Reflections of a Middle School Teacher

Written Comments

2012-01-31T06:26:00.000-08:00

Written Comments on Student Work

I recently read an article about written comments versus grades on student work. Written comments refer to those annotated notes that we teachers make on work that a student has turned in. The article discussed the importance of these written comments to growth and basically argued that ALONE they are powerful. It also suggested that when paired with a letter grade or score serve virtually no purpose. If done properly written comments can give good feedback on what a student is doing well and where growth needs to occur. Of course, the problem with written feedback is it is time consuming to provide and it is also highly subjective. Written feedback can also be taken out of context or be misinterpreted. The article suggested to try writing comments on a students work and not actually providing students with the letter grade. If students are provided with both written comments and a grade, they tend to only look at the grade and not thoughtfully read the comments.

I decided to try as the article suggested and only write comments on the most recent DBQs students completed as well as give them an opportunity to re-write the DBQ based on those comments. When I handed back the DBQs I told students to read all the comments over carefully and that their grade would become clear as they read the comments. This seemed to motivate the students to carefully read over all the comments. I then handed out a rubric with student's grade. As I handed out the rubric with a grade I asked them to predict what grade will be on the rubric based on the comments they read.

The written feedback separated out from the grade served as a great tool. The rewritten DBQs were the best I have ever received. In the past, when students have rewritten DBQs it seems very few changes are ever made or the DBQ doesn't change at all.

Certainly, key to written comments being successful is making sure they are straight forward and honest without being judgmental.

Grades

2012-01-09T10:45:00.000-08:00

I've spent a lot of time thinking about "grades" as I "graded" 130 personal Declarations of Independence. I thought I would take a moment to reflect upon grades and what I've learned about them. For me, grades are simply one of a number of tools used to provide feedback.

As a teacher, I am familiar with grades as a form of feedback. Grades give students an indication of where they stand. Grades are a concrete placeholder based on predetermined grading scale. However, whether grades motivate students to do better or learn more is something with which I struggle. I know some students are motivated by "grades" but is it for the right reasons? I wonder sometimes if grades are more an indication of behavior than learning. It seems the most well-behaved kids are getting the higher grades. When grades are given it is often the end of learning. I am realistic to know that my students need grades to prove their learning to parents, colleges, etc. Getting rid of grades isn't possible, but looking at how, what, and when I grade would be a good idea.

Rest in Peace

2011-12-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

     Last week I was told that a former student was killed in Iraq. Alex was a student who entered my classroom some 16 years ago with a monstrous chip on his shoulder. However, by the time he left my class he had started to turn things around and over the years that followed was able to recover and graduate high school. He gave me part of the credit for helping him in a letter he wrote to me some years later. He told me it was that I didn’t give up on him, didn’t just throw him out class when he said something ridiculous, and that I made US History fun. Ultimately it was a single assignment that affected him, a poem I asked him to write from the perspective of a soldier in the Vietnam War.
    When Alex graduated high school, he joined the Army. He visited me whenever he was home on leave. One of his Iraq tours was cut short when he nearly was killed when his unit came under enemy fire. He told me on the day his unit was ambushed he thought of that poem he wrote in 11th grade: But in the end I shall fall like the rest.
   I went back and read Alex's poem when I heard of his passing. I was struck by these lines-- Looking at pictures of my wife and kids. Leaving them will be the hardest thing I ever did. Alex left behind a wife and two children. He was one of those students who helped me grow as a young teacher. While I have seen students turn their lives around, he was my first. I am honored to have been part of his life and am deeply saddened by his loss.

WordFoto

2011-12-09T10:04:00.000-08:00

In the past, I have used Wordle in class but recently have been playing at home with a "WordFoto" app on an I-pad I borrowed from a friend. WordFoto isn't meant to reconfigure an entire speech or paragraph like Wordle. Bascially, WordFoto allows you to add words to a photo....hence, "WordFoto."

At home, I have enjoyed taking photos of my kids and turning them into cards and posters. One night when I was working on one I got to thinking that the program had some potential to make images of historical figures and places more interesting. Below is a WordFoto made of a Mount Vernon photo. The original photo is beneath to allow you to compare the two.

I used a "WordFoto" I created to grab students attention when we started our unit on the Revolutionary War and they seemed to respond well to it. I will certainly consider using it again.

Wow! It's Already November...

2011-11-03T10:15:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that we've completed 2 months of school and it's already November. The year seems like a blur. My biggest challenge is the large class size. I have four classes with at least 25 kids and one with 21. I can't think of a year when I have ever had so many kids.

Grading the work of so many students is definitely the most time-consuming aspect of my job. However, there aren't many other ways to hold students accountable for their learning. Plus, the information I gather when I grade papers helps me gauge my effectiveness as a teacher. I have a few strategies I use to make sure the time and effort I put into evaluating my students' work is meaningful to them.

