Assessment

(Now that summer is here, it is time for me to discuss different educational topics alphabetically. Please join in the conversation and tell me what you think!)

A is for Assessment.

Appropriate classroom assessment is the process of gathering information about student learning to make decisions about instruction. Teachers need to use a variety of assessment methods to get a complete picture of student learning. Some common assessment methods include:

• Quizzes and tests: These are traditional forms of assessment that can be used to measure student knowledge and understanding of specific content.
• Projects and presentations: These types of assessments allow students to demonstrate their learning in a more creative and hands-on way.
• Portfolios: Portfolios are collections of student work that can be used to track student progress over time.
• Classroom observations: Teachers can use classroom observations to gather information about student participation, engagement, and understanding.

When choosing assessment methods, it is important to consider the following factors:

• The purpose of the assessment: What do you hope to learn from the assessment?
• The content being assessed: What are the specific learning goals that you are assessing?
• The level of the students: What is the appropriate level of difficulty for the assessment?
• The time available: How much time do you have to administer the assessment?

Once you have chosen the appropriate assessment methods, it is important to use the results to make decisions about instruction. This could include providing additional instruction for students who are struggling, providing enrichment activities for students who are ahead, or modifying the curriculum to better meet the needs of all students.

Appropriate classroom assessment is an essential part of effective teaching. By using a variety of assessment methods and using the results to make decisions about instruction, teachers can help all students reach their full potential.

Here are some additional tips for using appropriate classroom assessment:

• Be clear about the learning goals. Before you assess student learning, it is important to be clear about what you want them to learn. This will help you to choose the right assessment methods and to interpret the results.
• Use a variety of assessment methods. No single assessment method is perfect. By using a variety of methods, you can get a more complete picture of student learning.
• Use the results to inform instruction. The purpose of assessment is to improve student learning. Use the results of your assessments to make decisions about instruction, such as providing additional support for struggling students, enriching the learning experiences of advanced students, or modifying the curriculum.
• Involve students in the assessment process. Students can be valuable partners in the assessment process. They can help to identify their own learning goals, collect evidence of their learning, and reflect on their progress.

By following these tips, you can use appropriate classroom assessment to improve student learning.

Making the Right Assignments

In Is this blog written by AI? From Blue Skunk Blog, Doug Johnson states,

“If you are assigning writing that can be written by a computer program, you are making the wrong assignments.”

I totally agree! I hear too many of my colleagues are concerned about plagiarism or cheating on tests. I find this very interesting because if they are cheating, then the questions must be required answers that can be memorized. I know that just because a student memorizes things doesn’t really mean that the concept is understood.

Most of my lessons did not require a test asking for specific answers that could be spit back to me from my lessons.

Instead, I wanted my students to create something using the knowledge that they had learned.

Examples of this might include:

• Brochure
• Poster
• Video Commercial
• A shadow box of items
• A skit
• A letter written to a specific character
• A soap sculpture

There are so many ways that students can show their understanding without just repeating the information they have learned. Not only will they remember the information better this way but years later, this assignment may still be remembered.

Not only will the student be more successful in the classroom but this strategy may help them be more successful in life.

What other creative ways would you suggest for the assessment of learning? Please share.

How to Stop Cheating

I’m asked about this issue many times by new teachers. Now that many students are learning remotely, I’m asked about this by many teachers, even experienced ones.

The best way I think I achieve this is by moving away from tests that ask students to regurgitate what they have learned through multiple choice questions, T/F, or short or long essays. That really doesn’t show me that they have learned and understood what they have learned.

I think the best way to assess students is by having them produce something that shows they have learned something. This also can appeal to students who have different learning styles. Some students may be more creative than others, but all are expected to make something new from their learning.

Years ago my class read the novel, The Scarlet Letter. This was required reading in some English classes but my students with special needs read the graphic novel. I told them from the start that they would have to make something at the end to show they read and understood the novel. I suggested some things such as a movie poster, a skit, a song, a dance, wall graffiti (on poster board), a brochure, a clay sculpture or anything else that they could think of (if approved by me). I was so proud of my students with all the creative items they produced! One girl went to vintage stores and came up with costumes for the time period. I think her and her mother sewed some things up from scraps. Another boy who attended machine shop at the vocational school made a pillory from metal.

By creating something themselves, they took ownership in their learning. No one was able to cheat or copy anything. It also kept the students engaged during learning because they were looking closely at things that they could possible do as a final project.

