Enjoy the poster. . .it is from despair.com
Week twelve has arrived. . .how are you doing with all of your work?? I realize that many of you are a bit stressed about all that you have to do; however, there is still a lot of time between now and the end of the semester.
Assignments: I have graded everything that was turned in, including redo work. If you do not have a grade for your PowerPoint or Inspiration project, that means I do not have your rubric. . .I went back to Taskstream to check for the into work. . .and noticed that there are not very many of you who have written your first narrative. . .I need the first narrative turned in by Friday.
New Assignments: I posted the spreadsheet assignment. . .it is fairly easy to follow the instructions. The only problems I have seen in the past is with the graphs. . .so I included a screen shot of what the finished graph should look like!
Journals: all of the topics are out there. . .I gave you until the 27th of April to finish them. . . the longer you procrastinate, the heavier they get. . .
I am really impressed with everyone's contribution to the wiki. . .there are some awesome resources there. . .a few redundant sites, but overall, great!
This week: Hopefully, you have some video to download today. . .if not, you can work on your iMovie Software proficiency assignment. . .Editing takes time, so you really need your footage, pictures, and music loaded onto your computer ASAP!!
This Week's Question: In this class, I allow you to improve assignments to get full credit. I believe in a competency model versus a competitive, one-try method that often separates groups into A, B, C, D, groups. Do you believe that it is possible for everyone to receive an A, or do you think that should be reserved for the upper 10%, like many past educators have told me? Justify your answer.
45 comments:
I think this question can go both ways. I think it really depends on the class and students that are in it. If the class is motivated to redo assignments and turn them in, then yes I think everyone can and will get an A. But if people get grades like 4/5 or 3/5 and they're ok with that, then there will be different grade groups. A lot of times students also forget to redo an assignment and then it's too late, they have so many other assignments to do and so they forget or dont have time to complete the assignment. But for the most part I think our class overall will get A's.
I believe that any student that puts forth the time and effort to receive an A grade, should be able to receive it. It is important to take into consideration that there are some students that can understand the information immediately with little studying. There are also other students that take a lot longer to comprehend particular subjects and work extemely hard to learn. Both of these types of students should receive an A in my opinion. They both know and understand the topics, and even if it takes longer for one to get it, they worked for an A grade. As far as getting to redo their assignments, I think it is fair to do so as long as they get the knowledge that is supposed to go with it.
Yes, it is possible for everyone to get an A. If and only if they turn the assignmnets back with the corrections asked. but as Teresa says, it can go both ways. So, i hope everyone gets A's.
Yes, it is possible for everyone to get an A. If and only if they turn the assignmnets back with the corrections asked. but as Teresa says, it can go both ways. So, i hope everyone gets A's.
I believe that it is important for students of all ages to do the best that they can. For some students this means getting an A the first time they do an assignment or take a test. For other students this means fixing an assignment or retaking a test to get a better grade. I believe that giving a student the oppertunity to their best individually is better than puting students on a competative level to strive for that top 10%.
I agree with teresa on this one, if students are willing to put in the time to redo assignments I think it is fair to give everyone an A. I know I am the type of student who needs those extra tries and if I were to only have one shot at it I'd be in trouble! So, the fact that students are concerned enough about their grade to perfect an assignment and shoot for a perfect score over and over again is A+ worthy!
chris constante
I think that nowadays, because of the resources and technology offered in schools, it is possible for everyone to get A's. And if professors like you give students a chance to redo work and improve it, then it should not be hard to get a high grade.
I always hate when I hear someone say "I beat you" on a test. School shouln't be a competition between students. I like the idea of allowing students to redo work for full credit. Any number of circumstances could affect a student and cause him or her to perform poorly on a test or an assignment. Students should be allowed to fix their mistakes and improve the quality of their work and be rewarded for doing so. I will have high expectations and standards for my students and if they are all able to earn an "A," how could I not reward them with the grade they own?
I feel that everyone is entitled to an A and that everyone can receive one. If more than 10% of a class is doing what is asked of them and doing it well, I don't feel that they should get a B just because too many people have A's already. If the teacher is doing their job well, it is likely that students will have the instruction and motivation to do their work well and earn a good grade.
Everyone can get an "A", and that is the only way to go. If I get 100% of possible points and so does everyone else, then everyone gets a 100%. Period. Each student should be judged, independently of their classmates, on whether or not they have met criteria, shown effort, whatever it is they are being graded on; to grade the students based on their performance AND the performance of their peers is absurd. If that is to be the way, it promotes an environment that is overly competitive, where a student would only be likely to influence their fellow students' scores in a negative fashion. The alternative allows for greater cooperation amongst classmates and promotes better learning opportunities as peers can learn from each other, as well as their instructor and other resources, instead of loosing that opportunity to competition.
I believe that everyone is capable of getting A's in this class; however, we never know of what is going on in a student's life which is sometimes why they are unable to receive an A, but the assignments in this class really teach us a lot of computers specially me who only used the computer to check my email or research a topic for a paper. We learn while doing our work and its fun...some :).
I think your system is infinately better, because most of the students that aren't going to do the work in the first place are still going to get the bad grades. Due dates are fine, and great and convenient for a teacher, but it's important that the student gets everything they need from a course. It's hard to hold every assignment against a student. Life happens, and if a student is willing to put forth the time and effort to complete their work, they should get the credit. Tests help lean the grades out, and some students simply won't do it, and they'll get the grades they deserve. Those that want to succeed will, simple as that.
I think that everyone should have the opportunity to recieve an A. I don't think it is fair to only reserve it for the top 10%. I think that classes that require you to put a lot of effort and thought into your assignments and learning should allow anyone to have an A.
