In Topic 8 we had discussed three types of curriculum evaluation, and we know that not many curriculum evaluators would use Eisner's Connoisseurship Model. What are the strengths of this model?
Eisner’s connoisseurship model provides a strong framework and alternative to the experimental design evaluations. According to Eisner (1998), connoisseurship is “the art of appreciation” and educational connoisseurs are those who have a distinctive awareness of qualities in different settings. He thinks connoisseurs evaluate the issues by looking at their qualities and illuminate a situation so that it can be seen or appreciated by others as well. In the evaluation of educational technologies, the connoisseurship model has two major implications: holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation of data and multiple perspectives in the evaluative tasks. One of the great benefits of Elliot W. Eisner's activities has been concerned with connoisseurship and criticism, and mediated these concerns for educators and researchers.
Elliot Eisner was born in 1933, grew up in the west side of Chicago and worked as a high school art teacher in Chicago, an instructor in art education, assistant professor of education. Later he develops for his work in arts education, makes his hands-on theories of education both useful and inspiring to elementary school math teachers. Eisner’s connoisseurship model provides a strong framework and alternative to the experimental design evaluations. According to Eisner (1998), connoisseurship is “the art of appreciation” and educational connoisseurs are those who have a distinctive awareness of qualities in different settings. He thinks connoisseurs evaluate the issues by looking at their qualities and illuminate a situation so that it can be seen or appreciated by others as well. In the evaluation of educational technologies, the connoisseurship model has two major implications: holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation of data and multiple perspectives in the evaluative tasks. The great benefits of Elliot W. Eisner's activities has been concerned with connoisseurship and criticism, and mediated these concerns for educators and researchers..
Elliot Eisner, a well known art educator argued that learning was too complex to be broken down to a list of objectives and measured quantitatively to determine whether it has taken place.
He argued that the teaching of small manageable pieces of information prohibits students from putting the pieces back together and applying them to new situations. As long as we evaluate students based on the small bits of information students we will only learn small bits of information.
Eisner contends that evaluation has and will always drive the curriculum. If we want students to be able to solve problems and think critically then we must evaluate problem solving and critical thinking, skills which cannot be learned by rote practice. So, to evaluate a programme we must make an attempt to capture the richness and complexity of classroom events.
Einser proposed the Connoisseurship Model in which he claimed that a knowledgeable evaluator can determine whether a curriculum programme has been successful, using a combination of skills and experience. The word ‘connoisseurship’ comes from the Latin word cognoscere, meaning to know. According to Eisner’s Connoisseurship Model, the curriculum evaluator must seek to be an educational critic.
One of the great benefits of Elliot W. Eisner's activities has been the way in which he has both made the case for a concern with connoisseurship and criticism, and mediated these concerns for educators and researchers. The importance of his advocacy of these ideas cannot be underestimated - especially at a time when rather narrow concerns with instrumental outcomes and an orientation to the technical dominate. Together they offer educators a more helpful and appropriate means to approach evaluation, for example.
• Advocating moving beyond technocratic and behaviouristic modes of thinking - and for having a concern for 'expressive outcomes'. • Calling to attend to fundamentals. Eisner has consistently warned against educational fads and fashion. He has criticized dominant paradigms and invited educators and others to ask questions such as 'what is basic in education?'. • Arguing that schools should help children create meaning from experience, and that this requires an education devoted to the senses, to meaning-making and the imagination. Eisner argues for a curriculum that fosters multiple 'literacies' in students (especially by looking to non-verbal modes of learning and expression) and a deepening of the 'artistry' of teachers.
Very nice contributions. In fact, when we look at the curriculum in a context, there will be a lot to be found than simply looking at chunks of information that may reflect the true situation. However, what would be the risk of bias or misinterpretation on the part of the evaluator or observer?
External Examiner Definition: Using an expert in the field from outside your program, usually from a similar program at another institution to conduct, evaluate, or supplement assessment of your students. Information can be obtained from external evaluators using many methods including surveys, interviews, etc. Target of method: Used primarily on students in individual classes or for a particular cohort of students; could be used by third parties, such as employers or visiting board, etc.
• Always some risk of a misfit between examiner’s expertise and/or expectations and program outcomes • For individualized evaluations and/or large programs, can be very costly and time consuming • Volunteers may become “donor weary”
Behavioral Observations Definition: Measuring the frequency, duration, topology, etc. of student actions, usually in a natural setting with non-interactive methods. For example, formal or informal observations of a classroom. Observations are most often made by an individual and can be augmented by audio or videotape. Target of Method: Used primarily on individuals or groups of students in classes
• Always some risk of confounded results due to “observer effect;” i.e., subjects may behave atypically if they know they’re being observed. • Depending on the target behavior, there may be socially or professionally sensitive issues to be dealt with (e.g., invasion of privacy on student political activities or living arrangements) or even legal considerations (e.g., substance abuse or campus crime). • May encourage “Big Brother” perception of assessment and/or institution. • Inexperienced or inefficient observers can produce unreliable, invalid results.
