applying graves' categories

FND-CDSS task question | Karen Widl | June 12th, 2005

I have been working steadily through the FND since April and was feeling very confident about getting my Portfolio done by the July marking period... when suddenly I was struck down with my last task (Unit 8 CDSS).  I'm not sure why I am finding this task so difficult, but perhaps I am having trouble associating Graves' "categories" to my personal situation (primary school, we don't use a book, we use EAC, we must write our own yearly plan, we all teach different things, we all use different materials, etc.).  I want to complete this particular task because I have the CMD module on my pathway, but every time I sit down to write something I get even more confused about how to go about it.  Did anyone else complete this task for FND, or plan to?  If so, can you give me some tips?  I thought about completing the other Portfolio Task that corresponds to CMD (Materials Analysis), but I thought this one would be more helpful to me for the future.  If I can't get going on this, I'm considering changing my entire pathway to include a different module! Yikes.

Karen
Confused in Austria

Re: FND-CDSS task question | Paul Raper | June 13th, 2005

Hi Karen,

You are in the same boat as me. I did this task and had problems since I was trying to associate the task to a method school I sometimes work with.

I think what is best is to go back to basic principles. See if you can find any aspects that fit in with what would be an ideal situation. I actually looked at what the school did actually, not as an ideal. Often we bend the rules in order to achieve a particular goal.

It can sometimes be hard to see the wood for the trees, but try to consider it at a basic level. Just remember, at FND level you are only indicating that you understand the concept and can complete the task. They aren't looking for deep analytical meaning.

Paul

Re: FND-CDSS task question | Nur Hooten | June 13th, 2005

Hi Karen,

Graves' categories are there as some guidance. When completing the task make sure you explain your teaching situation clearly explaining that you don't use a book but have a yearly plan. You can then use Graves' categories to highlight how these categories may or may not fit in within your context. You will probably come up with categories that are not taken into account by Graves- that's perfectly fine. Whatever you write, make sure you justify your comments with specific examples from the yearly plan, etc.

Hope this helps.

Nur :)

Re: FND-CDSS task question | Paul Raper | June 13th, 2005

Hi All,

I appreciate that this may sound like a complete load of non-sense. How can something be ideal and not ideal?

Well when I considered the Wall Street method against Graves' grid I looked at what we actually did, not what WSI said we should be doing. Thus what was ideal for me was not the ideal of the school or the method.

I think that Nur actually follows up in this light.

I actually was then able to see where the one system didn't seem to match to what we were doing. It was enlightening to see how the method actually failed in a number of areas.

Sorry for the confusion.

Paul

CDSS task | Karen Widl | June 13th, 2005

Thank you Nur for responding to my question. Your advice is a big help ! 

After I had written my last post, I sat down and started to put pen to paper (or rather finger to keyboard).  What I decided to do is describe how the (few) primary schools, including mine, work with EAC and describe my yearly plan and how it relates with Graves' categories.  Additionally, I want to include the use of a course book which some of the Native Speakers do use as a supplement.  I prefer not to work with the book because I personally feel that it restricts me and often times our weekly themes don't correspond with what the book offers, but perhaps I can use this as a good example. I hope this will be acceptable at least.

I feel like my head is finally starting to peek up out of the murky waters and I might finally get something accomplished here.

Thanks again,

Karen
Austria

Re: CDSS task | Karen Widl | June 13th, 2005

Hi Karen,

What you suggest is fine though I was wondering if it would be more useful for you to focus on the yearly plan rather than the book your colleagues may be using? It would be up to you but I couldn't help but think that analysing something you use regularly would be of more use for you.

Best,

Nur :)

Re: FND-CDSS task question | Eleni Oikonomou | June 13th, 2005

Hi Karen,

I have just finished CDSS task, but I did have the same problem at making sense of what I was doing in class. My analysis looked so messy. Then I tried to stop looking at the particulars and take a more general point of view. After all, this is about syllabus, which means that is concerned with core aims, not about specific details. The question that helped me was: What are you trying to achieve overall? When I answered that question everything-or almost everything- fell into place.

Hope that helps.

Eleni
A bit less confused in Greece :-)

CDSS | Karen Widl | June 13th, 2005

I just wanted to thank those of you that responded to my question about the FND-CDSS task.  You all made some very valid points, and  I've changed my strategy a bit, based on some advice from Nur-

I was wondering if it would be more useful for you to focus on the yearly plan rather than the book your colleagues may be using? 

She is absolutely right and I probably would have wasted my time (not to mention a lot of extra words).

It's amazing to me how this one task has suddenly opened some doors for me professionally.  I was speaking casually with some of my colleagues today about this task and it turned into a brainstorming session on how we can all work collaboratively on our yearly plans (actually creating our own syllabus).  Up until now, we have done our own plans, without any real guidelines or goals and no one had even considered collaborating on such a project.  There is no consistency between what the children are learning.  One first grade teacher may be teaching her children phonics already, but another won't begin until the 2 nd semester next year.  When these children leave this school after fourth grade, they are on completely different levels.  So, my point is, this one task (which gave me quite a bit of heartache the last two weeks) is probably the one which will help me make some necessary changes in my work- to the benefit of all!! Wow.  Now that is an eye-opener.  I just hope that I will be able to express this coherently in my paper.

Karen
Austria

 

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