I have no doubt that all of my students learned something from that novel. Their reading decoding skills improved, reading comprehension improved, and they were able to show their understanding in their own way.

Recently I saw a student who was in that class 40+ years ago, and he still remembers doing that project!

How do you prevent cheating? Please share.

Photo by Ben Mullins on Unsplash

High-Leverage Practice 6: Assessment

I am going to discuss High-Leverage Practices as mentioned on the CEC website organized around four aspects of practice. I hope you will join in the conversation!

“HLP6 - Use student assessment data, analyze instructional practices, and make necessary adjustments that improve student outcomes.”

It is important to regularly assess students’ progress, so you know what accommodations or modifications need to be made.

These assessments do not have to be formal assessments and may also be observations, inventories, oral or written.

If we don’t regularly assess our students, they may become frustrated at working at a level that is too hard for them and stop working. It is better to find out that they are having difficulties and then either move to a level where they are successful and slowly introduce more difficult tasks rather than give them too many difficult tasks all at once.

By assessing the students often, you may be able to step in and use instructional strategies that can help them be more successful.

Depending on the age of the student, you can even share your assessment data with the student and brainstorm ways that can help the student improve. Sometimes students would love to give input on their own instruction but are never asked. I find the insight from the student can be extremely helpful. This also teaches the student to be a self-advocate and to tell others what they need. Just because a student struggles does not mean that the student is stupid. Many of their peers and even some adults tend to equate struggling with stupidity and do the student a major injustice!

When making adjustments, you might have to try several different strategies until you find one that works. That is why frequent assessment and communication with the student is so important.

How do you decide on what adjustments need to be made? Please share.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

High-Leverage Practice 5: Assessment

I am going to discuss High-Leverage Practices as mentioned on the CEC website organized around four aspects of practice. I hope you will join in the conversation!

“HLP5 - Interpret and communicate assessment information with stakeholders to collaboratively design and implement educational programs.”

As much as many people like to assess student’s strengths, weaknesses, and progress, it means nothing if we don’t use this information to design a program that will help the student be successful.

It is also very important to include all the stakeholders in designing this program.

Many people think of the stakeholders as just school personnel but we need to include everyone that is a stakeholder, even outside of the school.

The parents will have input that is very valuable to the program. They may have some goals that they would include in the program and by using the assessment information, it may be helpful to see if these goals are realistic or not. They may be goals that are realistic and the school personnel never thought about including. Parents will be able to discuss what has been done at home to address some issues and what strategies have worked or not worked at home.

The student is the most important stakeholder. I think it is important for a student to know as much as possible (depending on the student’s developmental age) about the assessment results. Asking the student what goals are important to him/her can help the student feel included in the process. This empowers the student and can help give motivation towards success. This collaboration might also help see whether the student has realistic goals or not and the team can help the student work out the steps that might be needed in order to reach this goal.

If there are any outside agencies that will be affected by the student’s educational program or if the program will be affected by these outside agencies, they need to be in on this collaboration. They have some other resources that are available to help the student succeed in the program.

I think it is also important for everyone to realize that the program is not written in stone and all stakeholders may have to meet many times to look at new assessments, modify some things in the program or even change the direction the student is going in. New assessments may show that the student is progressing slower or faster than expected.

Having this collaborative team including the student shows the student that he/she is not all alone in this process. There is a team hoping and encouraging the student’s success. This team will not give up on the student.

What other stakeholders should be included in this collaboration? Why? Please share.

Photo by Perry Grone on Unsplash

High-Leverage Practice 4: Assessment

I am going to discuss High-Leverage Practices as mentioned on the CEC website organized around four aspects of practice. I hope you will join in the conversation!

“HLP4 - Use multiple sources of information to develop a comprehensive understanding of a student’s strengths and needs.”

I was never very good at taking tests. I would have test anxiety and even though I knew the material I would do terrible on tests. I know that many of my students feel the same way. This is a good reason to use multiple sources to understand my student’s strengths and needs.

Many of my students might not be able to express themselves well enough in writing to show their understanding of the material. Even though they might understand the major concepts, they may not be able to show you this in the written word.

Others might be able to regurgitate facts and figures but that doesn’t really show their understanding of the material. It just shows their ability to memorize things even if they don’t understand the major concepts.