Archival Data Definition: Biographical, academic, or other file data available from college or other agencies and institutions. Target of Method: Primarily aggregated student information; can use comparable data from other institutions for benchmarking.
• Especially in large institutions, may require considerable effort and coordination to determine exactly what data are available campus-wide and to then get that information in desired format. • To be most helpful, datasets need to be combined. This requires an ability to download and combine specific information for multiple sources. It may require designing a separate database management system for this downloaded information. • Typically the archived data are not exactly what is required, so that the evaluator must make compromises. In some cases, it may be a stretch to use such data as surrogates for the desired measures. • If individual records are included, protection of rights and confidentiality must be assured; should obtain Institutional Review Board approval if in doubt. • Availability may discourage the development of other, more responsive measures or data sources. • May encourage attempts to “find ways to use data” rather than measurement related to specific goals and objectives.
Portfolios Definition: Collections of multiple student work samples usually compiled over time. Rated by some type of rubric. Target of Method: Used primarily on students in individual classes or in for a particular cohort of students
• Costly in terms of evaluator time and effort. • Management of the collection and grading process, including the establishment of reliable and valid grading criteria, is likely to be challenging. • May not provide for externality. • If samples to be included have been previously submitted for course grades, faculty may be concerned that a hidden agenda of the process is to validate their grading. • Security concerns may arise as to whether submitted samples are the students’ own work, or adhere to other measurement criteria.
Elliot W. Eisner, the American educator and philosopher of education is an ideal theorist to study when defining the best ways, means, and measures to set standards for an elementary Math school curriculum. Eisner was unapologetic in his demand for what he called the exercise of standards-based artistry and the development of unapologetic in education, and for what some of his critics have called elitism in approaching the educational process. Nevertheless, Eisner's called for standards, although Eisner is particularly known for his work in arts education, makes his hands-on theories of education both useful and stimulating to elementary school math teachers.
In the evaluation of educational technologies, the connoisseurship model has two major implications that are holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation of data and multiple perspectives in the evaluative tasks. Holistic approach guides researchers from the formation of data collection instruments to the final write-up. Eisner points out five dimensions of schooling that educational connoisseurs consider: intentional, structural, curricular, pedagogical and evaluative. The “intentional level deals with goals or aims that are formulated for the school or a classroom” The word connoisseurship comes from Latin cognoscere, to know. It involves the ability to see, not merely to look. To do this we have to develop the ability the name and appreciate the different dimensions of situations and experiences, and the way they relate one to another. We have to be able to draw upon, and make use of, a wide array of information. We also have to be able to place our experiences and understandings in a wider context, and connect them with our values and commitments. Connoisseurship is something that needs to be worked at but it is not a technical exercise. However, educators need to become something more than connoisseurs. They need to become critics. Criticism can be approached as the process of enabling others to see the qualities of something. As Eisner puts it, ‘effective criticism functions as the midwife to perception. It helps it come being, then later refines it and helps it to become more acute’. Educators also need to develop the ability to work with others so that they may discover the truth in situations, experiences and phenomenon. For Elliot Eisner, knowledge cannot be just a verbal construct. It is an intensely variable and personal “event”, something acquired via a combination of one’s senses – visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory- assembled according to a personal schema and then made public-expressed typically by the same sensory modalities utilized in the initial acquisition. The key to developing knowledge within schooling and other educational setting is to create a varied and stimulating environment in which people become ‘immersed’. Educators also need to encourage people to try make meaning; to ‘read’ the situation. This they do by constructing images ‘derived from material the senses provide’ and refining ‘the senses as a primary means expanding consciousness. People need access to the experience of different forms of representation or symbol systems. Trying to make senses of theses, being encouraged to draw upon them and play with them, nurtures the imaginations and allows people to be more creative in their responses to the situations in which they find themselves. Elliot W.Eisner’s contribution has been both to highlight again the importance of art and artistry in education and research and to bring some significant insights into the process of remaking and re-creation that is education.
Eisner's connoisseurship model provides a strong framework and alternative to the experimental design evaluation.According to Eisner(1998), connisseurship is the "art of appreciation and educational connoisseurs are those who have a distinctive awareness of qualities in different settings.He thinks connoisseurs evaluate the issues by looking at their qualities and illuminirate a situation so that it can be seen or appreciated by others as well. In the evaluation of education,technologies,the connoisseurhip model has two major implications on holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation and multiple perspective in the evaluate tasks.
