This post will be a small rant about grading rubrics..... 4th grade grading rubrics.
As an aside - I'm a believer in rubrics. As an engineer, I especially like that they make it easier for me to grade things like essays, projects, and papers by quantifying the components.
BUT, as a user of rubrics, I realize that you need to either make your instructions match your expectations (rubric), or make you expectations (rubric) match your instructions. Which is why I was super annoyed that Jacob earned 27 of 50 points on his non-fiction book report, when he did exactly what the instructions said, but not what the rubric graded him on.
Let me give some examples along with an easy fix for the teacher to make their expectations more transparent.
Instruction: "Using complete sentences, tell about 5 or more interesting facts you learned from reading the book"
Rubric: "5 or more interesting facts using a total of at least two sentences per fact"
Score: 5/15 because he gave five facts with only one sentence each (why half the expectation was only 1/3 of the points is another point to ponder).
Jamie's Instructions Recommendation: "Write about 5 or more interesting facts you learned from reading the book, using at least two sentences for each fact."
(with a note that the teacher is actually asking the students to "write" about the facts and not "speak" about the facts, so "tell" is really also not the correct word here)
Instruction: "Did you like the book? Did you think the book did a good job of teaching you about the topic? Would you recommend this book to a friend? Using complete sentences, explain your opinion of this book." (this was written just as I have in one paragraph)
Rubric: "Opinion paragraph written using at least 5 complete sentences" and a second one "Recommendation paragraph including at least 5 sentences"
Score: 2/7 because I guess he wrote just one 5 sentence paragraph that answered the questions listed in the instructions.
Jamie's Instructions Recommendation: Split into two parts if there are two paragraphs required. Part 1: "What is your opinion about the book? Did you like the book? Did you think the book did a good job of teaching you about the topic? Write a full paragraph answer."
Part 2: "Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not? Write a full paragraph answer."
(with
a note that the teacher is actually asking the students to "write"
about the facts and not "speak" about the facts, so "tell" is really
also not the correct word here)
See. Not so hard to make them match. Seriously - he'll do what you want him to do, just be clear about what you want him to do.
Friday, June 5, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
The last week of school
I'm pretty sure the last week of school happened for Jacob two weeks ago and Allison at least 4 weeks ago. I mean - I'm still sending them to school and will be until June 5th..... but they aren't really in "school" anymore. (and I'm really NOT complaining schools - please keep them - you can keep them longer if you want)
This week on Tuesday, Allison is going to the zoo and Jacob and I are going canoeing. Wednesday is clean out your desk day and field day for Jacob and 6th grade farewell day and field day for Allison. Thursday sends Allison roller skating and to the mall to hang out (yes, you read that correctly), while Jacob will take his turn at the zoo. Friday is.... well... the last day, a 1/2 day.
And if you think this past week was full of end-of-the-school-year work, you would be mistaken. Both kids had field trips, and I picked Jacob up one day to find they'd just had extended recess most of the afternoon. Allison was taking Barbies in for math.
I get it. The kids are done and so are the teachers. Hell, I was mentally done with my semester about April 1. But - quit trying to write little paragraphs on the permission forms justifying the "educational reasons" for bringing a comedy troop to school for an afternoon. Just be honest. The kids are too squirrelly to teach, the report cards are already filled out, and everyone is sick of looking at each other.
This week on Tuesday, Allison is going to the zoo and Jacob and I are going canoeing. Wednesday is clean out your desk day and field day for Jacob and 6th grade farewell day and field day for Allison. Thursday sends Allison roller skating and to the mall to hang out (yes, you read that correctly), while Jacob will take his turn at the zoo. Friday is.... well... the last day, a 1/2 day.
And if you think this past week was full of end-of-the-school-year work, you would be mistaken. Both kids had field trips, and I picked Jacob up one day to find they'd just had extended recess most of the afternoon. Allison was taking Barbies in for math.