I like to give several options for students to choose from in order to show their understanding of the material I teach. This is important to share these options at the beginning of the lesson so students can be thinking about them as they work through the material.

Some students might like making something with their hands while others might enjoy creating a song or dance to show their understanding. Others might like to act out an important scene. There are so many creative ways to assess a student’s understanding of the material!

I like to allow the students to choose several options so they can do something that interests them as well as focusing on something that they feel is a strength for them. This also helps them be more self-aware of their abilities and interests. Students also enjoy feeling like they have some control over their learning.

What ways do you assess your students? Please share.

Photo by José Alejandro Cuffia on Unsplash

Dealing with Behavior

In 7 Tips for Limiting Problem Behaviors in Your Classroom from @DavidGeurin Blog, David Geurin asks,

“What are your best tips for dealing with problem behaviors?”

I feel the best way to deal with behavior is preventative rather than reactive.

I assess my students before teaching so I can find out what their instructional level is. Then I teach them at that point so this might mean students are doing different lessons at the same time. I feel that if students aren’t bored, they are engaged in learning and less likely to misbehave.

I believe in using Universal Design for Learning and look at the individual needs of my students. Some have different learning styles and I try to incorporate activities so that the students have some choices in how I assess their learning. Students complete more assignments this way and are more successful in the classroom. When students feel successful, they tend to misbehave a lot less.

I also like using some kind of token economy system where they receive rewards for working and are fined for not. That is what happens in the real world when we get a job so why not simulate what will happen in the real world. Students like to feel they are earning something for their hard work and can use their rewards to trade for something that they want. But I also believe that they should get docked pay if they are late or don’t follow directions (just like on a real job) or get fined if they break the rules (just like getting a speeding ticket).

I also think students misbehave to get my attention so I have small square foam blocks. One side is red and the other is green. If they need help, they turn the block to “red” on the corner of their desk. Once I help them, I turn it over to green. In this way, no student is having to watch and wait for me while I help another student and can continue on their work until I come to their desk. Students seem to like this system and it works really well.

The biggest thing that I do is that I stay in contact with their parents. I mostly brag about their good behavior so they are getting attention for behaving well. I try to call at least every other week and since I call often, these calls are short and to the point. Parents appreciate that I touch base with them and they are so happy to hear good news. Unfortunately there are times I have to call about problem behaviors but by then I have established a rapport with the students and their parents. Parents are very supportive at this point and we usually can correct the problem easily.

How do you handle problem behaviors? Please share.

Day 5 Assessments

On the Free Technology for Teachers Facebook, the twenty day blogging challenge created by Kelly Hines was mentioned and I decided to give it a shot. So here is the challenge for today:

“Give a tip for assessment. What is an example of an assessment you give? Share any tips for designing/giving/grading assessments.”

I am a big believer of Project Based Learning. I like to come up with the objectives for my lesson and then think about the things students can create to show that they have mastered the objectives. I like to have my students create something new from their understanding of the lesson because I don’t have to worry about cheating this way. I believe it also helps the students become more engaged in the lesson because they know they aren’t expected to just regurgitate facts and figures. By applying their knowledge and creating something new, I can get a better grasp as to their understanding of the lesson. Sometimes I come up with suggestions for them to make and sometimes I let them think about ways they can show mastery of their skills. Sometimes if they can convince me that what they propose shows mastery, they are more excited and invested in the lesson.

First I plan out the main goal and objectives for the unit. Then I think of activities that will teach the information so that they can master the goals and objectives. Finally I think of projects that students can create to show me this mastery.

Once the students think about what they will need for their final project, I sometimes need to adjust the lessons. I might be teaching certain aspects of a lesson and due to their interest, I might need to add more or different information. In a way, this can end up an exploration adventure for all of us.

Of course, all of this takes careful planning before the entire lesson is introduced to the class. I like to have a general rubric that I will use to grade all of the projects. There are basic requirements that every student must fulfill and if they have the rubric from the start, the students have some guidance on where they need to start and the basics for how they need to finish. If they get more elaborate, they can add bonus points to their grade.

I have used this type of lesson many times and each time it has been successful. I have noticed that the more planning I do beforehand, the better the entire lesson seems to be.

What assessments do you give? Please share.

