I have posted little and not used my blog the way I wanted. The best I can say is that after next Friday, I should be free to put stuff on it.
Right now I just wanted to comment on a nice thread on flteach re homework. People are finally getting off the moral high horses and giving homework an honest look. I think I come down on the side of: We must distinguish good from bad homework but not necessarily throw it out. We also need to put it in the context of our students’ lives, i.e. how much effort and time can they realistically put in on it before the fault lines reveal themselves along class lines. Alfie Kohn has written a lot on hw; why is no one quoting him?
And over on moretprs we are seeing a discussion of what to test for on finals and how to set it up. Thoughtful and sometimes revealing the exasperation of people who are making too many presuppositions.
What strikes me is how I read so many good ideas on these listservs, even making notes on them, and then getting in the classroom and reverting to type.