Eisner’s connoisseurship model provides a strong framework and alternative to the experimental design evaluations. According to Eisner (1998), connoisseurship is “the art of appreciation” and educational connoisseurs are those who have a distinctive awareness of qualities in different settings. He thinks connoisseurs evaluate the issues by looking at their qualities and illuminate a situation so that it can be seen or appreciated by others as well. In the evaluation of educational technologies, the connoisseurship model has two major implications: holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation of data and multiple perspectives in the evaluative tasks. One of the great benefits of Elliot W. Eisner's activities has been concerned with connoisseurship and criticism, and mediated these concerns for educators and researchers.
ReplyDeleteElliot Eisner was born in 1933, grew up in the west side of Chicago and worked as a high school art teacher in Chicago, an instructor in art education, assistant professor of education. Later he develops for his work in arts education, makes his hands-on theories of education both useful and inspiring to elementary school math teachers.
DeleteEisner’s connoisseurship model provides a strong framework and alternative to the experimental design evaluations. According to Eisner (1998), connoisseurship is “the art of appreciation” and educational connoisseurs are those who have a distinctive awareness of qualities in different settings. He thinks connoisseurs evaluate the issues by looking at their qualities and illuminate a situation so that it can be seen or appreciated by others as well. In the evaluation of educational technologies, the connoisseurship model has two major implications: holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation of data and multiple perspectives in the evaluative tasks. The great benefits of Elliot W. Eisner's activities has been concerned with connoisseurship and criticism, and mediated these concerns for educators and researchers..
Elliot Eisner, a well known art educator argued that learning was too complex to be broken down to a list of objectives and measured quantitatively to determine whether it has taken place.
ReplyDeleteHe argued that the teaching of small manageable pieces of information prohibits students from putting the pieces back together and applying them to new situations. As long as we evaluate students based on the small bits of information students we will only learn small bits of information.
Eisner contends that evaluation has and will always drive the curriculum. If we want students to be able to solve problems and think critically then we must evaluate problem solving and critical thinking, skills which cannot be learned by rote practice. So, to evaluate a programme we must make an attempt to capture the richness and complexity of classroom events.
Einser proposed the Connoisseurship Model in which he claimed that a knowledgeable evaluator can determine whether a curriculum programme has been successful, using a combination of skills and experience.
The word ‘connoisseurship’ comes from the Latin word cognoscere, meaning to know.
According to Eisner’s Connoisseurship Model, the curriculum evaluator must seek to be an educational critic.
One of the great benefits of Elliot W. Eisner's activities has been the way in which he has both made the case for a concern with connoisseurship and criticism, and mediated these concerns for educators and researchers. The importance of his advocacy of these ideas cannot be underestimated - especially at a time when rather narrow concerns with instrumental outcomes and an orientation to the technical dominate. Together they offer educators a more helpful and appropriate means to approach evaluation, for example.
• Advocating moving beyond technocratic and behaviouristic modes of thinking - and for having a concern for 'expressive outcomes'.
• Calling to attend to fundamentals. Eisner has consistently warned against educational fads and fashion. He has criticized dominant paradigms and invited educators and others to ask questions such as 'what is basic in education?'.
• Arguing that schools should help children create meaning from experience, and that this requires an education devoted to the senses, to meaning-making and the imagination. Eisner argues for a curriculum that fosters multiple 'literacies' in students (especially by looking to non-verbal modes of learning and expression) and a deepening of the 'artistry' of teachers.
.
Very nice contributions. In fact, when we look at the curriculum in a context, there will be a lot to be found than simply looking at chunks of information that may reflect the true situation. However, what would be the risk of bias or misinterpretation on the part of the evaluator or observer?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteExternal Examiner
DeleteDefinition: Using an expert in the field from outside your program, usually from a similar program at another institution to conduct, evaluate, or supplement assessment of your students. Information can be obtained from external evaluators using many methods including surveys, interviews, etc.
Target of method: Used primarily on students in individual classes or for a particular cohort of students; could be used by third parties, such as employers or visiting board, etc.
• Always some risk of a misfit between examiner’s expertise and/or expectations and program outcomes
• For individualized evaluations and/or large programs, can be very costly and time consuming
• Volunteers may become “donor weary”
Behavioral Observations
Definition: Measuring the frequency, duration, topology, etc. of student actions, usually in a natural setting with non-interactive methods. For example, formal or informal observations of a classroom. Observations are most often made by an individual and can be augmented by audio or videotape.
Target of Method: Used primarily on individuals or groups of students in classes
• Always some risk of confounded results due to “observer effect;” i.e., subjects may behave atypically if they know they’re being observed.
• Depending on the target behavior, there may be socially or professionally sensitive issues to be dealt with (e.g., invasion of privacy on student political activities or living arrangements) or even legal considerations (e.g., substance abuse or campus crime).
