Comments on: 3. Learning and Practicing the Genealogical Proof Standard http://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/ for educators, event organizers and the curious Sat, 03 Jan 2009 16:39:15 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Barbara Schenck http://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/#comment-283 Barbara Schenck Tue, 16 May 2006 16:31:04 +0000 https://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/#comment-283 I agree, Ken! And I can see that a multiple choice question is a useful springboard for further discussion because it allows teacher and students to discuss "why" a particular answer is not correct or perhaps, not as correct in the teacher's eyes as another one. But when the multiple choice question is answered and there is no dialogue, then it can be frustrating. And if a student finds that there is no possibility for dialogue to clarify, and that their answer is as good as the "correct" one, it undermines the effectiveness of the instruction because students begin to doubt the knowledge of the instructor -- which is why I am excited about learning and not at all excited about "testing" and "grading." I agree, Ken! And I can see that a multiple choice question is a useful springboard for further discussion because it allows teacher and students to discuss “why” a particular answer is not correct or perhaps, not as correct in the teacher’s eyes as another one. But when the multiple choice question is answered and there is no dialogue, then it can be frustrating.

And if a student finds that there is no possibility for dialogue to clarify, and that their answer is as good as the “correct” one, it undermines the effectiveness of the instruction because students begin to doubt the knowledge of the instructor — which is why I am excited about learning and not at all excited about “testing” and “grading.”

]]> By: genealogyeducation http://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/#comment-282 genealogyeducation Tue, 16 May 2006 14:11:10 +0000 https://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/#comment-282 Barbara, I think I need to clarify my post just a bit. In the teaching context we often go through a cycle of experiences that starts with evaluating where the learner starts, demonstrating or modeling the concepts to be learned, practicing, reviewing, practicing and evaluating. I agree that when doing a final assessment, multiple choice tests must be very professionally developed to provide meaningful results that reflect learning. I know from experience in the fields of psychometrics and competence and performance testing of second language learners. However, when you use a multiple choice question based on a particular data set as a springboard for review for group of the concepts taught, it can lead to some illuminating discussions that reveal subjectively the learning challenges of the material and the method its being taught. When teaching adults it is seldom the grade that is important, it is the learning. When a grade is required, I have known students with Cs Bs and As who are excited about their learning after the so called test has been reviewed and their concerns addressed. The grades don't matter. The learning does. Ken Barbara,
I think I need to clarify my post just a bit. In the teaching context we often go through a cycle of experiences that starts with evaluating where the learner starts, demonstrating or modeling the concepts to be learned, practicing, reviewing, practicing and evaluating. I agree that when doing a final assessment, multiple choice tests must be very professionally developed to provide meaningful results that reflect learning. I know from experience in the fields of psychometrics and competence and performance testing of second language learners.
However, when you use a multiple choice question based on a particular data set as a springboard for review for group of the concepts taught, it can lead to some illuminating discussions that reveal subjectively the learning challenges of the material and the method its being taught.

When teaching adults it is seldom the grade that is important, it is the learning. When a grade is required, I have known students with Cs Bs and As who are excited about their learning after the so called test has been reviewed and their concerns addressed. The grades don’t matter. The learning does.
Ken

]]> By: Barbara Schenck http://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/#comment-280 Barbara Schenck Tue, 16 May 2006 02:07:39 +0000 https://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2006/05/15/learning-and-practicing-the-genealogical-proof-standard3/#comment-280 I think the notion of "a reasonably exhaustive search" is very important and I was surprised the one time I hired a very competent well-respected genealogist that after he did 3 hours of research for me on a particular person in records I could not easily access, that he said, "I'm not sure you're ever going to find out the answer to your question." I wasn't either, but I certainly didn't think 3 hours was "exhaustive!" I like the idea of a workshop discussing reliability of sources, but as far as "testing" the understanding goes, I think that multiple choice questions do more harm than good. They attempt to simplify things more than in reality they can be simplified in "real life." I think that questions requiring thoughtful answers and justification for those answers is both fairer to the student and a greater indication of what the student really knows. My experience in courses with multiple choice questions is that they often focus on peripherals which can be more easily tested that way but which do not show a real understanding of the topic or they are badly composed and frustrate the student who would like to show understanding but cannot do so within the framework of the choices offered. Genealogy is not an exact science and there are rarely choices which are "always correct." I think the notion of “a reasonably exhaustive search” is very important and I was surprised the one time I hired a very competent well-respected genealogist that after he did 3 hours of research for me on a particular person in records I could not easily access, that he said, “I’m not sure you’re ever going to find out the answer to your question.” I wasn’t either, but I certainly didn’t think 3 hours was “exhaustive!”

I like the idea of a workshop discussing reliability of sources, but as far as “testing” the understanding goes, I think that multiple choice questions do more harm than good. They attempt to simplify things more than in reality they can be simplified in “real life.” I think that questions requiring thoughtful answers and justification for those answers is both fairer to the student and a greater indication of what the student really knows. My experience in courses with multiple choice questions is that they often focus on peripherals which can be more easily tested that way but which do not show a real understanding of the topic or they are badly composed and frustrate the student who would like to show understanding but cannot do so within the framework of the choices offered.

Genealogy is not an exact science and there are rarely choices which are “always correct.”

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