January 31st, 2012.
The situation that is described in this vignette is a troubling one. A student, named Juan, has received a lower-than-usual mark in Language arts. The teacher has been consulted by Juan's parent, and it is explained in this way: while Juan does complete excellent work, he doesn't like to sit still and learn in class. His mark is reflective of the way that he behaves in the classroom, as well as his work. The parent is dissatisfied wit this and turns to the principal.
There is no way that a child's grade should be influenced so much by his behavior inside the classroom. Little Juan had been receiving marks of 80 on his assignments, and he was docked 22 percent because of his behavior. I don't blame the parent in this situation for bringing this matter before the principal. A student should be marked and graded based only on their completion of curricular objectives. Past this it becomes too cloudy. His teacher would have to begin marking every student in the classroom based on their behavior, and that is no small feat.
I think that there are instances where behavior can effect a child's mark, but that isn't up to the teacher to decide. If a child is acting out in class and disrupting the lessons continually, they will do poorly on their work because of this. If a student appears to have trouble listening but does well with their work, then other steps need to be taken. Perhaps the child should sit by themselves for certain parts of the lesson to ensure his classmates aren't disrupted, but his mark should never be intentionally docked due to behavior.
I pity Juan for having such a teacher. This teacher explains that Juan, "just doesn't listen during instruction." I would beg to differ! If he is continually receiving a mark of 80, he obviously knows what he is doing. I think there is a possibility that this student listens in a different way than his teacher is familiar with.
This is a tough situation, but I believe the teacher is in the wrong here. A child's behavior should have little effect on their overall grades.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Vignette 7 - The Mighty Bell Curve!
January 24th, 2012
How did Mrs. Vandekamp's decision affect Dakota's grade and life?
Speaking from the perspective of a student who detests competition, I can say that Mrs. Vandekamp's decision seriously discouraged this young lady. Bell curves serve to increase the competition between students in a class. Essentially, it doesn't matter what mark you receive on any assignment, only where your mark sits in comparison to those of your classmates. Although Dakota rarely received a mark of less than 80%, she ended up with a final mark of 79%. Even though she put forth her best efforts, she was unable to out perform 6 of her classmates. This teacher taught Dakota that her efforts are irrelevant. Her marks aren't based on her work, but on her academic standing among the rest of her class.
As anxious as she was to receive the Rutherford Scholarship, I wonder if she was of a low socioeconomic standing. Perhaps she needed that scholarship to get into post-secondary school, which may no longer be possible for her, thanks to Mrs. Vandekamp.
What is the basis for Mrs. Vandekamp's grading practice?
I can't say exactly what her motivations may have been, because I've never had the displeasure of working with a norm-referenced approach. I sincerely hope I never have to. I want my students to be rewarded appropriately for their hard work.
How does Dakota's mark reflect her actual achievement?
Dakota's mark only mildly reflects her actual achievement. As I stated above, her final grade is decided only by how her grade compares to those of her classmates. It's possible that she had a mark of 89% and that 6 others had marks greater than that. Therefore, the six slots of 80% would have been filled. I think this is a terrible shame. Pitting students against one another makes the learning environment hostile, and therefore hinders the learning process. This is the opposite that teachers should be doing. Teachers should encourage children in their learning. They should ensure the learning environment is a safe and positive one, and they should reward students appropriately for their work.
How did Mrs. Vandekamp's decision affect Dakota's grade and life?
Speaking from the perspective of a student who detests competition, I can say that Mrs. Vandekamp's decision seriously discouraged this young lady. Bell curves serve to increase the competition between students in a class. Essentially, it doesn't matter what mark you receive on any assignment, only where your mark sits in comparison to those of your classmates. Although Dakota rarely received a mark of less than 80%, she ended up with a final mark of 79%. Even though she put forth her best efforts, she was unable to out perform 6 of her classmates. This teacher taught Dakota that her efforts are irrelevant. Her marks aren't based on her work, but on her academic standing among the rest of her class.
As anxious as she was to receive the Rutherford Scholarship, I wonder if she was of a low socioeconomic standing. Perhaps she needed that scholarship to get into post-secondary school, which may no longer be possible for her, thanks to Mrs. Vandekamp.
What is the basis for Mrs. Vandekamp's grading practice?
I can't say exactly what her motivations may have been, because I've never had the displeasure of working with a norm-referenced approach. I sincerely hope I never have to. I want my students to be rewarded appropriately for their hard work.
How does Dakota's mark reflect her actual achievement?
Dakota's mark only mildly reflects her actual achievement. As I stated above, her final grade is decided only by how her grade compares to those of her classmates. It's possible that she had a mark of 89% and that 6 others had marks greater than that. Therefore, the six slots of 80% would have been filled. I think this is a terrible shame. Pitting students against one another makes the learning environment hostile, and therefore hinders the learning process. This is the opposite that teachers should be doing. Teachers should encourage children in their learning. They should ensure the learning environment is a safe and positive one, and they should reward students appropriately for their work.
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Vignette 3: Get with the program!
January 17th, 2012
A grading issue that I see for Mr. Fisher was mark distribution in relation to time allocation. The amount of time spent on certain projects did not fairly reflect the marking weight assigned to them. Lots of time was spent on side projects like mapping and family tree business, which didn't have considerable weight in the final grades. It sounded like he also strayed away from the curriculum, which caused marks to plummet in his class. It isn't always terrible to stray from the curriculum, but when it doesn't more damage than good, the question must be asked: is it worth it? If this stray from curriculum doesn't aid students' understanding of required topics, then it should be removed.
During my practicum, I was told many a time that if the activity or topic isn't closely related to the learning outcome, then it must go. It only serves to confuse the students, which in turn makes the job of the teacher more challenging.
