitudes that relate to dispositions regarding citizen
participation regarding governing issues.
A pre-test, that can use a multiple choice or open-ended
format, need to be administered to determine:
a) Pre-requisite knowledge and skills attained
(e.g., sixth grade reading and mathematics level proficiencies),
b) Knowledge of subject matter that instruction
will address, and
c) Relevant value orientations students hold prior
to instruction.
As with most courses of study, there would most
likely be a final written examination.
That test will provide evidence as to the success of instruction by
comparing results with pre-test to identify measured change. By comparing results between pre- and
post-testing, specific areas of deficiencies can be detected by conducting an
item analysis.
On
a formative basis, individual units could provide unit tests and quizzes,
formulated from lesson objectives, and on student-project work products. Again, course objectives should guide these
reviews. Informally, teachers can rely on
classroom participation and on one-on-one discussions with students to acquire
feedback information.
With those concerns reviewed, there remains
only one topic this blogger wishes to address, that is, evaluation of this
proposed course of study itself. The
next posting will mark the end of this proposal by looking at curriculum
evaluation, asking how one can determine
how effective can a course on consumer government, as outlined in this blog, be.
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