Watching the classroom presentation of PSI got me to thinking about the practice of evaluating students for grades. My professional training began in corporate america and my academic subjects covered math and engineering, not education, so, I preface this post with the admission that I do not posses some of the formal training that most teachers do. My personal education training has been very rigorous and my professors expected a lot from me. Thus, I expect a lot from my students. As a teacher of technology, I look for my students to be precise, timely, and accountable. Grading is such a subjective process. I was struck by the mention of how grades should be awarded in the PSI presentation. I agree with the original Keller plan that just the basic learning of the material presented warrants a grade of "C," and B's and A's should be reserved for students who go above and beyond what is asked of them from the basic course material. This is how I try to operate in my classes. Assignments, projects, and formal assessments are developed/designed to separate the good students from the excellent students - I think this is only fair to the students that exceed what is expected.
Remember, a "C" is supposed to be average, a "B" is good, and an "A" is excellent!
What do you think? What is your grading philosophy?
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5 comments:
I have the same background as you and I tend to share your philosophy on grading. I also think that an "A" should represent excellent work and a "B" should represent above average work. This is only my 5th year of teaching and I still struggle with the subjective nature that slips in sometimes when I am grading students work. I almost always use a rubric to minimize the subjectivity.
Hi,
Ditto! I too have the "Corporate America" background and came in as lateral entry. Ironically, my school is getting ready to engage in professional development to examine grading techniques. The goal is to get consistency across the board. At the present my grading is similar to what Keller has presented because I also maintain high standards for my students after all high order thinking is what we are advocating right? Nice blog.
I find myself constantly discussing this with my students in the Spanish classes I teach. I point out that a "C" denotes basic understanding of the concepts, but that almost any student can achieve a "B" or an "A" by putting forth the extra effort. Nonetheless, some students still think we are rating them based on their ability. I find that to rarely be the case -- in my 11 years in the classroom I have seldom come across a student who tries their absolute best and still cannot master the material.
I am not a teacher, just a student. So, my opinion is only on the receiving end, but...
I found when I look at final projects of my peers, I can see how who gets the A and who gets something lower. And I don't think it is about effort, and maybe not even mastery, but just following directions. A grading rubic is provided and I found that many students, just don't follow it and get the lower grade. They might of had great effort, and maybe even at times showed great mastery, but since they missed "to dot i's and cross t's" they (I) got lower grades.
Thanks for using tags to differentiate between the two courses :)
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