Merging a variety of grade sources to compose one final grade is something I feel extremely uncomfortable with. I understand the need, on behalf of the school, to have one final mark, but I feel there is more value of having grades broken down and reflected in a variety of ways.
I appreciate the quote, "in mathematics, we teach that you can not average apples, oranges, and bananas, but we do it in our grade books." When I read it, it makes me think of the variety of students I will have in the classroom. Each student is an individual, and will excel in different areas, reflecting their unique learning styles and interests. To me, it only makes sense to then reflect these unique attributes in a variety of ways, to outlining the various ways students will demonstrate their learning. Because of this, it doesn't make sense to me to then mash each of these different products of learning into one final grade, as it will never accurately depict each student's strengths.
Over the course of my education, I have experienced a variety of methods to report grades. My favorite was a system which used comments and four levels of achievement ( in words) to report learning. This method allowed for individualization of each student's report card, discussing the different aspects of their work. This allowed for a variety of grade sources to be utilized, instead of just one final grade number or letter to be the sole determinate for the success of the student to that point.
I hope to be able use this type of system in the future, as I can still look at each student as an individual, and not have to manipulate a variety of grade sources to compose one final grade that may not accurately reflect that student's work. I know it will be more intensive to compose comments for each student in a variety of areas, but I think the detailed breakdown is beneficial to the student, as they can see their achievement broken down, instead of lumped together.
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Vignette 11
Mean, Median, and Mode
I have always felt the calculation of grades using an average was the worst possible method available. If a student missed one assignment, or perhaps was having a bad day, and scored poorly, their final grade will suffer significantly, and wont reflect their typical work.
This also puts unnecessary pressure on students, beyond the pressures they feel to learn and understand the course content. They feel like they aren't allowed to experience external factors, such as life events, because if they negativity impact their school life, they are penalized for it. This mindset is not realistic, and should be avoided, as we all live life, and with life comes road bumps.
Instead of using an average (mean), I believe the median or mode should be used to determine a student's final mark. This allows students to feel less worried about how the one assignment they did poorly on will affect their final grade.
The median would reflect the middle number (central tenancy) of all the student's grades. This would weed out any skewed results, such as a missed assignment, and would instead reflect the student's overall grades.
The mode would also work to reflect an accurate depiction of a student's grades, as it is the most common grade to appear within that student's work. I would group them according to the tenths, such as all 40's, all 50's, all 60's, etc. This would show the most common grade range for this student, eliminating the one zero they received for a missed assignment. I think this method reflects the student's work more accurately.
I have always felt the calculation of grades using an average was the worst possible method available. If a student missed one assignment, or perhaps was having a bad day, and scored poorly, their final grade will suffer significantly, and wont reflect their typical work.
This also puts unnecessary pressure on students, beyond the pressures they feel to learn and understand the course content. They feel like they aren't allowed to experience external factors, such as life events, because if they negativity impact their school life, they are penalized for it. This mindset is not realistic, and should be avoided, as we all live life, and with life comes road bumps.
Instead of using an average (mean), I believe the median or mode should be used to determine a student's final mark. This allows students to feel less worried about how the one assignment they did poorly on will affect their final grade.
The median would reflect the middle number (central tenancy) of all the student's grades. This would weed out any skewed results, such as a missed assignment, and would instead reflect the student's overall grades.
The mode would also work to reflect an accurate depiction of a student's grades, as it is the most common grade to appear within that student's work. I would group them according to the tenths, such as all 40's, all 50's, all 60's, etc. This would show the most common grade range for this student, eliminating the one zero they received for a missed assignment. I think this method reflects the student's work more accurately.
Vignette 3
"As with an encyclopedia or almanac, it doesn't follow that we should teach the textbook from page to page." - Wiggins and McTighe
I can see how a new teacher could fall into the trap of following the teacher manual or a more seasoned teacher's outlines, word for word, as they struggle to get a hold on the curriculum. You would think these two resources would be reliable, as they both have been implemented in classroom.
But as the above quote points out, information resources, such as encyclopedias, are designed for information only, and not meant to be the only sources utilized. This is the same for text books. They have been designed by the publisher to loosely follow curriculum, but they are not the only resource to be used. Ultimately, the publisher is creating the textbook to sell and make a profit, not ensuring all outcomes are addressed from the Program of Studies.
The other consideration in utilizing textbook and other teachers' resources is that information and curriculum is constantly changing. I have heard lots of stories of seasoned teachers not realizing the curriculum had changed, and that they have been teaching outdated curriculum outcomes.
For me, these are all considerations I need to address when I begin teaching. The
Program of Studies will always be my number one reference tool. It ensures I'm teaching what is required by the government, and will always be the most up to date resource I can access. Once I know what needs to be taught, I can find resources that support those outcomes, from text books to online.
I can see how a new teacher could fall into the trap of following the teacher manual or a more seasoned teacher's outlines, word for word, as they struggle to get a hold on the curriculum. You would think these two resources would be reliable, as they both have been implemented in classroom.
But as the above quote points out, information resources, such as encyclopedias, are designed for information only, and not meant to be the only sources utilized. This is the same for text books. They have been designed by the publisher to loosely follow curriculum, but they are not the only resource to be used. Ultimately, the publisher is creating the textbook to sell and make a profit, not ensuring all outcomes are addressed from the Program of Studies.
The other consideration in utilizing textbook and other teachers' resources is that information and curriculum is constantly changing. I have heard lots of stories of seasoned teachers not realizing the curriculum had changed, and that they have been teaching outdated curriculum outcomes.
For me, these are all considerations I need to address when I begin teaching. The
Program of Studies will always be my number one reference tool. It ensures I'm teaching what is required by the government, and will always be the most up to date resource I can access. Once I know what needs to be taught, I can find resources that support those outcomes, from text books to online.