Image: 'Powerpoint Slide: "Planning with end in+mind"' 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7815007@N07/6916661035
Found on flickrcc.net

My Perspective on Differentiated Instruction

In Why I Don’t Like Differentiated Instruction from Education On The Plate by Deven Black, he states

“Instruction focuses on what the teacher provides or what the teacher tells the student and differentiation merely postulates that teachers need to provide a variety of materials and tell in a variety of ways.”

At first when I read this post, I disagree with it because I think differentiated instruction is vital to a student’s success. Then when I read the statement I mentioned above, I realized that the success actually depends on the teacher’s perspective on differentiated instruction. According to this post, differentiated instruction just means giving different materials and teaching differently. If this is how a teacher perceives differentiated instruction, then I wouldn’t like it either, not as a teacher and definitely not as a student.

I believe that differentiated instruction deals more with how the student learns and what works best to achieve the objectives. Instruction is focused more on the different student rather than different materials and teaching styles. It also should include the students’ learning styles or it just won’t work.

If a student is an auditory learner, by all means, I would give oral instruction but also back it up with visual instruction. Just because a student is strong in one area, doesn’t mean I should limit my instruction to one area. By teaching both ways, I can reach more students. I believe that it doesn’t matter what type of learner they are if I can’t show them how relevant the lesson is to their own lives. Sure, to make learning interesting, I use a variety of tools, and activities because if it gets boring for me, it obviously will put students into a snooze!

Teaching new skills should involve different materials and teaching styles but should also include the student’s learning styles. If a student learns best by using his hands, then I need to find a way for this student to learn by using his hands. When I was teaching about the battles of the Revolutionary War, I let some students make a diorama of the specific battle. They used small soldiers and created the scene on their own. This helped understanding in a much better way than just reading about it in the textbook. My auditory learners researched about the conditions that soldiers had to exist in and did audio interviews with “soldiers” as if they were reporters during that time period. There are so many ways to teach lessons and encourage the student’s strengths if I can think outside the box. Instead of teaching the way I was taught, I need to teach in ways that I wish I was taught.

In the same respect, I need to see how students can show me that they can master a skill or achieve an objective in order to properly assess the learning. Assessment should not be a “one size fits all” activity. Before a lesson occurs, I need to decide the ways that I can evaluate and measure achievement. The best way for me has been to allow the students to create something new with their knowledge that they learned. This allows the student to be creative and also diminishes the temptation for some to cheat. Whenever we start a new lesson, I tell the students how they will be assessed. I share with them 5 possible projects for them to do at the end. This allows them to be thinking about it as they go through the learning. Their final creation from their learning can be part of their assessment that they turn in. Critiquing other projects using a rubric I created, can also be part of their assessment because it makes them look at the other student’s projects and use their knowledge learned in order to complete the rubric.

Sometimes I will even allow students to give input into the assessment. Over the years, I have developed a list of projects and pull from this list for different lessons. Students are allowed to pick 1 out of 5 choices for their assessment. If they have a suggestion that is not on the list, they are allowed to submit a proposal. They need to tell me what they want to do and how it will show me that they have mastered the objective. Sometimes the students come up with great ideas and by allowing their input, they feel they have some control over their learning and tend to be more engaged in the lesson.

It ends up being a win-win situation for everyone. The teacher has a successful lesson and the students are successful in achieving a goal and learning something that is relevant to their future.

How do you feel about differentiated instruction? What is your perspective?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Image: 'the redcoats were bastards'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48105870@N00/1464592814

Helping a Student with Mild Spectrum Disorder

I recently received an email asking for advice and thought you might enjoy reading the exchange. The question is in bold and my answer is in italics below it.

“1. We have one student at our school is has been diagnosed as having mild Spectrum Disorder.  We do not have a special needs teacher at our school, so when we (the teachers) have a questions about "Is this a good assignment...." or "How can I adapt this assignment??" type question we do not have anyone that can help us know what to do. We asked him to write goals for this quarter of school.  It was enlightening to discuss his viewpoint of goals.  His thoughts are that setting goals are just asking to fail at something.  He said that everytime he has set goals he has been unable to complete them.  He then feels bad about himself for failing.  We were able to set some short term goals that were achieveable for him, and I have been checking on him regularly.  Is this a typical scenario with goal setting?  If not, do you have any tips for me on how to help him understand that it is not a set-up for failure.”