I get it. The kids are done and so are the teachers. Hell, I was mentally done with my semester about April 1. But - quit trying to write little paragraphs on the permission forms justifying the "educational reasons" for bringing a comedy troop to school for an afternoon. Just be honest. The kids are too squirrelly to teach, the report cards are already filled out, and everyone is sick of looking at each other.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Activity, schmactivity
I was pretty certain that I was a reasonably active person who ate fairly healthily. I mean - we never have fast food. We cook most meals at home. And I - you know - leave the house somewhat daily.
The fact that the scale kept creeping slowly upward over the last 10 years was certainly due to the effects of naturally slowing metabolism - because - I still see myself the same way I did when I was 25 - happily delusional.
Well, I now have a Fitbit and a MyFitnessPal app to quantify how wrong I was about basically every point above. Except the slowing metabolism... I'm pretty sure that's still true, but my belief about it's relative importance is certainly diminishing.
For instance - today - I got up, got the kids ready for school, drove them to school, came home and worked for 2 hours at my computer trying to staff the engineering classes next year. A pretty productive morning. 744 steps. 744!! That's less than 10% of 10,000 at it's 11am. Know what I'm doing this afternoon? Sitting at a computer advising incoming freshman students and preparing my summer online class.
So I have to make time to walk, something I was not doing before.
And food - 2000 calories does not go as far as I think it should. I had a jello jiggler the other day thinking that it was a nice high-protein snack. 100 calories! One little jello square. And a "serving" of cereal is like 3/4 of a cup. Do they think we're all toddlers? I measured out 3/4 of a cup and it was not much.
The MyFitnessPal app is funny though with it's food commentary. So, sometimes I'll eat something unhealthy (like a Starbucks Latte) and I'll get a little green symbol that says "this food is high in protein" or whatever. You know - keep up with the Starbucks habit, it's clearly good for you. Not like that handful of dried apricots and nuts which has way too much sugar and sodium. Perhaps the app gets a kickback from Starbucks, I don't know.
I'm trying to prepare for all my high altitude activity on this summer's vacation by coming to terms with my sloth-like self, and by trying to be as active as I believe myself to be. Or - half as active as I believe myself to be. :)
The fact that the scale kept creeping slowly upward over the last 10 years was certainly due to the effects of naturally slowing metabolism - because - I still see myself the same way I did when I was 25 - happily delusional.
Well, I now have a Fitbit and a MyFitnessPal app to quantify how wrong I was about basically every point above. Except the slowing metabolism... I'm pretty sure that's still true, but my belief about it's relative importance is certainly diminishing.
For instance - today - I got up, got the kids ready for school, drove them to school, came home and worked for 2 hours at my computer trying to staff the engineering classes next year. A pretty productive morning. 744 steps. 744!! That's less than 10% of 10,000 at it's 11am. Know what I'm doing this afternoon? Sitting at a computer advising incoming freshman students and preparing my summer online class.
So I have to make time to walk, something I was not doing before.
And food - 2000 calories does not go as far as I think it should. I had a jello jiggler the other day thinking that it was a nice high-protein snack. 100 calories! One little jello square. And a "serving" of cereal is like 3/4 of a cup. Do they think we're all toddlers? I measured out 3/4 of a cup and it was not much.
The MyFitnessPal app is funny though with it's food commentary. So, sometimes I'll eat something unhealthy (like a Starbucks Latte) and I'll get a little green symbol that says "this food is high in protein" or whatever. You know - keep up with the Starbucks habit, it's clearly good for you. Not like that handful of dried apricots and nuts which has way too much sugar and sodium. Perhaps the app gets a kickback from Starbucks, I don't know.
I'm trying to prepare for all my high altitude activity on this summer's vacation by coming to terms with my sloth-like self, and by trying to be as active as I believe myself to be. Or - half as active as I believe myself to be. :)
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Piano recital
Don't let Jacob know you saw this.... He was opposed to being 'published on the internet' but Grandparents want to see!
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Where's the end?