Vignette 9
I think this scenario with Ryan happens all too often. Students initially struggle, but work hard and eventually improve significantly, but are ultimately defeated by a policy.
In Ryan's case, the average of his marks over the term, as a final grade, did not accurately depict his learning and achievement improvements over the term. The entire point of a child's education is to mark improvement and ensure learning is occurring, through assessment of that child's understanding and application of curriculum outcomes. When you look at Ryan's performance over the year, it's clear he improved substantially and was understanding the content. It's frustrating that his hard work is balled up into one final mark, which in no way reflects his learning and growth.
I can't imagine how Ryan feels. He knew heading into class that he struggled in LA. It would have taken a lot on his part (and the teacher) to work hard as something that didn't come easily, and to ultimately improve. He would have been so thrilled to see his own success, so it frustrates me to know his confidence would have been torn back down when he saw his final mark. He probably wont apply himself in his next LA class, because he has been burned in the past by putting himself out there and working hard to grasp the content.
A more accurate depiction of Ryan's learning and improvement would have been to weight the earlier grades lighter than the more recent work, instead of it all being averaged. This way, all of Ryan's grades would have been included in his final grade, but would still show how he grew over the term, as his improved grades would make up most of his final grade.
In Ryan's case, the average of his marks over the term, as a final grade, did not accurately depict his learning and achievement improvements over the term. The entire point of a child's education is to mark improvement and ensure learning is occurring, through assessment of that child's understanding and application of curriculum outcomes. When you look at Ryan's performance over the year, it's clear he improved substantially and was understanding the content. It's frustrating that his hard work is balled up into one final mark, which in no way reflects his learning and growth.
I can't imagine how Ryan feels. He knew heading into class that he struggled in LA. It would have taken a lot on his part (and the teacher) to work hard as something that didn't come easily, and to ultimately improve. He would have been so thrilled to see his own success, so it frustrates me to know his confidence would have been torn back down when he saw his final mark. He probably wont apply himself in his next LA class, because he has been burned in the past by putting himself out there and working hard to grasp the content.
A more accurate depiction of Ryan's learning and improvement would have been to weight the earlier grades lighter than the more recent work, instead of it all being averaged. This way, all of Ryan's grades would have been included in his final grade, but would still show how he grew over the term, as his improved grades would make up most of his final grade.
Thursday, 24 March 2016
Vignette 6
Unfortunately, there are many teachers who share this kind of mindset. They feel they need to penalize the student, usually by withholding marks, when work is handed in late.
The reality is, "the reason for not handling in the work (is) as different as the students themselves" (pg C29, Assessment of Student Achievement). So as teachers, we need to take into consideration students' lives outside of the classroom.
As a current student myself, I understand this balance between school and home life all too well. There are times when personal obligations pop up unexpectedly, conflicting with assignment due dates. It has always taken the pressure off knowing my instructors understand these obligations, and are willing to be flexible on due dates.
This mindset is the one I will adopt as a teacher. I have no problem extending due dates, based on external factors which come up unexpectedly. My only conditions are that the extension of due dates do not become habitual, and that the student lets me know when they do, instead of waiting until the day the assignment is due to ask for an extension.
Monday, 21 March 2016
Vignette 5
"Employability skills are developed in school and through a variety of life experiences outside of school. The student, the family, and the education system, supported and enhanced by the rest of society, share this responsibility."
I could not agree more with this quote. Knowledge is power, but without the appropriate skills, most people can't harness knowledge to it's full potential. This is evident when looking at employment, which is the ultimate goal of education. Job applications always list the necessary knowledge require to preform that job, but they also list the necessary skills. The following poster says it best:
Students need to understand that school is just like the workforce, where both the knowledge and skills are require, in combination, to be hired. Your work ethic counts, along with your understanding of the required information.
Vignette 4
I think it's important to report on all factors involved in learning, including work habits, but not lumped together into the achievement grade.
For example: it's unfair to mark a student's grasp of outcomes from the Program of Studies, and then take away mark because they are habitually late. If the student's work showed they had a healthy understanding of the course material, it is obvious their tardiness is not affecting concept attainment. As far as the Program of Studies is concerned, this student is succeeding and is understanding the requires concepts.
My opinion, however, is that this student's learning has not ended there. As teachers, we are not only teaching prescribed content, we are also preparing students for life outside of school. For this reason, we need to track, separately, other factors, including work habits. Tracking these factors demonstrates to the student their importance in the learning process. By bring attention to work habits, the student sees that their actions are also important within the classroom.
Tracking these factors can also help a student who is struggling to grasp the course material. Their achievement grade may be low, however, their motivation can still be kept up, because they see their work habits are acknowledge. Acknowledgement of this student's hard work ethic could be the only factor which keeps them motivated to keep trying to understand, instead of shutting down and quitting.
For example: it's unfair to mark a student's grasp of outcomes from the Program of Studies, and then take away mark because they are habitually late. If the student's work showed they had a healthy understanding of the course material, it is obvious their tardiness is not affecting concept attainment. As far as the Program of Studies is concerned, this student is succeeding and is understanding the requires concepts.
My opinion, however, is that this student's learning has not ended there. As teachers, we are not only teaching prescribed content, we are also preparing students for life outside of school. For this reason, we need to track, separately, other factors, including work habits. Tracking these factors demonstrates to the student their importance in the learning process. By bring attention to work habits, the student sees that their actions are also important within the classroom.
Tracking these factors can also help a student who is struggling to grasp the course material. Their achievement grade may be low, however, their motivation can still be kept up, because they see their work habits are acknowledge. Acknowledgement of this student's hard work ethic could be the only factor which keeps them motivated to keep trying to understand, instead of shutting down and quitting.
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