assignment 2 tough assignment

Tough Assignmenta documentary by

John Walker

Prespared by Dr. Martin Barlosky, Faculty of Education, University of Ottawa

The normative (and formative)bureaucratic perspective

How might Oakwood be viewed (i.e., where is it being successful and where is it being challenged?) through the descriptors of normative bureaucratic theory (e.g., effectiveness, efficiency, prediction, and managerial control)?


Loose CouplingWhat institutional elements and organizational participants are tightly coupled in Oakwood?

What elements and participants are loosely coupled?

How might these “couplings” be altered to create institutional improvement, better learning and teaching environments, and an enhanced school culture?


Talk as the WorkHow is talk used to build coherence, consistency, and meaning?

How might talk be better used? Who, specifically, should be doing the talking, where should this talking be happening, what should this talking be about, and what are its intended consequences?


Gatto’s Seven Lessons

• Which of Gatto’s seven lessons do we see being “taught”?

• How might these lessons be systemically replaced by more productive, meaningful, and valuable teaching, learning, and administrative practices?



Mark Holmes*:Six Functions of Canadian Schools

1. Intellectual-Vocational2. Aesthetic3. Physical4. Custodial5. Socialization6. Allocative

*M. Holmes (1986), Curriculum Inquiry 15(1): 7-36

How are each being realized in Oakwood Collegiate Institute now and what are the prospective consequences for students, teachers, and administrators?

How might the realization and consequences of these functions be changed through informed and pragmatically sensible administrative actions?


Mary Metz on Ranking and Sorting

How might the consequential differences between educational rhetoric and institutional practice described by Mary Metz – and which we see in our virtual visit to Oakwood Collegiate – be ameliorated through enlightened and pragmatic administrative measures?


In Summary: the connections problem

How might the connections between action and meaning, practice and purpose, individual and institution, administration and experience, and intention and consequence be strengthened through administrative action and presence at Oakwood Collegiate?


Think Small, Think Carefully,Articulate Well

Respond to the invitation offered in the assignment with precisely defined, institutionally practical, theoretically informed, and effectively stated proposals to make Oakwood a place where teachers and students can live and learn together.
