This week’s readings focused on the graduate school staple, that of writing, reading, assignments and grading. It’s easy to relate with it as a teacher as we have teaching commitments too. While it’s interesting to learn the game from both sides, it doesn’t get easy. The best we can hope for is a learning curve that educates us along the way.
Lang’s approach to grading is practical. It is a necessary evil. Assignments should be in line with learning objectives. Both Lang and Davis concur that varying the types of assignments ensures that different learning styles of students are addressed. Believing that a student turned in an assignment late because of their intention of delivering something extraordinary is too idealistic in these times. Having due dates and penalties for late work seem fair. I agree with the idea of not grading on a curve as that emphasizes more on numbers and letter grades as opposed to true learning. But, can we beat an educational system where the competition among people is dog eat dog and forever increasing?
I agree with Davis' idea of writing as a process of learning what students might know and not know. If one shares their struggles with students in general, they tend to relate with it better, as they are sailing in the same boat then. So, it is a good idea to communicate with the students how we too struggle with our literature reviews and teaching philosophies. Peer to peer discussions and reviews on students' papers is a good idea. To get the students into the writing mode, the idea of brief ungraded and intermittent assignments is good. Lang calls these ‘starters’. Coupling it with short graded papers early in the term is a good way to identify students with weaker writing skills. To make the class culturally significant, it makes sense to acknowledge cultural differences of students who may not be fluent in English.
I second the text about 'information literacy' as mentioned by Davis. By helping students imbibe these skills, they can become more effective and efficient researchers. Research is primarily driven by the quality of the sources mentioned. Students should be enlightened about the value of credible sources and how to incorporate them in their work.
As alternatives to research and term paper assignments, I like the idea of having students write abstracts for a journal articles, micro themes, obituaries and invented dialogue. From Lang’s reading, Diary of a fictional or real historical character, letter to the editor, advertisement, executive summary and white paper appealed to me. Such assignments expose students to generic kinds of tasks that would form a part of their professional lives. These are all in tune in with trying to accomplish the Knowledge, Application and Synthesis levels in Bloom's hierarchy of cognitive skills.
Giving 'feedback on feedback'- that is reacting to one's comments on the students' performance is a good way of diffusing adversity, if any exists after the students get the grades. Using constructive language for comments is motivating for students. Lang advocates the concept of ‘practical advice’ on graded material, which I agree with. For structured and consistent grading, the use of rubrics is a smart move. The aim of the class is to ensure the soundness of conceptual knowledge in students. Hence, I agree with Davis’ idea of focusing on correcting signs of cognitive confusion in students. I want to understand the weighted percentage system and its benefits more clearly in class.
Describing grades by the output/quality of work (length of the paper, quality of answers, source credibility) expected is a fair way to introduce the students to instructor expectations. (CAP does this too!). The concept of using portfolios is exciting and in tune with this activity KWL-What I know, want to know and what I learnt- (Davis) which we covered in the previous readings. Does the class see this connection? I am on the side of distributing the assignment due dates and requirements on the first day of the class, so that students can plan their schedules accordingly.
No comments:
Post a Comment