Questions, questions...
Until recently I have discounted my response to students' answers. I have now realized (after almost TWENTY years of teaching) that what I say after a kid responds to a question is just as important as the question itself. I have been going through the motions to get the kids to answer the questions. I am embarassed. I think the old PET evaluation form marked me and other teachers down if we didn't say, "good" or "great job" to the students when they got the correct answer. (Not that I am blaming any one else for my stupidity, but sometimes pointing a finger at others does make one feel better.)
Thank you all for being so willing to share your writing. I am impressed with your talent. Remember to save the writing you do in class. If you try out any of the things we do in class, please let me come see how it goes. If you are not comfortable with that, at least let us know how it goes during our next study group.
Chapters 4 and 5 in Fair Isn't Always Equal are short and chocked full of ideas for alternative forms of assessment. Please try one out. If you need support, don't forget I can help.
As I said before we started the Data Warehouse Survey, it is a pain, but the state department requires all participants to complete it so that we can get our grant money to pay for the class. Thank you all for being so patient and completing it last night.
9 comments:
Blog 4 due November 3 Chapters 4&5 Fair Isn’t Always Equal
Jane Gregory
I used one of the strategies suggested in the reading this week in both of my algebra classes. I asked the students to number from 1 to 6 on their quiz paper. Then I told them to write five very different equations with one variable, all with the same answer of 12. I repeated these directions several times and gave them plenty of time to respond. Because this task was one more suited to the second week of algebra, I was not surprised when students looked angry, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Many faces changed as they thought through their answers. Then for problem 6, I asked them to explain their feelings about this quiz. Their responses were most interesting. I was particularly interested in the angry responses and expected those because I have been so upfront about what type of test items to expect, and this question was so unexpected. The quiz was absolutely valid for the class, and I certainly could have counted it in the traditional way. Instead I used it as an extra credit activity and explained that I needed their honest answers for my Monday afternoon class. Many were relieved, but I think all students learned something about themselves.
Am I too quick to pass judgment?
If I had allowed myself to, could I have thought through and answered the questions correctly?
Did I enjoy the challenge of “thinking outside the box?”
Have I spoiled my students by taking away spontaneity of thoughtful response? In the classroom ten years ago, students expected “thought” questions on every test, and responded well to them. Perhaps I give them too much structure when I point out the types of questions they should be able to answer on tests and quizzes. I actually had one student who said he felt surprise in the quiz and because it was different, it was “kinda fun”. I will share more of my students’ responses in my strategy share during Monday’s class, if Paula will allow. I am even more interested in YOUR responses. I hope you will share with me what you feel.
October 20, 2008
BCSCRI Chapters 4 &5
Three Important Types of Assessment/Tiering Assessments
Of the three important types of assessments discussed, the rubric is the one I like best because it shows students what is expected. How many times have we heard students say that they didn’t know to include something important in a paper or report. The student either didn’t realize the significance of what was omitted, or they focused on something that the teacher felt was less significant. The rubric spells out what needs to be included if the rubric is done right. Wormeli’s guiding questions for rubric design are wonderful guides for creating rubrics. I think I will invite teachers to come view these pages from our text!
Portfolios are great assessment tools, especially if done over time. I don’t care for them when two classes of twenty or more students come to the media center the last week of school and want to print out twenty pages each! I think portfolio work should be collected over the entire semester or school year. If a piece or two needs revision, that is fine, but the helter skelter “let me hurry up and fill my portfolio before the deadline” is really for naught. The quality of the work just isn’t as good as it could be when done this
way.
I’d like to see the interactive notebook for self-assessment used in a class. It sounds like a great way for teachers to give students feedback. I think I will share the websites in our text on this method with some teachers.
Okay, so I really didn’t get past the first page in Chapter 5 because I got bogged down trying to remember my basic algebra! I wish someone had heard of tiering assessments when I was trying to learn algebra. If Tomlinson’s equalizer would have been around maybe that red “F” in geometry the 3rd six weeks could have at least been recorded in blue ink meaning there was some hope. Instead, I stayed frustrated and gave up just like I did on the first page of chapter 5.
Rubrics are great!!! That is how I felt when I first started using them until… I had the students who have the rubric but refuse to look at it again. Then there is also the student who loses the rubric and doesn’t think to ask for a new one. I have tried to use notebooks and portfolios but I have found them to be a great pain when dealing with the lower level classes. For me, and every textbook says you shouldn’t just use test, I am starting to feel like using other assessments is a waste. Between senioritis and laziness I don’t know what to do:(
Out of the three types of assessment described in Chapter 4, I prefer the rubric because students know exactly how they will be graded. The text provideds useful guidelines for creating rubrics. I use rubrics for integrated performance tasks which assess the student on his language capability. The rubric is a straigth forward way for students to prepare for an assessment. As for self-assessment, the suggestion to journal is mentioned. Students always enjoy this form.
Rubrics are not only good for the student but for the teacher as well. Rubrics takes grading from being subjective to factual. It is important not to overlook the importance of a good rubric with exact points given for meeting certain objectives.
Sadie, one way to get around the student losing the rubric is to put it on your website. This absolves all of us of any blame when the parent asks why their student wasn't given a copy of the rubric, which many students will claim.
By using a well thought out rubric teachers can get a thorough understanding of student understanding of concepts.
Fair Isn’t Always Equal –Ch 4 & 5
Robin Anderson
Some of these assessments do not apply to a math course very much, but one that does is the Tiered Assessments. I use that in the assignments as well and the tests. With the differentiated classes, tiered assessments can be a way of challenging the better students while still giving the slower students plenty of chance of success.
The first time I assigned a project for my math class I quickly learned how important a Rubric is for grading fairly and giving a student any type of meaningful feedback. I had been using rubrics for giving part credit on work any time that they show their work, and had not realized how critical they are for the student to receive before they do the project.
I use a form of Portfolios in geometry with a notebook on each chapter/topic, but they are not meaningful assessments if students have copied other students’ assignments.
I agree with everyone that rubrics are great. Students know clearly what they are supposed to do if the rubric is written correctly. I spent some time evaulating some of the rubrics I have helped teachers create for assignments in the media center. I now know that I really need to go back and revise these. They need to be more straightforward in terms the student can understand.
I also liked the learning contracts and tic-tac-toe ideas in the tiering assignments. It's always fun to see how students react when you give them choices. I have made many mistakes in this choice idea by not narrowing it down. This causes students to waste so much time. All of these ideas will help when collaborating with teachers and designing projects in the media center.
Portfolios:
I like the comment that with portfolios “teachers don’t have to make as many inferences about students’ mastery based on single samplings” (43).
I’ve used portfolios in Laureate—I have never used a portfolio in a regular grade-level class. To do one for grade level I feel it would have to be much more complex than collecting materials in order to be an accurate barometer for success.
Rubrics:
I’ve struggled with making rubrics—it takes practice to create a strong rubric. The “How to Design a Rubric” section will be very helpful in continuing my practice.
The math walk-through at the beginning of chapter 5 confused me—I feel the pain of math teachers in this literacy class after reading this portion of the passage.
One thing I’ve learned—particularly from my Honors certification class—is that all students are capable of accessing the same materials and activities. Beyond that, the teacher should expect different students to yield different results.
One point made on pg. 56 is to increase the complexity of an assessment—a teacher can extend a concept to other areas. That is one thing I’ve done in some of my classes—particularly my Honors classes. By examining content through macro-concepts students are able to make text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world connections more readily.
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