THE ENGLISH TEACHERíS COMPANION

THE ENGLISH TEACHERíS COMPANION

By Jim Burke

Reviewed by Kara Bezanson

What is the book about?

The book is all about how to be an extraordinary English teacher for students of any age, though the focus is more on secondary teachers as Burke himself is a high school English teacher. However, I strongly believe all teachers could benefit from reading the book because all teachers need to teach reading, writing, speaking, listening, grammar and thinking skills; all of which the book covers extremely well. He also addresses other various challenging issues and has a whole section for beginning teachers. Just when I thought it couldnít get any better, I got to the appendices and found tons of other helpful tidbits. He will save you time and help make you an all around better teacher. A must read book for all teachers.

What are the authorís essential beliefs about assessment?

The primary purpose of assessment is to provide information to the student and the teacher which should then determine the direction of the curriculum.

Assessment should always be integrated into the larger context of the course.

Always begin your unit/lesson/assignment with a specific end in mind.

Be sure that the students are as clear as possible about your expectations.

Use a variety of assessments. Always be open to new ideas from your students.

Golden Lines from The English Teacherís Companion:

"If we create grading systems that are clear and fair, if we help students to assess their own work and thereby internalize high standards, the grades they receive will be mere confirmations of what they already know. Such a process further empowers the studentÖ they feel they can inquire about a discrepancy between your standards and theirs in a reasonable and mature way."

"Exams are good to the extent that they invite powerful and appropriate intellectual performances linked to standards the profession and the community considers valid."

"When collecting any serous piece of work ? an essay, a project, a research paper ? I have students use the rubric or other assessment tool to evaluate their own performance. This helps them to pay closer attention to the standards and criterion; it also helps them to develop or internalize these habits of mind for themselves."

"To this end, I have them evaluate themselves and write a persuasive paper in which they must provide evidence from within their portfolio to support their claim for whatever grade they feel they deserve."

Reviewed by Brandon Juhl

This book essentially addresses every aspect of teaching high school Englishfrom practical tips on assessment, lesson plan and project ideas to more theoretical and philosophical beliefs about teaching and learning, along with anecdotes, inspirational quotes and ëstories from the front lines.í It is an excellent resource for high school or even middle school (or possibly college) language arts teachers and could have much value for teachers of any discipline. Not all of it would be as relevant but many portions of it would be just as helpful to non-Language Arts area teachers.

Essential Beliefs:

1. The purpose of assessment is to improve and measure student performance while also clarifying for students what is expected of them. This involves an ongoing conversation, between the student and teacher, peers, parents, themselves, about the work while itís in progress, and includes opportunities to improve that work in response to this information.

2. Each form of assessment should ideally be meaningful, challenging, engaging, integrated into the larger context of the course, one of several measures by which youíre determining student progress, specific in its focus (anchored to a specific standard with which student is familiar).

3. Start at the end. Be clear about your intended outcome. Begin with a description of the performance you expect from studentsthings that can actually be assessed.

4. The purpose of assessment & grading (related but different) should never be punitive.

5. It is important to develop the habit of critical reflection in yourself and your students.

6. Portfolios are an important way to involve parents and lets students share with their parents what theyíre proud of having accomplished.

7. Student-created exams are often the best form of review for them. Guiding them through creating an exam also helps them become better test-takers and identify what makes a good question, as well as review the particular content that will be on that test.

8. Remember: innovative assessment will invite criticism from parents, other teachers, administrators, students, and yourself. Take chances, experiment, learn from your successes and failures.

Golden Lines: (second one is closely paraphrased, to save paper): "To assess is to questionconstantly, honestlywhere you are going and why you are going there." 171

"Too many teachers use tests to punish students, to ëcatch them.í I hear this all the time: ëI hate to do it, but I have to quiz them to death or they wonít read.í Is it any wonder why some students hate to read, when the point of reading is reduced to passing a quiz?" 182

"Thus equity and a sense of fairnessi.e., some balance between effort and abilityshould define your grading system." 185