I think writing goals for a whole quarter may be too abstract for him right now. I also think it is great that he can verbalize why it is hard for him. I might try using a visual calendar and having him decide what he wants to accomplish by a certain date but 3 months ahead if really hard. Since he sees things in "black and white", planning that far ahead is too "gray." I think by letting him achieve short term goals will give him some confidence. Then maybe make those short term goals cover a little more time each time you set new ones. Another thing to suggest would be to show him that long term assignments with due dates could possibly be considered a long term goal. This would be a little more concrete for him to see when you put it on a calendar. His goal could be to: complete "assignment" by "due date." You might even put this on the calendar without calling it a "long term goal" which might add more stress on him. Once he achieves it, you can reflect back on it and show him how it was a long term goal and how he was successful with it.

“2.  Today one of his teachers came to me with an assignment that he refused to complete.  The main assignment was a "what if " type scenario that he was to write a paragraph about this topic.  His response was "I do not want / I can't think about these types of questions because I just don't know how it would have been .....Personally, I hate "what if" or "what would it have been like " questions.  I know this is 40 points of my grade, but I just can't do this. "   His teacher is not sure of what to do with this response.  Is there a modification that can be done in these type assignments.  The assignment is to assess the student's knowledge of a topic in a different way than just asked them to feed the information back to the teacher.”

Again, "what if" is too abstract for this student. Dealing in "black and white", "what if" is in the gray area. I wonder what the objective the teacher is trying to accomplish. Is the objective supposed to be writing a paragraph? If so, then would it be possible to write a paragraph on a topic that he is more comfortable with. Is the objective teaching some kind of social skill? If so, you will probably need to actually tell him what the desired response is and then practice it through social stories or role playing. Another thought, if the teacher is insistent that he write about that topic, may be look at the "what if" scenario and see if you can apply it to a situation that he has already experienced. Then he can write about it that way. 

You didn't ask this but I thought I would throw in another suggestion - if possible, giving him 2 choices would make him feel more in control of himself. Maybe if teachers gave 2 choices to write about, he would feel more comfortable with one and not be so resistant. But I would not give more than 2 choices or it might become overwhelming.

Also, writing abstract thoughts are much harder for these students. If at all possible, multiple choice, matching, fill in the blank are much easier on the student than writing short answer or essay. If checking for understanding (usually through short answer or essay), consider having the student give verbal answers either to the teacher or in a voice recorder to be turned in.

Do you have any other suggestions for this teacher? If so, please share.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Image: 'BLACK VIEW'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38937613@N03/3960503360

Measuring My Writing

In The Inclined Plane---Or Raising Chickens, C. Hope Clark-Style from Sioux's Page, Sioux asks,        

“As writers, how do we measure the work we do?  Do we solely count up the places where we've been published?  Do we tally up the hours we spend on writing every week?  Do we count up the "tasks" we accomplish every week  ( __ queries sent off, ___ submissions mailed, ___ many rough drafts started, and so on)?
         And what work do we consider the most difficult?  The students discovered that the same amount of work was being done each time (the length of the ramp was unchanged) but the work was easier to do when the ramp was gentle versus steep. What is the most difficult work you do as a writer?”

In order for me to measure my writing, I need to decide on a few things.

· What is my purpose?

· Who is my audience?

· How will I communicate my thoughts?

· How committed am I to what I am writing about?

My overall purpose is to share my thoughts and ideas mainly about teaching, sometimes about life in general with others.

My audience is mostly educators or anyone interested in education.

I want to communicate my thoughts by sharing from my point of view, by including examples from my personal experiences.

I have to believe in what I’m writing about. I have to believe that what I’m sharing is important.

I have a self imposed schedule of writing Monday through Friday with weekends off. This works for me because I am a schedule oriented person and I like things to run on clockwork. It stresses me out if I can’t figure out a schedule for myself and then this stress would keep me from writing. Having a schedule also helps me plan my writing and looking constantly for new ideas, inspirations, motivations about topics to write about.

As my subscribers grow and comments come in, I feel that is an indication that my writing is improving. Compliments sent to me by my readers makes me feel so thrilled that it is like an enhancement to my writing. These things make me want to write more. It is a validation that my ideas and thoughts are being heard and people are willing to enter the conversation with me. It is also thrilling when I’m reading someone else’s blog and see them refer to my blog in their post! (That sounds so conceited, doesn’t it?!)

