You said “What if we reversed this situation and started with what content we wanted our students to cover?” It’s called reverse planning and is a fundamental part of the IB philosophy, among other programs no doubt. All teachers should be looking at the outcomes first, asking themselves what the students are supposed to be learning and then choosing an assessment piece that best measures what they should have learned during a unit or lesson, whether it’s knowledge, skills or understanding. I would say this is the number one mistake teachers (myself included) make when planning because, as you’ve alluded to, we get caught up in the assignment itself and lose sight of what we were trying to accomplish in the first place. As teachers, I feel like sometimes we become better organizers of activities than educators. If this happens, then allowing the students to choose their own assessment piece will probably be as good as anything the teacher may have come up with, perhaps better. However, if the teacher has used the reverse planning method, it should be assumed that what the teacher has chosen for the students to do will better assess their learning than other options available to the students.

Of course, we should be building in as much flexibility as possible when trying to assess learning to ensure we are differentiating in our classrooms. However, it often makes sense to provide suitable options we think will work best. If I had had it my way as a student, I would have never spoken or performed live in front of my peers. Instead, I would have handed in video project after video project.

“Why is it that a good looking product can get you a better grade then a content rich product?” Based on my expereince, it’s because my criteria or rubric were poorly written, which usually becomes clear after the first or second presentation. If not, then it should be because you’re trying to assess skills or understanding rather than content.

“And lastly why do we continue to have students report their findings in 20th century media?” This is a retorhical question, right? The answer, I think, is simple: people (teachers included) stick with what they know because it is easy, or at least easier. The solution, however, is much harder, but rests in the hands of the administration, IT teachers, classroom teachers who are willing to take risks, and last but not least, the students. Some of the best assessment ideas I use came from students asking if they could do something different.

So don’t get me wrong, I’m all for trying new things and offering choices in my lessons (which you’ve seen first hand) for reasons you’ve listed above; but I beleive that our training and expereince counts for something, and that sometimes “teacher knows best.” That is, so long as the assessment piece was chosen because of what it can measure, not because it is easy to plan or is fun for the kids.