When correcting papers, I use green ink instead of red. Some where I read that the color red is often associated with negative feelings and may have an impact on the students' perception of feedback.

I have a code to use in the margins of papers to signal errors in paragraph style or grammar. I once read that students learn more when they must locate an error themselves than if I circle their misspelled words or insert correct punctuation for them. The code for the error must be on the line in which the error occurs. This year I made a list of my codes and distributed it to each student. Here are some of my sample codes:

sp - spelling error
p - punctuation error
ss - sentence structure (confusing, poorly constructed)

I try to return papers within 2-3 days this year. Research shows that the more time that elapses between completing an assignment and receiving feedback on that task, the less meaningful the feedback becomes. The biggest challenge here is with DBQs!

When I return graded assignments, I give a brief overview of the positive aspects of the assignment as well as areas that need improvement. I think this gives students a better idea of what I was thinking and looking for when grading their papers.

To save time I've discovered that grading papers as a class (with the exception of tests and subjective essays) can save hours of time. This helps students more because it allows them to review the material another time. Students are also able to receive prompt feedback. I make sure the names of students are not visible on papers that will be graded by peers. I use student numbers to protect the privacy of my students. Having students sign the papers they correct helps make them more responsible. I let students know that I will be checking papers to ensure they are being graded accurately.

I try to keep in mind when I grade that the written comments mean a lot to students, often more than the grade at the top. I try to always be positive and constructive. Here are a couple of examples of encouraging comments on students' essays:

Your first sentence grabbed my attention!
You support your argument with very strong evidence.

The other day the student observer in my classroom asked....
What do I say when students ask, "Does this assignment count?" It's a loaded question. If I say, "Not really, it's just practice to prepare you for the test, which does count," some students will not make their best effort. They may interpret my well-meant response to mean "No, this does not count, so don't worry about doing it." In my opinion, even if the activity will not be graded, students need to know that their full participation is expected.

Columbus Day

2011-10-11T07:58:00.000-07:00

Over the summer I took a class on improving the instruction of history. One of the many things I learned was how to engage students in historical "creative" writing. I tried the "your story" activity with students this past week. We were finishing up our unit on Native Americans. I displayed a picture of the Plains People hunting buffalo and asked students to write a short story inspired by the image using at least 10 of 15 displayed vocabulary words. I was pleasantly surprised with the student work. Students who are not normally excited about history wrote some of the most creative work. They were able to bring the history they learned alive in a novel manner. I was able to assess how well students had learned specific vocabulary and definitely will use the "your story" activity again.

Week Two

2011-09-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how exhausted I am after the first full week. Working after 10 weeks off is definitely a shocker to the system. Nonetheless, this was a great week! We have finished all the team-building as well as class-building activities and are definitely bonded. :) Although my classes are bigger than ever, the kids are better than ever. I couldn't be happier.

This week, I tried something new. I wrote student names on popsicle sticks. I now pull a stick to call on on a student to answer a question or respond to a comment. It seems like the same kids are always raising their hands and it is often difficult to avoid calling on them. The popsicle stick method is working quite well and has definitely made a difference on the focus of students-- for fear of their stick being pulled. Also, more kids are now involved in the classroom. Of course, I do fudge it every now and again. For example, when I ask a question and pull the stick of a student I know won't be able to answer, I often will call on someone else and simply pretend that was the name pulled.

Week One

2011-09-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

My professional development plan for the 2011-2012 calls for me to reflect each week on my teaching via a blog. I am committed to this endeavor as well as to trying something new in my classroom each week.
The first week of school is always crazy-- learning names, going over procedures, schedule changes, etc. etc. This year is no different than any other year. Despite the chaos I did try something new. Over the summer I reread a book by Harry Wong etitled The First Days of School. I had read it years ago when I first began teaching and decided to revisit it this summer. It is based on the premise that what you do as a teacher on the first days of school will determine success or failure for the rest of the school year. It is an easy read and I got as much out of it the second time around as I did the first. Many of the things mentioned in the book I already do. However, one little thing caught my attention. It is in a chapter devoted to how to have students follow classroom procedures. Do your students seem to take forever to pass their papers in? When they turn papers in do they punch each other in the back as the papers are passed forward? The book says that students should pass their papers across rows, not up rows. Wong says there are a number of problems with passing papers up to the front of the room-- you can't see what is happening behind each students back as you stand in the front of the front of the room and some students tap, poke, shove, as well as hit the back of the student in front to get their attention. He suggests that issues are eliminated when students pass papers across rows. Well, I tried it and would you believe it does seem to be a better use of time and much less disruptive? The difference is noticeable and the procedure much easier to manage. Thank you Harry Wong!