Gallagher, Chris W. “The Trouble with Outcomes: Pragmatic Inquiry and Educational Aims.” College English, vol. 75, no. 1, 2012, pp. 42–60. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/24238306.

Summary:

Gallagher discusses issues surrounding “Outcome Assessment (OA)” based educational aims, and the construction of those aims in regards to the measurement of students work. He begins by conceding that, regardless of our wishes, there is an inherent, institutional demand to assess students work and learning progression. However, he offers a pragmatic method of doing this that hits at the fundamental element of the philosophy of Pragmatism itself, the element in which one can do what is realistic, even, in light of existing constraints. For the most part, he hones in and redirects our attention from focusing on the outcomes desired for students, and, instead, onto the consequences that arise, organically, from educational aims focused on excitement, surprise, and potentiality. Gallagher contends that, “consequences can be anticipated and hoped for, of course; thinking assessment in terms of consequences does not require us to eschew the setting of educational aims altogether.” (47)

Gallagher continues by providing examples of current educational aims. In particular, he draws attention to educational aims that are focused on outcomes. By focusing on the outcomes that educators hope to achieve, Gallagher argues that the curriculum is designed from the solution backwards, and, that, effectively, this puts constraints on what other consequences might have arisen through the genuine pursuit of personally-derived, academic aims. He refers back to John Dewey and brings to light the fact that outcomes can function less as a point of finality, and, instead, more of an “ends-in-view” from which other pursuits may arise. Ultimately, he settles on the concept of articulation as “the Pragmatic method”. Gallagher contends that articulation in this sense has a couple of connotations: an act of expression itself and to fit or to join together. He offers this as the pragmatic framework for creating appropriate educational aims moving forward.

Quotation Bank:

“In this article, however, I show, through Pragmatic inquiry, that there is a practical difference in the tendencies to which the terms outcomes and consequences lead. Focusing on outcomes tends to limit and compromise the educational experiences of teachers and students, while attention to consequences tends to enhance those experiences.” (43)

“Specifically, we need methods for framing and using educational aims that allow us to avoid the problematic tendencies of outcomes while addressing institutional demands for assessment of student learning and achieving some measure of program coherence.” (44)

“This separation of ends and means, according to Dewey, leads to fixity and rigidity in the formulation of the ends; diversion of attention away from the existing conditions for teaching and learning; narrow fixation on singular results rather than openness to emergent consequences (some of which might turn out to be more significant for the learner than the specified, anticipated results); and imposition on students and sometimes on teachers as well (Democracy).” (45)

“And that is the point: in order for a scoring session to run smoothly, unpredictability — surprising writings, rogue readings — must be minimized or removed. Potentiality is a problem for OA, not only because it cannot be measured — as much of what we most care about in writing cannot be measured — but also because it disrupts OA’s linear, delineable telos.” (46)

“Attention to consequences as they unfold is part of — indeed, is constitutive of — the Pragmatic method.” (47)

Analytical Reflection:

Throughout this piece, Gallagher continually offers a scaffolding with which educators can use moving forward in the formation and execution of educational aims. Within the field of writing education, this is a particularly important framework to keep in mind. As the conception of what a writing program actually entails, and, more specifically (in our case), what an English 101 course entails, unfolds, it is important to keep in mind Gallagher’s aim of working towards new and varied consequences within the classroom rather than outcomes established by higher-up teachers and policy makers within the larger, bureaucratic educational system. As can seem logical, course design and educational aims, in one sense, hinge on the idea that we teach particular outcomes mediated through activities that can be traced backwards from the goals or skills to be acquired by the end of a course. However, ultimately, according to Gallagher, this style of OA inhibits the potentiality and dynamic progression of learning that we should strive to provide for students.

This is particularly interesting in regards to the current curriculum that we, as Teaching Assistants, are experiencing and promulgating to the freshmen at Western Washington University. I find it more and more essential, in my own estimation of the formation of a worthwhile and productive classroom, to lean heavily on goals that, in and of themselves, encourage other goals. I think that Gallagher offers a compelling solution. Through his conception of proper educational aims, he is able to work within the system of bureaucratic education we find ourselves squarely in the middle of, and, simultaneously, in many ways, he offers a prescription for undermining this system from the inside out.

I think that Gallagher reminds us of the need to work within the constraints we are prescribed while maintaining educational integrity and efficacy. This is especially important to me as I look towards moving forward in my own educational career. I would like to create this sense of potentiality through pragmatic choices in my own classrooms. I want to maintain an open sense of interest and surprise towards my students contributions, thoughts, and pieces of work that I get to read, that I get to grapple with. Gallagher constantly reminds us that it is not a finality that we are striving towards but an end-in-view that can, ultimately, lead to even further, more fruitful endeavors.