Another installment of: I Decided To Teach College to Avoid This Type of Sh..oops.. Crap.
I had to send an e-mail to someone, the content of which boiled down to "No, I will not call that student's mother because she's upset that I did not respond to her son's e-mail in what she considered to be a timely fashion."
1) her son missed my four available weeks of advising times. Four weeks. Four. Weeks.
2) I had responded to his FIRST e-mail.
3) I had talked to him in the hallway.
But - of course - I'll drop what I'm doing now (you know - teaching the people who are in fact my students) to call this kid's mother "ASAP."
Speaking of - if I were to have entertained the idea of returning this phone call, federal guidlines prevent me from having a conversation with her about her son because he's an ADULT.
I had to send an e-mail to someone, the content of which boiled down to "No, I will not call that student's mother because she's upset that I did not respond to her son's e-mail in what she considered to be a timely fashion."
1) her son missed my four available weeks of advising times. Four weeks. Four. Weeks.
2) I had responded to his FIRST e-mail.
3) I had talked to him in the hallway.
But - of course - I'll drop what I'm doing now (you know - teaching the people who are in fact my students) to call this kid's mother "ASAP."
Speaking of - if I were to have entertained the idea of returning this phone call, federal guidlines prevent me from having a conversation with her about her son because he's an ADULT.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Opening Day
Saturday was opening day for Appleton Little League.
The pics are not great because we were behind the fence.
Let me just say.... kid pitch baseball can be boring as hell. I've been told it will get a little better as the season wears on.... but holy moly that was a long two hours.
In the machine pitch league, most batters get a hit. That makes the game move along and provide some excitement. In kid-pitch, they are either strike outs or walks. There were very few hits. There was base-stealing, which seemed like pretty much a foregone conclusion if the pitch did not go directly to the catcher (and even sometimes when it did).
So, the game was more-or-less played between the pitcher and the catcher and the kids on the field were.... well... insurance. Anyway.... yikers. This might be a long season.
Let me just say.... kid pitch baseball can be boring as hell. I've been told it will get a little better as the season wears on.... but holy moly that was a long two hours.
In the machine pitch league, most batters get a hit. That makes the game move along and provide some excitement. In kid-pitch, they are either strike outs or walks. There were very few hits. There was base-stealing, which seemed like pretty much a foregone conclusion if the pitch did not go directly to the catcher (and even sometimes when it did).
So, the game was more-or-less played between the pitcher and the catcher and the kids on the field were.... well... insurance. Anyway.... yikers. This might be a long season.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
To all the no-longer teachers
Want to remember why you left teaching? Let me remind you.
1) Grading. OMG, I'm so far behind on grading. Perhaps my summer vacation will be spent reading a book on teaching without grading. Is there such a book? There must be.
Here's my issues with grading:
a) students rarely look at anything beyond the number - UNLESS - all you put on there is a number. I'm pretty sure they like the idea that you've given them feedback more than they like the feedback. Here - let me spend several hours giving you detailed feedback on what you should improve = same mistakes next time. Fine, not worth my time, so here's a number of points. "Wait - why did I lose 2 points here? I don't understand why Jimmy got 5 points and I got 4.5 points."
I think I might start writing illegible gibberish just to look like feedback.
b) partial credit. I'm going to move to an all-or-nothing system. No partial credit ever. I fielded a question today on would I let them turn in work FROM A MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM for partial credit. Um. No. You don't get to have "the best of both worlds" when it comes to tests. Either you can solve the problem having no idea what the answer might be and I'll give you some credit for trying if you get it wrong. OR - you can have the opportunity to see a select set of possible answers and choose the one supported by your work. You can't use a set of answers to get "pretty close" to the correct answer and then ask for partial credit on it. I don't know if you worked from the problem to the answer or from the answer backwards. Either way - you have a 25% chance of getting it right by guessing! You don't get to take the correct score for the shit you guessed on and then add more points for the ones you didn't.
c) extra credit. You are in college. There is no more extra credit. Welcome to Life.