I have had very little experience in marking. I aided our mentor teacher with some marking, but I had very little to do. I marked a test, which was terribly challenging. The first part was true and false, and fill in the blank. This section was a breeze to mark, but the next few posed great difficulty. There were several short answer questions, and I couldn't believe the wide range of competence that was displayed. Some students grasped each concept well and passed with a perfect mark. Others seemed to be floundering terribly. I had to come to my teacher many times to make sure my marking aligned with his. Our teacher had been teaching for 7 years, and he told us that in the beginning he marked everything he could. He told us that this wasn't entirely necessary, and it only served to make more work for him. He needed our help with very little of the marking while we were there, which honestly made me quite sad. I was excited to help him out and learn some things. I was still able to do that, but not in the region of marking.
A grading issue that I see for Mr. Fisher was mark distribution in relation to time allocation. The amount of time spent on certain projects did not fairly reflect the marking weight assigned to them. Lots of time was spent on side projects like mapping and family tree business, which didn't have considerable weight in the final grades. It sounded like he also strayed away from the curriculum, which caused marks to plummet in his class. It isn't always terrible to stray from the curriculum, but when it doesn't more damage than good, the question must be asked: is it worth it? If this stray from curriculum doesn't aid students' understanding of required topics, then it should be removed.
During my practicum, I was told many a time that if the activity or topic isn't closely related to the learning outcome, then it must go. It only serves to confuse the students, which in turn makes the job of the teacher more challenging.
I have had very little experience in marking. I aided our mentor teacher with some marking, but I had very little to do. I marked a test, which was terribly challenging. The first part was true and false, and fill in the blank. This section was a breeze to mark, but the next few posed great difficulty. There were several short answer questions, and I couldn't believe the wide range of competence that was displayed. Some students grasped each concept well and passed with a perfect mark. Others seemed to be floundering terribly. I had to come to my teacher many times to make sure my marking aligned with his. Our teacher had been teaching for 7 years, and he told us that in the beginning he marked everything he could. He told us that this wasn't entirely necessary, and it only served to make more work for him. He needed our help with very little of the marking while we were there, which honestly made me quite sad. I was excited to help him out and learn some things. I was still able to do that, but not in the region of marking.
Vignette 2: Let the kids know what's coming!
January 10th, 2012.
The two teachers taking part in this discussion appear to me to be polar opposites. Mr. Scullion appears to be the type of teacher that does only what he needs to in order to get by. He doesn't seem to plan extensively into the future, and he doesn't seem to provide much direction or guidance to his students. He values his time more than his duty to effectively teach his students. The other teacher, Ms. Emerson, devotes much time and effort to providing her students with extensive course outlines. She does this because "[her students] need to know what target they have to hit and what they need to do to be successful". The students have an unwavering guide for their class. What I have found to be particularly confusing in classes is when a guide line isn't given, and also when that guide line is continually changed. I find it very hard to keep my projects in order in situations like those.
I'm going to answer these questions in two parts. The first part: how I did these things during my practicum. The second part: how I plan to do these things in my future career.
- How and when do I share the learning outcomes and evaluation criteria with students?
I shared the learning outcomes during my practicum at the beginning of each lesson. I would go over the outcome from the Alberta curriculum, and I found this helped direct my lessons. I would review it at the end of the lessons as well, and then ask the students if they had any questions. I didn't have the opportunity to share the evaluation criteria with my students often, and what was supplied was from my mentor teacher. The students did a project and they were supplied with the rubric that was going to be used for marking. They were also prepared well for the test they wrote while we were there. There was a study period, and there were online study guides for them to follow as well.
In my future job as a teacher, I will do these same things to ensure my students know the outcomes and evaluation criteria well.
- How do my students know how to succeed in my class?
During practicum, our students knew how to succeed because our mentor teacher told them. They understood well what he expected of them, and they always seemed to perform well.
I plan to do this in the future by communicating regularly with my students. I plan to supply rubrics and course outlines, depending on the age of my students, and I will continually check for understanding.
The two teachers taking part in this discussion appear to me to be polar opposites. Mr. Scullion appears to be the type of teacher that does only what he needs to in order to get by. He doesn't seem to plan extensively into the future, and he doesn't seem to provide much direction or guidance to his students. He values his time more than his duty to effectively teach his students. The other teacher, Ms. Emerson, devotes much time and effort to providing her students with extensive course outlines. She does this because "[her students] need to know what target they have to hit and what they need to do to be successful". The students have an unwavering guide for their class. What I have found to be particularly confusing in classes is when a guide line isn't given, and also when that guide line is continually changed. I find it very hard to keep my projects in order in situations like those.
I'm going to answer these questions in two parts. The first part: how I did these things during my practicum. The second part: how I plan to do these things in my future career.
- How and when do I share the learning outcomes and evaluation criteria with students?
I shared the learning outcomes during my practicum at the beginning of each lesson. I would go over the outcome from the Alberta curriculum, and I found this helped direct my lessons. I would review it at the end of the lessons as well, and then ask the students if they had any questions. I didn't have the opportunity to share the evaluation criteria with my students often, and what was supplied was from my mentor teacher. The students did a project and they were supplied with the rubric that was going to be used for marking. They were also prepared well for the test they wrote while we were there. There was a study period, and there were online study guides for them to follow as well.
In my future job as a teacher, I will do these same things to ensure my students know the outcomes and evaluation criteria well.
- How do my students know how to succeed in my class?
During practicum, our students knew how to succeed because our mentor teacher told them. They understood well what he expected of them, and they always seemed to perform well.
I plan to do this in the future by communicating regularly with my students. I plan to supply rubrics and course outlines, depending on the age of my students, and I will continually check for understanding.
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