Skip to main content

Continued Learning Quests

You get the grades, so you give the grades. That is what I told my students this past week. Needless to say, they were a bit shocked.

I have struggled with giving grades and giving homework for some time now. Many of my students just have focused on the letter grade, whether it was an "A" or a "F." They stopped becoming focused on what really matters most, the learning. They started having fixed mindsets, and that is not something I want 6th graders to have. Are those things their fault? No, I do not believe they are. I believe several parties are to blame, myself being one of them. However, things are changing. Grades will now have personal meaning to my students, and I hope that what I am attempting will bring the focus back to what matters most, the learning and having a growth mindset.
Attending PETE&C 2016, engaging in Twitter and Twitter chats like #paedchat, and also having a very supportive administration has allowed me to develop the "Continued Learning Quest" (CLQ) rubric (click here for link). I like calling the assignments quests, because after attending PETE&C 2016, I intend to start gamification in my class with Classcraft this coming week with my students. So quest seems to be a lot better fit. Also, the terms classwork and homework bring up bad feelings for just about all involved anyway.

The CLQ rubric is a 4-point rubric that students will be using to score themselves on what they once perceived as meaningless, mundane classwork. Now, the same assignments take on a entirely different feel, because the focus becomes on the learning, not just completing it for a grade. However students do not score their work, until after I give them timely and meaningful feedback. This allows them to become reflective learners, and it also allows me to easily differentiate my instruction. For those that scored themselves a one or a two, I can meet with them to discuss their insights and help them understand their mistakes and help them make their corrections. For those that scored themselves a three or a four, I can meet with them to discuss their understandings and give them enrichment. Never again, will a zero be given in my classes. Never again will an assignment, or rather a quest, be graded just on completion.

Now I know one might be thinking, "Aren't all of the students going to give themselves four's all of the time? What will you do then?" To be honest, I may have a small handful that do that, and if that is the case, I will meet with them briefly to discuss their scores and why they gave themselves those scores. If the problem continues, then I will score them on a similar 4-point rubric, and average the student's score and my score together.

Yet, I strongly believe students will not abuse this new grading system, as it makes their work have immediate meaning and has them becoming reflective learners. It puts them at the center of their learning, as they are in charge of their outcome. They will now know what their grades means, but more importantly, it will put the focus back on learning.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When is Work, Not Work?

When I first started thinking about running a blended learning classroom last year, I envisioned three stations running efficiently and effectively, while at the same time bringing in the 4C's (collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking) daily. For the most part, I finally feel like I am seeing what I envisioned a year ago. But I am also seeing things now that I never envisioned, and I don't think they would have been possible without me trying something new. Probably the best thing that has come from running a blended learning classroom, that I did not envision, has been the relationships I have been able to build with my students. With having stations, and one being direct instruction, I have been able to meet with no more than nine students at a time. This small group setting allows us to cover the lesson effectively but also more informally, which allows for a more relaxed and social atmosphere. In this small, relaxed, and social atmosphere I have h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Enter The Twilight Zone with Blended Learning

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension - a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.  I feel that opening part of the show  The Twilight Zone  directly relates to my school year this year. This is my second full year of running a blended learning classroom, and I feel as if in some way my sixth-grade students and I have crossed over into the Twilight Zone. Strange but wonderful things are happening in and out of my classroom, that I have not, unfortunately, witnessed before in my 15 years of teaching. Students are embracing the idea that learning can take place anywhere, anytime and that their voice matters to others, as they enter a whole other dimension in Google Classroom. They are seeing learning opportunities on their own outside of the school day and wanting to sha...
Post a Comment
Read more

So What's the Difference?

This is my 15th year of teaching, and this is by far and away my favorite year to date. It is not that I haven't enjoyed my other years, but this year is standing out already as a special year. I have been thinking a lot of what is making this year my favorite year, and what is making it different than my other years. So these are the ideas I believe are the difference makers for me this year. Communication This year I started using the Remind app to better connect with parents and students. It allows me to connect with parents in real-time using my smartphone or computer. In years past, I would send out emails or send home a daily report book or sorts. However, what I was failing to do those previous years is not only meet the parents where they are, but also where I am. Nearly everyone has a smartphone and nearly everyone never puts it down for more than five minutes at a time. So not only are parents getting notifications about assignments, but Remind also allows me to sen...
Post a Comment
Read more