The authors, whose work at Harvard Project Zero, the Coalition of Essential Schools, and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform has placed them at the forefront of new assessment strategies, have created a practical, user-friendly guide to provide teachers with strategies and resources for working together to examine and discuss student work such as science projects, essays, art work, math problems, and more. Written for teachers, administrators, curriculum coordinators, staff developers, and researchers, this book offers a clear process for starting and sustaining collaborative discussions of student work and student learning.
Wow - what a gem of a book! The book includes a set of steps for introducing protocols to the work of teachers, explains the purpose and uses of two simple protocols, gives examples of two schools who have adapted protocols then finally explains the job of the facilitator in a group using protocols.
The two focus protocols have many potential uses and the advice given for facilitators and groups obviously comes from deep experience on the part of the authors with the use of protocols. So many education books pad out a feebly small number of good ideas with endless, repetition and platitudes. This book is the opposite - a concise ( 75 pages), informative little book simply packed with useful information.
Granted, I only skimmed this book, but it doesn't appear to be that useful. A lot of the information seems like common sense, and there didn't seem to be any "aha!" type things. Also, as a first year teacher, I don't think I could use anything in here. Perhaps down the road.
A great guide to assessing student work using protocols. Having used them in a real situations, they have proven themselves to be extremely useful and helpful.