Chapter 13
The big thing that hit me about this chapter was that traditional grading has to change. It is easier to assess by traditional testing but there is little learning that occurs from the testing. My subject area is not conducive to traditional testing, not that it hasn’t been done, but the assessment techniques talked about in the chapter seem to be more productive. Projects and presentations have always been a regular part of Technology and Engineering education and its predecessors. These techniques show if the student has internalized the concept. If I have a student that has put little effort into their design portfolio or the designs included in it, I can refer them back to the rubric and they can basically tell me what their grade will be. Much of the time they will want to go back and redesign. In addition, when parents ask about a student’s grade you can have them look at the scoring guide and let them make the same conclusion. The chapter brought up some great ideas on grading these assessments through the use of rubrics.
What I would like to take back to the classroom
I was impressed with the Electronic Portfolio Scoring Guide, (Figure 13.6) as it seemed very objective. In some of my rubrics I know I leave too much room for my judgment. This could be disputable whereas if it is completely objective there is no room for students to misconstrue the grading. The grading rubrics through www.rubistar.org are good for this. Since many of the premade rubrics are not useful with my subject area I change it drastically, which is another nice feature of rubistar.
Concerns
The technology I would like to know more about is to have some way for students to organize electronic portfolios. This is a time issue, again, but I want to find a way for students to gauge their progress and know how they will be graded.
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I have noticed a change in traditional grading since I was in high school. That is fantastic that your students know how to grade themselves using rubrics. Are they generally honest? I can see how motivating students grading their own work would be. Plus, they are further learning the concepts at hand. I use growth portfolios every year in kindergarten. Furthermore, I would love to hear some suggestions on how to incorporate electronic portfolios at this age.
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you on the traditional vs. non-traditional testing. It is funny, or interesting to me to look back on the evolution of my teaching and testing techniques. My first year of teaching was all about paper/pencil tests. Now, nearly all of my assessments are formative or performance/project-based summative assessments. Once in a while I think studying for a traditional paper/pencil test is important...but not to be overdone.
Thanks
Dave
Michael- I'll bet we all agree with you about the usefulness of formative assessment rather than just a test at the end.
ReplyDeleteOur students organize their electronic portfolios according to the required standards for which they must demonstrate knowledge and mastery. Joan