From "Best Practices" to "Best Principles"

In educational circles, it is common to hear talk of best practices. However, the application of best practices to any given situation is often hampered by the fact that the practices developed in one area don't fit the unique educational culture of an institution in another. For this reason, it is important to take a step back from implementation and think about conception. What is important is not the practice per se, but the principles that the practice embodies. Practices are specific to a given context, but principles are universal.

To take a concrete example, is the use of an electronic portfolio a best practice? Is an electronic portfolio somehow a “better practice” than a paper portfolio? What is really at issue? What is the purpose of the portfolio? If the purpose of the portfolio is to encourage the student to develop goal-directed learning strategies by tracking their progress over time, then the format of the portfolio is really just a secondary concern. If fact, one does not necessarily need a portfolio system to encourage goal-directed development.

Especially where technology or particular teaching methods are involved, the distinction between practice and principles becomes blurred and practitioners sometimes implement the practices in such a way that they no longer correctly implement the principles that they were supposed to embody. Take, for example, the idea of formative assessment. As Popham has noted, if the results of the assessment are not used to inform subsequent teaching, then you haven't done formative assessment. Formative assessment is not just giving a lot of small tests as you check off each chapter in the textbook. As the oft-repeated dictum goes, you don't make animals heavier by weighing them more often.