Grading student work can be fraught with dangers for both students and teachers.
An almost daily request made of teachers is from students asking, “What’s my grade?” A student can reasonably expect to know the grade he and she is getting in a class at any time. So, keeping current on grading students’ progress is an essential part of a teacher’s weekly routine!
When such requests come from administrators and parents there is often an inquisitorial edge to the question demanding why a particular grade was given. Teachers who are unable to give a satisfactory answer inevitably are subject to far more administrative scrutiny and usually pressure from parents to increase their child’s grade.
Indeed, teachers can find themselves in difficult situations if they are unable to show that the grades they give to their students are by objective assessment criteria and ones that the student can understand.
The ‘danger’ is in determining just what that grade truly represents. Grades that are simply derived from ‘read the chapter and answer the questions at the end’ may be occasionally justifiable, particularly in subjects like Math and Science where answers are much more clearly ‘right or wrong.’ The question I have is does a grade from such an assignment truly reflect a student’s understanding?
The learning styles of children fall into the following categories:
- Visual 65%
- Auditory 35%
- Kinesthetic 16%
- Solitary reading 10%
However, while students can and do learn in a number of different modes, the majority learn best through a combination of kinesthetic / visual material while less than 30% learn best through simply reading and writing. This throws into question the overuse of simply asking students to ‘read a textbook chapter then answer the questions at the end.
Meaningful grades come from meaningful tasks!
Good teachers always want engagement with their students as they know when their class is engaged with the teaching material understanding increases, along with grades and student enjoyment. managerial control becomes a lot easier as with student engagement behavioral problems disappear.
Grading student work can be risky business for teachers!
In subjects like Math and Science, which contain a plethora of factual information, it is a lot simpler; an answer is simply right or wrong! Therefore, the number of correct answers in a quiz or test cannot really be challenged. However, the task of teachers is in creating understanding of a topic and in language arts, the assessment can be far more subjective.
When teachers are given the responsibility to set curriculums and exams and the issuance of student grades, they are vulnerable to challenges of their being too subjective in how they award grades and perhaps rely too heavily on generating grades by ‘textbook teaching.’
The challenge for many teachers with a large number of students in a classroom is enough time 1:1 to ensure that they all understand the learning task before them.
However, irrespective of which subject is being taught, students can rightly be expected to know what is expected in order to attain the highest grade in their assignments.
The answer to every teacher’s needs for meaningful grades…
It is essential for teachers to avoid any possible appearance of bias and subjectivity when assessing student work. So to demonstrate total transparency and objectivity while presenting students with work that is both meaningful and engaging the best answer is to use a rubric!!
My view is that, whenever possible, giving students projects to complete, with inherent achievement goals embedded in the project facilitates so many good things for students. These include developing cooperation skills with classmates, encouraging time management, while also allowing for student creativity.
When small groups of students are working on a joint project it also frees up the teacher to engage with the students as they are working to give directions to individuals and allow for more 1:1 student : teacher interaction.
Why project work should always be preferred.
Project based learning (PBL) with rubrics is always close to every student’s heart as it allows them to take the wheel of their own learning journey. As every experienced teacher knows, engaging students with their academic material is where real learning occurs.
When students get to design a sustainable city, design their own science research experiments, or even launch a small business suddenly you have got their full attention. PBL taps students into their own innate curiosity and while traditional teaching methods can honestly be as exciting as watching paint dry involvement with projects turns learning into an adventure rather than a chore. The beauty of PBL is that it encourages applying knowledge in meaningful ways and this deep experiential learning sticks with students long after the project is over.
Running on the Rubric Road
Rubrics aren’t just for grading; they are powerful tools for fostering student growth and development. Applying them teaches students to break down complex tasks into manageable components, giving them a roadmap to success and gives them valuable feedback to understand not only their strengths but areas that need improvement.
By using the dynamic duo of project-based learning and rubrics they can transform classrooms into vibrant hubs of exploration, creativity and growth. Student potentials can truly be unleashed through hands on immersive learning experiences as opposed to having to settle for boring lectures and dull assignments.
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