Grades and grading and maybe some learning

I am in the process of preparing for conferences on Thursday and as I examine my grade print outs, I experience moments of "What am I looking at?"

I started experimenting with weighted grades and categories this fall when I started at AHS. I liked the idea of of a more open and honest grade book, where parents and students could easily monitor academic progress. (My other goal is to create a community of learners where grades are valued, but the community of the class is as important as the kid's actual grade.) I am lucky enough to work with a great group of folks in my department - so it was easy for me to look at how they did their grades and then figure out my own system. My categories are simple; responsibility, formal assessments, daily learnings and the final. I played with the percentages a bit between first and second semester, but I maintained a simple system. I also changed how I structure assignments in my US History classes. There is less emphasis on small homework assignments (daily learnings) and more on seminars and the unit essays (formal assessments). I want to focus more on big picture learnings and building bridges to other concepts in class. My goal is to have the grade categories reflect this value.

But...

Lately, I am wondering if I am spending too much time on the grade part of the grade and not enough on what the kids are learning. Kids are crafty - they have figured out how to play the new and improved version of the the grading game. They inquire about their responsibility points as much as they do the other points. I wanted to achieve more meaningful grades, but lately I am wondering if that is a juxtaposed term like "military intelligence."

I would love to hear your ideas and suggestions. It is funny, when I talk to my freshmen about grades, they are all excited about more, as they put it "real work", but they still want to know how many points everything is worth and whether or not I will be collecting it. On the surface they buy into my "we are a community of learners" value, but at the end of the day, they want to know what being in the community is worth.

new teacher

I have been thinking of how new teachers or a new teacher from another school and what major adjustments each person has made. Better yet, what would you say is the one thing here at Arapahoe you have done or learned that you feel made you a better teacher? For me I have found working with my new department members and even those outside of my department has been helpful. It is always beneficial for me to collaborate ideas and just see what works for individual teachers for any situation. Just my two cents.

To Google or not to Google? That is the question.

In today’s world, access to information isn’t the obstacle that it used to be. Let’s face everyone “Googles.” I do – I’ll admit. As a librarian, why would I Google? Because, just like everyone else, I find using Google easy, quick, convenient, and I’m successful often enough that I go back to it. Surprisingly, from what I recall from my educational psychology classes, the occasional, random success I achieve from using Google is one of the strongest kinds of reinforcement of behavior. With this being said, however, I don’t rely on Google as my main way of locating information. I know enough, depending on my information needs, to use other sources.

What, if any, responsibility do teachers have in expecting students to use various resources to complete assignments? And if this is a learning goal, what methods work best to accomplish this? Should students be expected to use multiple sources to complete certain assignments? If so, why? Is finding “good enough” okay? Or should students always look for the “best” information? What skills do students need in order to be successful researchers?