Some days the thoughts just roll off my head like a roller coaster out of control. Other times I know what I want to say but it just doesn’t come out right or easy. It takes lots of revisions to make it come out the way I want. Sometimes I just have to accept that the last version is the best that I can do and throw it out for all to see. I’m constantly amazed that the posts I think would interest the most people don’t seem to cause a ripple and others that I think might not matter to others causes the biggest impact.

I grew up in a world where you don’t rock the boat. My high level classes were more of rote memorization and regurgitation of learning with very little critical thinking. My writing has pushed me into the world of critical thinking. I constantly struggle to find out how I feel about different topics and other people’s beliefs. Then when I decide if I agree or disagree, I force myself to show why I feel this way. This is the hardest part of writing for me. It is hard for me to write my thoughts clearly and not doubt or second guess myself when I do this. Writing for everyone else to see makes me feel so vulnerable. What if someone disagrees with me! I am learning to find myself through my writing and I feel like I am growing into my own skin every day.

When I first started, I couldn’t imagine myself writing on a regular basis. Now I can’t imagine myself NOT writing on a regular basis. I guess for me that this is the true measurement. I can read my earlier posts and actually see how much I’ve grown and improved, not just in my writing but also in my own person.

So, how do you measure your writing? Please share!

(A thank you goes out to Sioux who is constantly inspiring me and motivating me to grow! If you get a chance, please check out her blog because I feel it is a must read!)

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Blue Tape Measure'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/42179515@N06/3901158717 by: Darren Hester

Getting Kids to Participate

In How do you attain participation?  from Learn Me Good by Mister Teacher, he asks,

“Instead, my question is, How do you attain participation in class? We always seem to have those kids that come in day after day with nothing better to do than try to impersonate a brick. Sometimes these are kids who do fantastic on tests, but they never talk in class. Sometimes they are kids who fail horribly in class and never raise their hands in class. Sometimes it's the vast majority of the class!...So any other strategies out there? How do you get participation from your ‘bricks?’”

This reminded me of all those students I taught who would never participate. I had to start of thinking about why they don’t participate and address those issues first. I think by knowing the reasons, I could give alternatives. At first it looks like the students are being oppositional and refuse to cooperative. But then I realized that many of them were just afraid. They were afraid of failure and of being laughed at by other students.

I started thinking about my own reason for wanting them to participate. My objective was to find out if they understood the material or remembered the information. Was it that important that they answered out loud in front of the class?

All of my students had a small square block that was green on one side and red on the other. They used these when they needed help. I decided to use this as a response tool so I started to ask true/false questions about the material. When I counted to 3, everyone had to turn their blocks to the answer (green for true and red for false). This really increases student participation!

Another strategy I used was having them work in teams of 2 to study material. After giving them time to study, I had a small competition between teams. More students felt comfortable answering because they weren’t alone anymore. I know I feel braver when I have someone backing me up.

I also tried to figure out alternative ways to assess my student’s knowledge. Sometimes I offered a choice of activities and let the students chose the one that they were most comfortable with. This really showed me that my students knew more than I expected. If the students were creating something new with the skills they learned, I didn’t have to worry about cheating or behavior problems. Most of the students were engaged and excited about this lesson.

If I had a student who still refused to participate, I would meet with that student individually and try to find out the problem. I would even offer to let the students come up with their own suggestions if it would meet my objective. By doing this, the students really had no excuse why they wouldn’t participate.

Once I have exhausted all options, it is time to call the parent. Usually at this point, there is more to the student’s lack of motivation than anything I can control.

What do you do to increase participation in your class?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Mapeado del Itinerario 1 (Zonas Verdes)'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/92402547@N00/3523048197 by: LaFundició

Learning is Not Intuitive

In On Balance Kevin Jarrett states,

“It made me realize that many times I have assumed that my high school students knew how to do something. Then they would look at me with this blank glazed-over look in their eyes and I knew I was in trouble. “

I have also seen my students enter my room with an assignment from another teacher. They were told to do research and write a report on a certain topic. For my students, they have no idea where to begin. Usually they go to the library and someone hands them a book on that topic. Then they start copying paragraphs from the book. They might see a picture that interests them and so they copy a paragraph near that picture. They jump around the book copying paragraphs until they have the assigned length. Yet they are stunned when they receive a failing grade for their report.

The problem is that no one told them where to start! Yes, maybe they were taught in third grade how to write a report but every year, different teachers use different criteria to evaluate these things. Yet, many assume that the students know and understand this criteria.

