Apr 09
What does on-task look like in a 21st century classroom? How do you get your students engaged in learning? I think about the types of learning that take place in my classroom a lot because I don’t know if the things I’m doing actually help my students learn. Is it enough to abolish grades so …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/04/09/what-is-on-task/
Jan 15
I’ve been reading some great blogs and comments challenging some of schools most treasured traditions. Within my classroom and with the support of my principal I was able to abolish grades in an effort to support student learning. I try to foster cooperation in my classes because we are, after all, learning the same things. …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/01/15/awards-grades-and-competition/
Jan 04
Yesterday I was getting some materials ready for my 6th grade Science classes and I noticed how much I enjoyed doing that instead of grading. Had I spent that time reading student work to give them points or a letter grade then I would have postponed replacing the batteries in our 10 LabQuest handheld probe …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2011/01/04/time-well-spent/
Dec 06
We read another excellent article at my teacher leader training, Next-Generation Assessment Systems: Are We Losing an Opportunity? by Margaret Heritage (this one is a pdf file). One thing I took away from the article is how easy it is to think we’re doing formative assessment when we’re not because of the word assessment. After …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2010/12/06/formative-process/
Dec 04
As I continue to learn more about Assessment for Learning (AfL) I find ways to hone my craft. One of the five key strategies of AfL is to share learning expectations with students. I’ve used rubrics on and off for years not sure if I like the transparency of them or hate how they don’t …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2010/12/04/sharing-learning-expectations/
Aug 01
Joe Bower’s blog, for the Love of Learning, was a big help and support for me while I was researching going grade-less. His section on Abolishing Grades has many posts that he’s written throughout his time teaching with no grades. He’s been doing it longer than most of us so it’s nice to read his …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2010/08/01/my-2nd-guest-blog-post/
Jul 22
I just finished posting my first guest blog post on Jason T. Bedell’s blog! Jason was asking for guest posts on his blog about grading and assessment so I wrote a post titled, “Why Grade to Assess?” It was great to be able to reflect some more on the changes I’ve made to my grading …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2010/07/22/my-first-guest-blog-post/
Jul 10
Assessment is the latest educational buzz topic. As is customary in a profession in order to become proficient at something we must take it out of the realm of hit or miss and become mindful of what we do so that we can put into effect what needs to be done when it needs to …
Permanent link to this article: https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2010/07/10/assessment_for_learning/
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2016, 2017, 2019, 2022,
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