tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403642865904161814.post5512987118145127915..comments2023-10-17T05:19:48.148-04:00Comments on Rose-coloured: Writing Rubics and Evaluative CriticismRebecca Rosenblumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10859985178895250412noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403642865904161814.post-32246092849899536902009-05-05T16:02:00.000-04:002009-05-05T16:02:00.000-04:00That is interesting, both about moving the mean an...That is interesting, both about moving the mean and the double-rubric. There are so many things I think I could have done better with this class, and so many things I'm dying to try next time. I really hope the program asks me back so I have a chance to put all these lessons into action!Rebecca Rosenblumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10859985178895250412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403642865904161814.post-41988103500882243992009-05-04T19:49:00.000-04:002009-05-04T19:49:00.000-04:00re: this whole messy mess, which as you know is a ...re: this whole messy mess, which as you know is a big part of my messy life... i will just say two small things. ok, three.<br /><br />1. i am very impressed with you for caring this hard. no, seriously -- it takes SUCH energy, don't you find? <br /><br />2. for what it's worth, my attitude wrt grades: if a class's grades are supposed to matter for something like getting into university, then you WANT them to be bell curvey. i mean, if your high school grades are supposed to act as gateways to university, then the question of whether somebody's writing puts them in the top 10% or 20% or 70% is kind of relevant. but having said that they are on a curve doesn't answer the question of where the *mean* is -- if you get a batch of geniuses, you put the mean at A- and then curve away. <br /><br />if the grades don't serve some purpose like that, but are supposed to be a purely evaluative tool themselves -- then tell your students they are dumb, because they are, and then try to come up with rubrics that give you a lot of leeway, and make the real evaluation come from the comments. i realize this is not practical in high school, for lots of reasons.<br /><br />3. ... i think an interesting thing to think about is to have two rubrics in assessing written work. one is the criteria on which the work is judged in isolation -- the things you mentioned above -- and then the other rubric is about the work in context. so: did they improve from last time? did they try to do what you suggested, even if they failed at it, or even made things worse? or did this student try something hard, did they take a risk, did they try to be genuinely original? ... you see what i am getting at. <br /><br />one of the classes i teach sort of annually involves a writing component, and i decided i wanted two essay-like things from them. on the first one, i grade based almost only on the ideas themselves, but i tell them that the second one will also be graded on the writing, and then i write fairly harsh comments on their academic writing, fairly extensively. so then on the second one, if they are still writing insanely but really trying hard to improve i can give them points for that, and hopefully they will have gotten something out of it. <br /><br />it's hard work, eh? really humbling and infuriating and affirming all at once. man, now i need a nap. too bad i'm at an airport.AMThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04043299823746418746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403642865904161814.post-39485863771878577422009-04-30T12:22:00.000-04:002009-04-30T12:22:00.000-04:00Re the colour in which to mark: I always use green...Re the colour in which to mark: I always use green ink when evaluating children - it's the colour that means "move forward".Markhttp://www.freewebs.com/marksampsonnoreply@blogger.com