Module 6, Unit 3, Activity 2 - Tackling the Grading Dilemma

Module 6, Unit 3, Activity 2 - Tackling the Grading Dilemma

Marc Finks

Module 6, Unit 3, Activity 2

Tackling the Grading Dilemma

For many students, grading the paperwork is the task is the most time-consuming and energy-draining. People only see what teachers do while they’re at school and in the classroom, but they don’t realize how much work they expect the teacher to do in order to assess their students in the most efficient and fairest way possible. However, there are several ways that teachers can help lessen the load that comes from grading everything the students to.

Peer Assessment:

Peer assessment is having students grade themselves and their classmates based upon a rubric that should be easy for the students to follow. Many teachers often say that students are often much tougher on themselves than the teacher would have been, but from my own experience, I have found that the majority of elementary students will either grade their friends unfairly high, or the students will unfairly mark down students of the opposite gender. I do agree that having the students help the teacher create the rubric is the first step, but I think that there has to be some type of feedback or punishment/rewards that is dependent upon how honest the students are trying to be. Once they get used to this type of assessment and having this type of power and using it fairly, then maybe it’ll work, but I think the teacher needs to set up the framework correctly from the very beginning.

One in Four Rule:

The one in four rule is actually a really good idea. Essentially, only one out of every four essays is graded in detail. The other three essays are given the grade of credit or no credit. I have had weeks before where I’ve had over ninety students giving me essays that had to be graded by the following week, and so I did use the credit/no credit grading scale from time to time, but I like this one in four rule better. To me, though, it would have to be random – at least in the eyes of the students. That way, the students wouldn’t know which ones of theirs would be graded or not, thereby ensuring that most of them would try to turn in quality work time. Also, this way, instead of having thirty essays to grade each week, the teacher would only have seven or eight which would be much more manageable. The only complaint that I can see at the moment is that some essay topics may be more difficult than others, and the students who got graded on those, as opposed to easier topics, maybe feel unfairly slighted.

Stamping Method:

I think that this would be appropriate for younger students, but would most older students care about the particular stamp that is on their essay? And, if this is just going to be put on the credit/no credit essays, then it doesn’t really matter what kind of stamp a teacher uses. I know that I’ve had younger classes who loved getting stickers on their homework, and so it does have a nice, tiny effect, but I don’t think most students turned in their work just because they wanted to get a sticker that said, “Excellent!”

Student Journals:

I really like this idea of having student journals. Besides keeping all of their work in one, organized location, it’s also a useful tool for students and their parents to see the work that they’ve done, and for everyone to note the improvements that the student is making throughout the year. This would also be a good way of incorporating the other grading methods, such as the one in four rule and the peer assessments, since the teacher can choose which ones to grade or not grade when they are given these each week. The teacher can also quickly check the peer grades and make note of which students are giving acceptable feedback, and which ones need to be spoken to privately on Monday.

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I think that I am going to use the student journal in my classes. I think it’ll help me to stay better organized, and I like the idea of students having portfolios and being responsible for their own work. Again, while this will require the teacher to spend time at the beginning of the year showing the students how to do this properly, it’ll pay off in dividends throughout the year. I think that if I were to collect the journals every Friday afternoon, then hopefully I could get through all of them with only a couple of hours of work at some point before class on Monday.

Module 6, Unit 2, Activity 4

Monitoring Student Performance

Having high expectations for students is an essential component that all teachers need to consider from the very first day of class. In our school, our students have a lot of online homework, and while all teachers mention it the first day, not every teacher actually places much emphasis on it, nor do they check it for completion regularly during the school year. As a result, in many classes, the homework completion rate is around 40%. I have found, though, that when I talk about the importance of doing online homework and how it can benefit them, and then I make a big deal about checking the homework at the beginning of each class and talking to students about why they were unable to compete the homework, my homework completion rate for the term usually ends up being around 95%, and that the students actually help one another to complete it.

I don’t think most teachers realize how much they can affect their students’ perspective on learning and schoolwork. If teachers are positive about it and constantly convey their expectations to their students, while effectively using praise to bolster students’ confidence and effort, then the students will respond accordingly. However, if teachers are a bit more lackadaisical about talking to the students about their goals and how they can get there, then the students soon find class to be pointless and just start going through the motions.

Besides schoolwork, this is also true regarding student behavior. I am very firm about how my students must treat one another. They must be respectful, they can’t bully, they can’t hit…All of the things that I just assume should or should not happen in a classroom. But I’ve had students (or I’ve spoken to former students) who have had other teachers, and I can tell that they are often surprised by the extreme differences in what we allow to happen in our classrooms. But, personally, I believe that besides giving the students knowledge, teachers are also partially responsible for raising good people, and since students spend so much of their time in school, it is there where they should learn what type of behavior is considered proper and improper.

For students who do struggle academically, Response to Intervention, or RTI, is necessary so that we can identify early and support them in whatever way we can in order to help them progress and not fall irrevocably behind. The process for RTI is ongoing and should begin on the first day of class. Teachers need to always be aware of how their students are doing, and they need to learn to identify the ones who are struggling. When teachers do find students who seem to be having difficulty, it’s important for the teacher to differentiate instruction and see if this is enough to help the student keep up with the rest of the class. If it is not, then further steps need to be taken. Besides using tiered instruction, parental involvement it key. Teachers must contact the parents and explain what is happening, explain the plan, and then try to get the parents to work with them so that the child gets help at home as well.

References:

Borich, Gary D. (2011). Observation Skills for Effective Teaching. Boston, MA: Pearson Education. Inc.

The Power of High Expectations. (n.d.).  Retrieved July 29, 2014, from http://teachingasleadership.org/ sites/default/files/Related-Readings/Diversity_CommunityandAchievement_Chapter2.pdf