Buxton's Education Blog: How to grade reflections in Intro to Am.Ed.?

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

How to grade reflections in Intro to Am.Ed.?

How to grade reflections in Intro to Am.Ed.? Should reflections even be part of Am. Ed.?

Buxton’s “grading” of reflections is subjective and imprecise. A “New Reflection Rubric” was given to you in class on March 10th. (Note: this rubric is not meant to be taken seriously) This rubric is not subjective, and it is precise, but it has numerous problems. Can you offer an alternative? Do you have comments regarding this dilemma? English teachers - how do you deal with the subjectivity in your assessments? Math - Science - are you happy that your assessments are more "fact based"?

1 comment:

AnonymousMarch 16, 2016 at 1:40 PM
I believe that reflections should not be a part of American Education. In my opinion, grading of assignments should try to stay away from arbitration as much as possible, leading to a fair playing field for all students. With reflections though, grading is very subjective and can be based on a multitude of factors. For example, on some days, students are allowed to choose their own topic for reflections. How can a professor possibly compare two essays that are written about completely different topics? In short, they can’t if they want to ensure grading equity. My proposition would be to get rid of the reflections, as I feel they do not add any value to the class as a whole, nor do I really gain a lot from writing them. When referring to the curriculum, to get a four, a reflection should be two full pages, using more than five quotes from the text, and the student must make three outside connections. I believe this system of grading is unfair, and causes students to complete a task far more advanced than it needs to be. If it is impossible to extricate reflections from the curriculum, I believe that the reflections should be graded based on completion, meaning whether or not it was completed. I.e. an on-time, fully completed reflection would get full credit. As a history teacher, I much prefer fact-based assessments than subjective-based because facts are either incorrect or correct; there is no room for speculation or opinion.
AJ
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If you want to know more about this blog......,

The purpose of this Blog is to create dialogue regarding the status of HS Social Studies in RI. It is not designed to discuss elementary or Middle School issues. It is not designed to discuss HS Math issues, and it's not designed to discuss Social Studies issues in Oregon. Although readers are welcome to post on the aforementioned topics, the focus will nonetheless be on HS Social Studies in RI. I have sat through all too many generic Professional Development days, and read far too many pages in K-12 Education texts where they talk about Mrs. Brown's second grade class. Both formats expect me to apply this generic information about teaching to my HS US History class. Frequently, it was and is a stretch! Additionally, it seems to me that we have far too many people with Elementary School backgrounds making educational policy decisions that might be appropriate at the pre-HS level, but not at the HS level.

The idea for this Blog came about after my conversations with numerous HS Social Studies teachers in my capacity of observing Salve Regina student teachers at a wide variety of RI high schools. Additionally, I have many Social Studies colleagues in a variety of high schools inside and outside RI as a result of my attending Model United Nations conferences. I noticed that there were many common concerns that these teachers had in common. My sense is that these Social Studies teachers expressed their concerns and shared best practices with others in their department, but didn't necessarily have a non-NEA forum to discuss common issues with HS Social Studies teachers from other schools.

Lastly, I feel like I'm in a unique position to assist the pendulum in swinging, which I observe many HS teachers are looking forward to. I have 32 years of HS teaching under my belt; I have 5 years of experience teaching at URI, so I have some ability to evaluate how the product of RI HS Social Studies courses fares at the next level. I also have lots of experience in the Salve Regina Education Department where I have gotten a greater sense for educational reforms, some of which I support, and some of which I have serious concerns about. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to speak to many Social Studies teachers, in a wide variety of settings, and hear their concerns. Finally, I feel I'm in a unique position, because I feel like I'm a lot more free to express my opinions regarding these matters than many other teachers are in the state.

In closing, I'd like to admit the following:
1) I like to write, and I like the Blog format. I used it frequently with my URI classes, and I also, for a period of time, managed a Blog that dealt with appropriate youth soccer coaching ideas.
2) I don't like to complain without doing something about the issues. Hence, at 4 different times in my 3 decades of SKHS teaching, I wrote lengthy pieces defending SKHS, which were published in the SK newspapers. My hope is that this Blog may be a forum to express concern, but may also, eventually, lead to action to improve education for our students.
3) I'm semi-retired and have some time on my hands.