I find that using rubrics is the best way for me to share my expectations with the students. I want them to know what I’m looking for before they begin the work. Too many times I have worked on an assignment for a teacher only to find out halfway that I was moving in the wrong direction and had to start all over. Not only was I discouraged but I was frustrated by the waste of time that I had already put in. Rubrics also help me organize my own thoughts and criteria before I give an assignment. I have also seen too many teachers give busy work to students with no thought about assessing the finished project and believe me, students can pick up on this quickly. If they see the teacher doesn’t care, why should they put thought and effort into it either?

Now, you may be thinking that this only works for students in K-12 but it also works on the college level. I think rubrics help on any level and can really be instrumental in the success of the learner. I also started to see that if I couldn’t come up with a rubric for an assignment, I had to take a long hard look at the assignment and what I hoped to achieve.

I start off by writing down what I want to grade the student on. I make this list out and then decide on the main ones that I feel are essential and delete the ones that I think are not. Once I determine what is important for the student to achieve, I decide on the rating scale that will determine the grade. Once I decide what scale I am going to use, I give specifics for what will constitute each number. This takes a lot of time on the front end but it sure makes grading easier when I get the finished product. It also makes grading less subjective and easier for the student to understand where the mistakes were made.

If the student sees where the mistakes were made, then it is easier for the student to correct these mistakes and work towards more success. And isn’t that what I hope for the student to do?

Do you use rubrics? If so, what steps to you go through to develop one? Do you feel they are useful and why or why not?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Research Paper on Microsoft'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/31136139@N00/501812452 by: Alexis Cordova

Explain Your Answer

Picture drawing a straight line over another straight line. If your line is a little off course and you don’t correct it, it will never match the original line. You need to make your correction at the beginning or the distance between the two lines will only get larger.

I know it is important that our students get the right answer but sometimes it is just as important to know how they arrived at the wrong answer. I tell my students that they will get credit if they can show me how they arrived at the wrong answer. They might have read something in the textbook or their notes that they misunderstood. By explaining to me how they got their answer, I am able to find out their misdirection and correct it. I think too many teachers just mark an answer wrong, give a grade, and move on. If we don’t correct the student’s misunderstanding, this will set them up to go further off course later on down the road.

Sometimes I will find the textbook has some errors and I don’t catch it. Then when I give a test that comes with the textbook and the student gets the wrong answer, either the answer key is wrong or some part of the textbook is incorrect. That is why I ask the students to show me how they got their answer. If there is an error (no matter who’s error it is), it needs to be corrected.

I have always heard that we all learn from our mistakes. But I feel we only learn how not to keep making the same mistakes if we learn why we made them in the first place. Otherwise we will keep making the same ones over and over again.

Errors are not terrors but learning from our mistakes is important in order to be successful in life. I hope my students get this message from me.

Original image: 'Lines and Curves' http://www.flickr.com/photos/43217080@N00/3016211949 by: Alfonso

Learning and Knitting Socks

(Listen to this post as an mp3 file.)

Every year I try to learn something new and this year it is knitting. I have learned how to do the basic stitches required in knitting so I decided that I was going to learn how to make something useful. Socks looked like a small project and not too difficult so I went out and found a book with instructions on knitting socks. I studied the directions and read over each step and then reread it again and again. I remember growing up and not understanding things but my mother told me to keep reading it over again and it will make sense. I don’t care how many times I read the directions; I could not see how it would make a sock. I went online and shared my frustration with my virtual friends about the instructions. One person told me to just have faith, follow each step as it is written, and trust that a sock would develop. With a doubtful heart, I did what she said and to my surprise, I knitted a sock. Even though I made some mistakes, I was so happy to say that it looked like a sock and it even fit my foot!

As I was making this sock, I realized that sometimes our students must feel the same way. I teach them basic skills and expect them to know that when I teach them new skills, they will miraculously have a new end product. I teach the alphabet and sounds of each letter so I expect them to put it all together to read words, paragraphs, pages, and eventually books. I teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division and expect they will eventually understand fractions, decimals, algebra, geometry, and calculus. I expect the students to have faith and trust me enough to get them where they need to end up even though they might not understand how they are getting there. What a scary world this must seem to them! How can I help them with this process so it is easier for them?

