Saturday, September 26, 2009
CEDO 530 Week 5
This may sound really sad but I really love rubrics. I must be a teacher. With that being said, I don't use nearly as many as I should as I rarely seem to find the time to make them but I find them to be so beneficial to the students. I'm not sure which class it was that really pounded the message home that identifying what was expected out of your students ahead of time was so very important but it really is. We as teachers really do spend so much of our time trying to make our students prove that they know the infomration by making it extra difficult but really we are just having them do party tricks and jump through hoops so much of the time. By providing our studnets with rubrics, we give the students a clear and identifiable means of what exactly it is that we expect while leaving the ball in their court to complete it to the best of their ability. I have always found that rubrics make the whole process go quicker and more efficiently provided they are done in a clear and concise manner. I guess that would be why I'm so looking forward to being able to complete this weeks work. I get to do something that I enjoy doing and find so very beneficial while at the same time, hopefully, learning some new tricks to add to my bag of goodies.
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Ryan
ReplyDeleteWhat type of rubric generating program do you use to make rubrics? I like the rubistar but didn't know if you used your own set up.
One problem that I see with my students is I provide them the rubric that lays out the detail and essential items I am looking for and students still don't complete certain portions.
Ryan,
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I am the complete opposite of you. I rarely, if ever, use rubrics in my classroom. I do try to give explicit instructions concerning how students will be graded on a given assignment. That being said, if research indicates that students achieve better if they are given a rubric at the beginning of a project then that is what will happen in my classes. It will take me some time to get accustomed to using rubrics, as I have had too many classes recycle instruction sheets before they leave the classroom. I guess I will have to sacrifice a few more trees in the name of student achievement. I do like that rubrics can eliminate any issues with favoritism, and that specific weaknesses can be addressed. So I press on with that in mind, and hopefully will be made a believer as to the value of rubrics. :)
I love rubrics, too, Ryan. (I haven't been able to find a bumper sticker for it, yet.) For the same reason; kids are clear on the expectations. This seems to ease their fears of being judged when they know just how they are being judged. It allows them to move on to the learning, and it allows teachers the time to teach rather than re-iterating 'rules'. It also seems to simplify complex tasks such a multimedia presentations.
ReplyDeleteNick, I do not use rubistar but I do like it. I personally use rubrics that I've created as I like to have the ability to alter them in any way I see fit to best fit the assignment. It just seems easier to me that way. As for paper, Ryan, I don't use a lot of it. I'm fortunate that as a drafting teacher, I have computers in my classroom for my students to access. I have each of my students create a gmail account now and share the rubrics with them that way. I create a rubric for each student or group and then allow them only to view it. It actually works very efficiently. I'm not sure about what all the studies say but I can tell you from my personal experience that it works. Yes, Nick, I still have students who either do not pay close enough attention to the rubric or choose not to complete a portion of the rubric, however, it is my belief that I posted the information for them to clearly see and to follow and if they chose to ignore that then that is their fault and not mine. It makes me feel a whole lot more comfortable giving a student a poor grade when I have clear documentation that the information was there and they just didn't follow directions. After a bad grade or two, the students figure it out pretty quickly and start following the directions.
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