I recently came across this video on the TAG learning strategy. It seemed liked a great idea to get all kids involved in assessments like presentations and writings and offered a way to give and receive constructive feedback. In TAG, you Tell something good the other person did, Ask a question about their work, and Give feedback.
I tried this with my AP Human Geography class and they did an excellent job with it! I was very surprised with their insightfulness and their ability to offer feedback in such a way that people could improve. I did restate after every group presentation that we are offering feedback in a positive, loving way so that people could improve. It seems like this softened the blow for those hearing it and helped those giving it a framework to hang around. By setting it up this way, students had to have concrete ideas on improvement and could not cop out with “I didn’t like it” or something vague. For those kids that are naturally shy, they heard a positive first and then something they could improve and since everyone had to hear improvements it did not seem like such a personal attack. I will be trying this with the same class as they work on free response questions today.
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Grading seems to be quite the hot button issue these days. A lot of discussion is floating around minimum grades. Today’s post is not about those policies and procedures that surround grading but actual grading itself.
A lot of teachers complain about how long it takes to grade and that they have so much they can never catch up. Over my years, I have developed a system that lets me grade quickly and efficiently. I am also able to average one graded assignment a day per class over the course of a nine weeks period. And I promise it is easy for you and helpful to the kids. What do grades reflect? Grades should reflect student effort. For multiple choice quizzes and tests, there are plenty of apps and websites that can scan and score items quickly. I can grade a multiple choice assessment for 25 kids in about 7 minutes total. Grading multiple choice items by hand should be out. I go over these types of assessments in class so if you are worried about losing the chance at feedback you can do it as a whole class. Sometimes kids can guess the correct answer and do not know why it was right. By going over it in class you can reach more kids and clear up misconceptions. It may also lead to some good conversations about misconceptions. How many times did you leave feedback on something and the kid actually responded? For essays, if you use a rubric and pick no more than 3 sticking points, all you have to do is read for those things. Teachers often times have trouble not grading and correcting everything. We need to focus on what is important in this lesson and what we are trying to assess. We are not trying to assess everything every time a student does work. Pick your key points and grade for those. I also like to go over these in class. Especially in my AP class, going over these items help kids see where they went wrong and what they should have done. Just like going over the multiple choice assessments, going over essays in class help clear up misconceptions and can help guide students to better writing. Now down to the everyday, nitty gritty. What purpose does classwork and homework serve in your room? Why make the kids do them? Why come up with those assignments? Classwork and homework are practice. Practice like golf practice, band practice, drama rehearsals; it is a time to make mistakes and get them corrected. Following this logic, it is expected for kids to make mistakes and be wrong as they learn. When was the last time you learned a skilled and executed it perfectly the first time and every time after? You don’t learn by getting it right, you learn by getting it wrong. With this in mind, I grade homework and classwork for completion only. If the kids try and answer all the questions they get a 100. Depending on the class, I may offer partial credit. The key here is try; if they write Cheetos for every answer then they get a 0. By grading the everyday work for completion, I can grade an assignment for a class in about 5 minutes which allows me to grade more assignments overall. The more chances the students have to learn the material, the more likely they are to learn it. A large number of grades per grading period lets the student have a lot of chances at success. Grading should be aimed at helping the students. Grades should come back to the kids in a quick fashion and should be helpful. They should never do work just to do work. Be intentional with your assignments; those assignments took time for you to make, the kids to complete, and you to grade. So if the assessments are not helping, who’s time are you really wasting? “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ― Benjamin Franklin Lesson plans are usually the bane of teacher existence right up there with grading papers. There is usually a disdain for writing lesson plans because when a school forces its teachers to make them. The hate grows because the plans that are made are geared for the administrators and the district and not the teacher or students. The first school I worked at did not require me to write lesson plans and lesson planning was something that was not taught to any great extent in my education courses in college. The middle school that I worked at before my current post required us to make lesson plans. They had a form with six boxes that had a dictionary of educational buzzwords splattered all over but was cumbersome to use and was really less than valuable in knowing what was going on in my room or where we going. My current job does not require me to create lesson plans but I have found a system that works for me and that is actually valuable. I try and plan either Thursday or Friday for the next week and I can plan out a week for three courses in about 20 minutes. I have been using this system over a year and have to continually refine it but it works pretty well. I just use a standard spiral notebook but you can always get something a little fancier if you want. I have my classes color coded so it is easier to track. Purple is AP Human Geography, red is US History, and green is Economics. I use those same colors on my whiteboard where I write their essential questions and homework. I also usually write down any meeting next to the day it will occur. I always write my activities in pencil just in case things changes. Writing in pencil gives you more flexibility in case you do not to get to something or any of the other thousand reasons our schedules get changed. I always start with a Do Now and usually try to plan out exactly what that is but a lot of times I just wing it the day of for a Do Now. All my classes run roughly the same so after the Do Now we do notes/discussions and then a reinforcement activity. I also let the kids have the leftover time to complete any work they owe me. This is also their time to start homework. I want my kids at least starting their homework in class so that I may help them if they need. It makes no sense to send them out with something unfamiliar that when they try to complete it they feel defeated and do not do it. This time is also nice to bring up in special education and parent conferences for those kids that are just doing nothing. Kids cannot complain about not having enough time to work in my class. Planning in this manner also lets me prep my copies for the week. I try to print out what I need the week before I need it so I have some wiggle room in case the copier breaks. Using my lesson plans, I also make daily presentation for my SmartBoard. The slide backgrounds are color coded for each class. The first slide kids see is a welcome and instructions to find their seat and get ready for class. I also try and find a funny/topical meme. The next slide is their Do Now instructions. The last slide is their instructions for the rest of class. This consistent formula makes the kids feel safe and confident that they know what they are supposed to be doing and when they are supposed to be doing it.
Hopefully this helps you and encourages you to write lesson plans for you. Even if you have a mandated form you could write a similar system to mine in very little time. If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I will get back to you! Suggested Supplies: Lesson Plan Book: https://amzn.to/2N2qRtl Spiral Notebooks: https://amzn.to/2WWshu6 Flair Pens: https://amzn.to/2WY7ztG Tom Brady is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). He has more Super Bowl rings than some NFL team franchises. Brady’s winning ways has some insights that may apply to our lives. Don’t Forget Your Why Tom Brady was drafted number 199 in 2000. Under Armour even put it on a shirt for him. Ever since that draft he has worked to prove all those that passed him by why they were wrong. A man that has won multiple Super Bowls is still mad about something that happened almost two decades ago. Let the lesson be that never forget your why and let it fuel you. Why ever you took your job keep that in mind especially in times of struggle. Let those that doubted add fuel to your fire. Use your why to make your legacy. Have High Expectations Tom Brady expects the best from his teammates, his coaches and himself. Everyone is held to the highest standard and he is not afraid to let them know if they do not live up to the expectations. Brady is also really good about being a cheerleader and encouraging his team. He encourages and praises. We should do the same. We need to expect a lot of those around us and praise them when they meet our goals. We should be the push that makes the team go forward. Take Care of Yourself
Tom Brady follows a diet so strict it seems unreal. He wears pajamas worth thousands to help him recover so he can perform better. He does all of this to be at his best for his team. We should do the same. We need to make sure we are taking the best care we can of ourselves so we can be at our best for those that need us. Whether you love him or hate him, Tom Brady is amazing. His skill set is unmatched and his ability to stare down pressure and not crack is uncanny. It takes a lot of pieces to make a GOAT but hanging onto your why, high expectations, and self-care are key to success. |
AuthorKyle is a 34 year old teacher that loves James Bond, history, donuts, and sneakers. Archives
February 2021
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