1. First, I think I need to let my students know that I understand their limitations and ask them to have faith. Think about a personal experience to share with them so they know I understand. They need to know that I understand how it may seem strange to them but will eventually come together. This is a good time to share that some people may learn differently than others so we need to be sensitive to each other’s needs.

2. Make a task analysis of the skill I want them to learn. Explain the steps and model these steps so they understand how it will all come together. This is task analysis helps me not to forget steps or take things for granted. Sometimes it amazes me that I do things without thinking about them and forget about the little steps which are important.

3. If they don’t understand how it all comes together one way, I need to look for other ways to come to the same point. I shouldn’t insist that there is only one way to arrive at the correct answer. Sometimes I ask other students to help explain something for me and it helps a struggling student when it comes from the point of view of their peers.

4. Building trust with the students takes time and I try to develop a rapport with them. I ask about their personal hobbies and interests and I ask to see pictures if they mention something special that has happened. Sometimes it helps to talk about their struggles in other classes (not with other teachers but subjects). Sometimes seeing it from a different perspective can help them. I try to ask them questions that show my interest and concern.

5. I need to celebrate with them when they accomplish their goals. Even if it may seem small to me, it may be something big to them and I need to recognize it. Knowing that I am proud of them for doing something right or meeting a goal or having success in something will help their self esteem tremendously. This in turn will help them attempt things that may seem difficult for them.

6. If all else fails, sometimes you need to table the instruction and come back to it later. Just like an engine can get flooded when you are trying to start a car, we can overwhelm our students to the point they will shut down. When I get frustrated, sometimes I have to put it down when I am in a calmer state of mind. My students need to know that this is okay but it is just as important that they know it is also important to finish what they started and not give up.

Do you have any other suggestions, ideas, or comments? Please let me know.

Why Do We Give Grades?

In Beliefs about Grading, Pam Shoemaker talks about how we give grades to document progress. She attended a meeting where the facilitator discussed some common grading pitfalls according to the author of a book he read:
1. Avoid nonacademic factors (behavior, attendance, etc.)
2. Avoid penalizing for multiple attempts at mastery.
3. Avoid grading homework.
4. Avoid recording zeros for work not done
5. Avoid group grades. Cooperative learning helps students learn, but is not an indicator of proficiency.
Pam shared her feelings about these pitfalls and it made me think about them also so I’m going to share with you my feelings.

1. I agree that you cannot factor in nonacademic factors into a grade. Yet poor behavior and attendance will ultimately affect the grade anyway. If the student is not there for whatever reason, that student will not be able to master the skill. When you give an assessment, the student will be unable to answer questions if they missed the information due to suspension or absences. If you are comparing where this student stands next to his/her peers in the classroom, it would be unfair to give this student the same grade as someone who is in the classroom and acting appropriately.
2. I think you need to look at the reason for your assessment. If you are trying to compare where the student stands next to his/her peers, you will have to penalize for multiple attempts. The student who achieved the goal the first time should receive a higher grade than the one who needed multiple times to succeed. But if you are just testing the mastery of the skill, I do not think multiple attempts should matter. When we attempt the driving test to get a driver’s license, does it matter how many times it took to pass the test? Is the number of attempts shown anywhere on our record? No, not as long as we mastered the skill. I feel the same should be applied in the classroom.
3. I think homework should be graded. Again, what is the purpose of the homework? If it is just busywork, it not only shouldn’t be graded, but it shouldn’t be given. I believe homework is reinforcement of a skill that was taught in the classroom. The completed homework would be an assessment of the student’s ability to master that skill. Isn’t that what grades should be about?
4. I do not give zeros. If work is not done, it is considered incomplete and I work with the parents and the students to see that this work is completed. Zeros are not an option. It is too easy for a student to say, “Just give me a zero” and that is the end of that. How do we see that the student masters the skill then? Do we just move on and not give them the foundation for future skills?
5. I think group grades are important. In today’s society, people need to work together. If we do not teach this as a skill, how will our students learn this? They are not born with the knowledge on how to work as a team. We need to break the skills down into achievable steps (make a task analysis) and teach these steps. A grade will show whether the student has mastered the skill.

I really think we need to look at grading and determine why we need the grade and what does the grade show. This should determine how we determine the grade and what we use the results for. All of this is necessary for our students to be successful in the classroom as well as the real world.

Original image: 'Of all the possible answers, I had to write this.' http://www.flickr.com/photos/91707690@N00/429809565