• May encourage “Big Brother” perception of assessment and/or institution.
• Inexperienced or inefficient observers can produce unreliable, invalid results.
Archival Data
Definition: Biographical, academic, or other file data available from college or other agencies and institutions.
Target of Method: Primarily aggregated student information; can use comparable data from other institutions for benchmarking.
• Especially in large institutions, may require considerable effort and coordination to determine exactly what data are available campus-wide and to then get that information in desired format.
• To be most helpful, datasets need to be combined. This requires an ability to download and combine specific information for multiple sources. It may require designing a separate database management system for this downloaded information.
• Typically the archived data are not exactly what is required, so that the evaluator must make compromises. In some cases, it may be a stretch to use such data as surrogates for the desired measures.
• If individual records are included, protection of rights and confidentiality must be assured; should obtain Institutional Review Board approval if in doubt.
• Availability may discourage the development of other, more responsive measures or data sources.
• May encourage attempts to “find ways to use data” rather than measurement related to specific goals and objectives.
Portfolios
Definition: Collections of multiple student work samples usually compiled over time. Rated by some type of rubric.
Target of Method: Used primarily on students in individual classes or in for a particular cohort of students
• Costly in terms of evaluator time and effort.
• Management of the collection and grading process, including the establishment of reliable and valid grading criteria, is likely to be challenging.
• May not provide for externality.
• If samples to be included have been previously submitted for course grades, faculty may be concerned that a hidden agenda of the process is to validate their grading.
• Security concerns may arise as to whether submitted samples are the students’ own work, or adhere to other measurement criteria.
Elliot W. Eisner, the American educator and philosopher of education is an ideal theorist to study when defining the best ways, means, and measures to set standards for an elementary Math school curriculum. Eisner was unapologetic in his demand for what he called the exercise of standards-based artistry and the development of unapologetic in education, and for what some of his critics have called elitism in approaching the educational process. Nevertheless, Eisner's called for standards, although Eisner is particularly known for his work in arts education, makes his hands-on theories of education both useful and stimulating to elementary school math teachers.
ReplyDeleteIn the evaluation of educational technologies, the connoisseurship model has two major implications that are holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation of data and multiple perspectives in the evaluative tasks. Holistic approach guides researchers from the formation of data collection instruments to the final write-up.
ReplyDeleteEisner points out five dimensions of schooling that educational connoisseurs consider: intentional, structural, curricular, pedagogical and evaluative. The “intentional level deals with goals or aims that are formulated for the school or a classroom”
The word connoisseurship comes from Latin cognoscere, to know. It involves the ability to see, not merely to look. To do this we have to develop the ability the name and appreciate the different dimensions of situations and experiences, and the way they relate one to another. We have to be able to draw upon, and make use of, a wide array of information. We also have to be able to place our experiences and understandings in a wider context, and connect them with our values and commitments. Connoisseurship is something that needs to be worked at but it is not a technical exercise. However, educators need to become something more than connoisseurs. They need to become critics.
Criticism can be approached as the process of enabling others to see the qualities of something. As Eisner puts it, ‘effective criticism functions as the midwife to perception. It helps it come being, then later refines it and helps it to become more acute’. Educators also need to develop the ability to work with others so that they may discover the truth in situations, experiences and phenomenon.
For Elliot Eisner, knowledge cannot be just a verbal construct. It is an intensely variable and personal “event”, something acquired via a combination of one’s senses – visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, gustatory- assembled according to a personal schema and then made public-expressed typically by the same sensory modalities utilized in the initial acquisition.
The key to developing knowledge within schooling and other educational setting is to create a varied and stimulating environment in which people become ‘immersed’. Educators also need to encourage people to try make meaning; to ‘read’ the situation. This they do by constructing images ‘derived from material the senses provide’ and refining ‘the senses as a primary means expanding consciousness. People need access to the experience of different forms of representation or symbol systems. Trying to make senses of theses, being encouraged to draw upon them and play with them, nurtures the imaginations and allows people to be more creative in their responses to the situations in which they find themselves.
Elliot W.Eisner’s contribution has been both to highlight again the importance of art and artistry in education and research and to bring some significant insights into the process of remaking and re-creation that is education.
Eisner's connoisseurship model provides a strong framework and alternative to the experimental design evaluation.According to Eisner(1998), connisseurship is the "art of appreciation and educational connoisseurs are those who have a distinctive awareness of qualities in different settings.He thinks connoisseurs evaluate the issues by looking at their qualities and illuminirate a situation so that it can be seen or appreciated by others as well.
ReplyDeleteIn the evaluation of education,technologies,the connoisseurhip model has two major implications on holistic approach to the analysis and interpretation and multiple perspective in the evaluate tasks.