Discussion of the design issues raised
Most of the teachers involved in the trials had never before attempted to ask students to critique work in the ways described above. They reported that ‘getting inside another person’s head’ proved challenging and students learned to do this only gradually.
I think it has taken most of the year to get the kids to actually be able to look at a piece of work and follow it through to see what that person has done …..
One of the profound difficulties for designers is in trying to increase the possibilities for reflective activity in classrooms. The etymology of the wordcurriculum is from the Latin word for a race or a racecourse, which in turn is derived from the verb currere meaning to run. Perhaps unfortunately, that is precisely what it feels like for most students. The introduction of problem solving in general, and of analyzing sample student work in particular are seen by many as time-consuming activities that detract from the primary goal of improving procedural fluency or ‘learning more stuff’.