2) Annoying students. This semester I have a student who sits through my class without taking any notes "to better pay attention to what I'm saying" and then comes in to my office for an extra hour a week because he can't figure out how to do the homework problems. You know what would help. NOTES. I even suggested that he just periodically take out his cell phone and snap a picture of the whiteboard. Nope.
I've also been asked for extra credit, partial credit (see above), and credit for trying. I've had students tell me that they can't make the final exam time - THE DATE WAS AVAILABLE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER. You had 4 months to figure it out. I have no sympathy.
And then students who expect me to solve their problems. knock-knock.... here's the horrible story of my life right now and why I was unable to do x,y,z. My response: I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Student: so....... Me: so........ long awkward pause. Here's the thing. I don't pretend to know anyone's motivations. If you have something going on - come to me with a PLAN. My brother died, could I have an extra week to do this assignment? Me: yes, sure. Student: My brother died. Me: Oh, I'm sorry.
Which one got you what you wanted? I don't know what will work for you and if I propose something unworkable - then I'm the one who ends up being unreasonable. "My brother died and Prof. Douglas only gave a 2 day extension. It was due on the same day as the funeral. Can you believe it?"
I know that it's the end of the year and I am tired and grumpy. It feels a little better to rant for a few minutes.
1) Grading. OMG, I'm so far behind on grading. Perhaps my summer vacation will be spent reading a book on teaching without grading. Is there such a book? There must be.
Here's my issues with grading:
a) students rarely look at anything beyond the number - UNLESS - all you put on there is a number. I'm pretty sure they like the idea that you've given them feedback more than they like the feedback. Here - let me spend several hours giving you detailed feedback on what you should improve = same mistakes next time. Fine, not worth my time, so here's a number of points. "Wait - why did I lose 2 points here? I don't understand why Jimmy got 5 points and I got 4.5 points."
I think I might start writing illegible gibberish just to look like feedback.
b) partial credit. I'm going to move to an all-or-nothing system. No partial credit ever. I fielded a question today on would I let them turn in work FROM A MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAM for partial credit. Um. No. You don't get to have "the best of both worlds" when it comes to tests. Either you can solve the problem having no idea what the answer might be and I'll give you some credit for trying if you get it wrong. OR - you can have the opportunity to see a select set of possible answers and choose the one supported by your work. You can't use a set of answers to get "pretty close" to the correct answer and then ask for partial credit on it. I don't know if you worked from the problem to the answer or from the answer backwards. Either way - you have a 25% chance of getting it right by guessing! You don't get to take the correct score for the shit you guessed on and then add more points for the ones you didn't.
c) extra credit. You are in college. There is no more extra credit. Welcome to Life.
2) Annoying students. This semester I have a student who sits through my class without taking any notes "to better pay attention to what I'm saying" and then comes in to my office for an extra hour a week because he can't figure out how to do the homework problems. You know what would help. NOTES. I even suggested that he just periodically take out his cell phone and snap a picture of the whiteboard. Nope.
I've also been asked for extra credit, partial credit (see above), and credit for trying. I've had students tell me that they can't make the final exam time - THE DATE WAS AVAILABLE ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE SEMESTER. You had 4 months to figure it out. I have no sympathy.
And then students who expect me to solve their problems. knock-knock.... here's the horrible story of my life right now and why I was unable to do x,y,z. My response: I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Student: so....... Me: so........ long awkward pause. Here's the thing. I don't pretend to know anyone's motivations. If you have something going on - come to me with a PLAN. My brother died, could I have an extra week to do this assignment? Me: yes, sure. Student: My brother died. Me: Oh, I'm sorry.
Which one got you what you wanted? I don't know what will work for you and if I propose something unworkable - then I'm the one who ends up being unreasonable. "My brother died and Prof. Douglas only gave a 2 day extension. It was due on the same day as the funeral. Can you believe it?"
I know that it's the end of the year and I am tired and grumpy. It feels a little better to rant for a few minutes.
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