CI: 5461 Weekly Readings Post #4

Finally! This week’s readings addressed something that has been on my mind ever since I first got it into my head that I wanted to be a teaching and has been plaguing me ever since—What do we do about grading different levels of writing in the same classroom?!?!?!?!?

I have been tormented by the debate in my head about subjective and objective grading. How is it that we can give a student who has improved in their writing so much but still is not near the same level as their peers a “C” for an awesome paper and then turn around and give another student an “A” for a paper that you know they could have worked much harder on! The fact of the matter is that, as teachers, we need to be both subjective and objective to some degree.

The Newkirk and Kent chapter posed the exact question that has been on my mind for so long and they surmised that “It might seem logical and fair to base grades solely on writing quality—but then a good writer who makes no progress would be evaluated more highly than a less proficient writer who makes great progress” (65). Exactly my dilemma! They conclude that the best way to go about grading writing assignments is to “reward students for diligence and for the quality of writing they produce” (N &K 65). To me, this seems like a great way to ensure that students are being evaluated on the amount of effort they put into a piece of writing as much as for the skills they possess as writers. The idea of formatting a grading system that allows for this is great, but then one has to worry about the repercussions, a.k.a. the students who will not be alright if they receive a paper that is less then “A” quality. I can remember those students from my own high school days and they are not the type of kids you want to mess with--their parents will often hunt you down. Hmmm…

Moving on, let’s talk about another gray area in the world of teaching: to use a rubric or not to use a rubric, that is the question! I can see where using a rubric can benefit students and teachers by presenting clear, outlined reasoning behind grades. Students can observe the different areas under examination by the teacher, see specific areas that need improvement, and find some kind of justification in their grade—unless, heaven forbid, they don’t understand the grading scale of the rubric either. The trick with a rubric can be found in the argument of, “Well, what’s the difference between a “4” in Presentation and a ‘3’? If I write it again will it boost my grade?” all in that whiny high school teenager voice—the one we have all employed at some point in our lives. When it comes down to it, rubrics are just a way of trying to justify a given grade and are just as subjective as not using a rubric. Will I use a rubric in my own classes? Probably. Will I struggle to create rubrics that are clear, concise, and valid? Yeah. Do I expect to be able to “cocreate” a rubric with my students successfully (Andrade)? No.

In the end, all I can hope for is that I can find a way to balance subjective and objective grading whether it is with a rubric, checklist, or some hybrid that allows me to monitor the progress of my students and reward them for improvement, innovation, and skill when it comes to manipulating the written English language. I would rather provide my students with positive feedback, constructive criticism, and opportunities to grow than to bury them in rubrics and grades. I’ll end with these final thoughts that mirror my own feelings on the matter:

Teachers who rely too much on grades to convey their evaluation of students’ writing are not communicating much that’s of value to a developing writer. Grades may be a required part of teaching, but…successful teachers of writing keep them to a minimum. (Dornan et. al.184)



Link:

dailywritingtips.com

This website has a lot of great information on grammar and vocabulary, writing basics, and pages on all sorts of different writing genres. It also hosts fun articles and cautionary advice about all things writing. (Very Englishy!)