Ch. Ten Approaches to Avoid When Differentiating Assessment and Grading

Wormeli emphasizes that there are some things that we must take to heart in grading; we don’t have to include everything. I really like number 3 that referred to grading homework because it used to frustrate me when teachers would grade all the worksheets that we still did not really know what we were doing. Homework is meant to be practice. In doing homework the brain is trying to make connections that have not yet been mastered. I agree that we should give quizzes after homework, but allow time to answer questions. These ten things are all aspects that I will keep in mind while grading my students work because what is the sense of grading something that has nothing to do with the assignment.

Ch. 8:Why do we Grade and What About Effort, Attendance, and Behavior?

Wormeli made us believe that grading occurs to encourage students. It is important to look at all the factors such as effort, attendance, and behavior but we do not have to place them on the report card. I find it odd that in most schools attendance is required. I mean, shouldn’t we all acknowledge that things come up people get sick, family members die, etc.? Although I think attendance is unimportant, but the learning is what matters. If they learn than their grade should be higher, but I do agree with Wormeli that school is the child’s job. We do not get breaks in the real world. But how do we determine the break that we should give out? We also have to acknowledge that laziness does not exist, if a child is lacking than we must find out what is going on. We need to get to know our students. So, in marking off on effort we see the fluctuation and can figure out where they need help and how we can indeed help. Looking at all these factors make us better teachers, yet if it has nothing to do with the project than why include it in the final grade? Through this chapter, Wormeli gave us a lot to look at and decipher through when we actually become teachers. I will take his advice to heart

Ch. 7: The Relative ature o Grades nd Their Definitions

Teachers must make lists to stay on track with their class and students. Wormeli explains that not every assignment needs a grade. Students learn in different ways. The most effective is just through feedback. Wormeli emphasized on how to get the big picture across by figuring out how your students learn. Do NOT emphasize on letters, instead make sure the material is clearly understood. We should not keep our teaching aspects in cages like elephants and only assign grades. We should instead be encouraging and not reprimanding. It is important that certain tasks have a grade because grades inference mastery. We should adjust our curriculum to fit our students and so that they achieve to their highest. I remember when I used to get a C on a test and my teacher used to tell me not to worry because it was “average,” this saying made me think it was OK to do bad, so we should learn to implement redo’s to anything and everything. I also found it effective to place an ‘I’ into the letters to stand for incomplete instead of giving a zero because zeros truly hurt an average and an incomplete can be filled in throughout the grading period with the deserved grade.

Ch. 12: MI Theory and Cognitive Skills

We must think about the ways our students learn to assure achievement. A memory is an important thing and in these days so many children and teens don’t have to think because of media influences, video games and the internet. The US lacks in cognitive skills because of their inability to correctly problem solve. Armstrong emphasized how a memory should be based on intelligence specific mechanisms. All eight intelligences are afflicted so we must work with everything to encourage memorization. We also must consider Bloom’s taxonomy, which comes in six levels (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation). All of these factors build a road map for our student’s growth throughout the year. To keep progress moving, I think I will bring the brainteasers and the word memorization into my classroom. My English teacher in high school took the time every Friday to go over a brainteaser and get out brains moving. I believe this helped our cognitive skills improve. With the use of MI, we can keep cognitive skills and problem solving flowing and allow our students to grow to their full potential. I believe a lot of what Armstrong said in this chapter will travel with me throughout my teaching career.

Ch. 11: MI Theoryan Special Education

If we treat people on a level in which they should achieve then they will achieve. Special education varies on a wide spectrum from speech pathology to ADHD or mental disorders and emotional disturbances. Armstrong’s MI model provides us with a model of understanding. Teachers are meant to detect the strengths of all their students through MI evaluations. Armstrong gives us here a few ideas and modes to follow to allow everyone to succeed. I fear having special education students merged into my class because I feel I won’t be able to accommodate. How do I make a unit plan that each student will find useful? How can I focus on everyone’s needs at once? How can I be assured that I will be able to communicate clearly with the paraprofessional in my class? I always found it awkward when there were paraprofessionals in my classes in high school because it became distracting. I know the “no child left behind” but at times it felt like she was running a different class in front of us and the “real” teacher. I find it a helpful tool for everyone, not only special education students, to point out the strengths in my students and not the weaknesses. It is not helpful to fix a leaking roof when it’s raining. We have to understand that students push forward through encouragement and if everyone works together, success will emerge.

Ch. 8: MI Theory an Classroom Management

In this chapter, Armstrong emphasized the ways to keep a classroom in order and gain attention. I feel as if some of his suggestions were made for elementary aged students like shutting off the lights to get the class to be quiet or even putting your finger to your mouth. MI can be used to keep order, make transitions easier, form groups, and communicate classroom rules. We can bend some of Armstrong’s suggestions to work for the level we wish to teach as well. There is always room for flexibility in MI. It is important that throughout the year we work with all the different intelligences because teaching and learning is a very valuable tool to take in and learn how to manipulate. I liked the thought of focusing on one student for the day to get used to his/her learning styles. This theory also accommodates to those students with behavioral issues.

ch. 8: Grading and Reporting Achievement

Grading should be easy, right? Well, Tomlinson and McTighe explain that grading is a two part process. I always thought you get it, you grade it and your done, but you must report the grades by numbers or letters and then send them home to students and parents. The students must completely understand why they achieved a certain grade so mistakes don’t happen again. Feedback is almost the most important part of grading. It allows students to reflect on their grade. A simple letter or number tells nothing. We’re here to guide the students and not leave them stranded with no why out of a rut. Goals are to be set and to be met. I always appreciated knowing exactly where I had to go and how I had to get there, of course, it was up to me to go about the path and make the correct choices. I liked how they pointed out staying away from the norms because getting an A always seems like you are the best and an F feels like a failure and a heart-break. I know for some an F means a loss of privileges at home. I feel a J curve or a point system would be a much better grading mentality. This system allows students to figure it out on their own where they stand. They will none-the-less strive for perfection no matter what. I also completely agree with their saying that, “what a student learns should be more important than when he/she learns” because we all have different speeds of processing the materials. We must set variables for every assignment along with being clear on what we are looking for. As teachers it is important to grade for achievement, work habits and progress because they all factor into the motivation of the student and their final product. We want the student to be proud of what they do so explain with great intent as to what you want and remember, “success breeds success.”