I think everyone should be able to earn an A within reason. The biggest factor is effort. If the assignments are continuely not turned in ontime and the student hasn't come to me for help, I think it wouldn't be fair to give A for work that is substandard and hasn't been given the effort.
I believe it is possible for everyone to earn an A. Its more important to learn, than just finish an assignment and turn it in for a grade
I think that everyone who trys deserves an A. When it comes to education I believe that you can teach someone something but they need to participate. By giving us a second chance on assignments gives us a second chance to learn and improve. No one ever learns everything on the first try.
I firmly believe that everyone should be allowed to earn an "A." The bar should be set high for the grade, but if you can achieve the standard you should get the grade. If the idea is for everyone to be able to demonstrate competence I don't see the downside to this way of doing things. When only the top 10% are able to receive an "A" it pits students against eacher other, reduces cooperation and is counter to the goal of getting everyone to achieve at a high level.
I feel that in a perfect world everyone would get an A. I do not plan to ever live in a perfect world. If everyone had the same ability and work ethicv then everyone one would recieve the same grade. People are all different (unique snowflakes ya know)and have their own personal styrenghts and weakenesses. I believe that as a society we need to emphasize different as okay and get away from better and worse. For thosewho are good at certian subjects may struggle in others. We need to celebrate the diversity and having all students recieve A's does not accomplish this goal.
I do agree with the fact that everyone can receive an A, but maybe not in the sense as a blanket grade. I had one professor that basically gave everyone A's, and I worked really hard on stuff and received the same grade as someone who did it in 10 min.
This class, we have to put in lots of time per assignment, but maybe having "extra" points given to those who are putting in "extra" effort
I think that in this class it an "A" grade is feasible for everyone. I agree with Prof. Heil that a competitive grade environment is not always the best system. In our 422 class, we are able to do our best, re-turn in assignments, and still get full credit. I too believe that a comprehensive environment is more effective than a competitive learning environment.
Some students perfom in different ways. If we can determine a way to ascertain the level of comptence, with a benchmark in mind, we can hold all of our students to that benchmark. There will be exceptional students and not so exceptional students. But, if the preestablished benchmark has been met, the student should recivee an "A".
i think that even with your model of grading that it can seperate the people who want to get A's from people who simply don't care. I enjoy getting the chance to fix what i may have done wrong but with that comes more work on top of all that I already have so if i decided that in incomplete assignmemt was acceptable for me and I didn't want to spend more time working on fixing my mistake then I don't deserve an A anyway, and i know that you wont give me one. I think this way forces students to fully understand what it is they are learning and work hard to get a great grade in the class.
I think that all students should be able to earn an A but that an A shouldnt just be given. If a student receives a grade less than an a and the teacher is able to give the student time to revise then i think they should be able to work hard and improve their grade. If a student can show the effort necessary to complete A work, then I feel that they deserve that grade.
I beleive that everyone should be able to receive an A but it is entirely up to the student to do so. The structure of classrooms has not really changed much over the years so children should know what to expect. Besides an A most of the time does not mean smart it means productive.
I think it is possible for everyone to get an A. Everyone is given the same opportunity and provided the requirements are met, there is a possibility.
Joey took the words right out of my mouth - everyone can earn an A if they are given the opportunity to do so. If a teacher allows students to redo their work, then they must also give reasons and feedback to the student so that the student knows what is missing.
As with most students have agreed, I also come to agreement with Taresa's comment. I believe everyone deserves an A grade, as long as they have put forth great effort and showed that they have tried to complete the assignment accordingly.
Making the grade! "A" It is necessary to help preserve a minimum standard of quality. Each student have different learning style, and comprehend information differently. However, students who shows that they are motivated and resubmit their work in an ample time frame deserves to get an A. (Take for example most of us in this class have at one time or another had to resubmit our work and do so in a decent time frame) Giving students that "A" is at the teacher discretion.
I don't think A's should be reserved for the top 10% of students, anyone who works hard and earns an A should get an A. There are a lot of hard workers in our class just sometimes technology doesnt come to us easy!
I firmly believe that students need to earn their grade, but I think that each individual student has the potential to get an A. Part of me feels that if a student turns in an assignment late it is unfair then to give them an A because of the other students who turned it in on time. I do also think that it is good to redo things when a child is not understanding key ideas. Really it depends and I will make adjustments as needed.
I think that my overall goal as an educator is to help as many students as possible learn and acheive. If I set my sights on only 10% being deserving of an A, I may miss the opportunity to truly teach. If the student is willing to put in the time and effort and redo assignments to make them meet the expectations, they should be given the chance. I do not want to penalize the students that take longer to learn a concept and only reward the naturally gifted students. If a student does not want to put in the effort then they will have to accept the consequece of the poor grade.
I like this method. Time management is important. Students learn how manage time on their own. Also, being able to resubmit work is more effective for learning. This method also builds confidence and makes students realize that yes, they can do it right.
It teaches students to take the extra step to make things right instead of throwing them in the closet and forgetting about them. I don't think every student will get an A. Some will run out of time in the end, or just take the low grade, but if they do, they know it is their choice. We all have opportunities in life to succeed. It's often our choice, but do we take the extra steps.
The only problem I see with this method is for the teachers. They have a lot more work grading assignments two and three times.
I do believe that everyone can get an a if they want it bad enough. The kick back mthod that is a good one so that if a student may of misunderstood an asignment or they may not have put in full effort, they will have a second chance. If they still do not want to work then they should recieve the the grade they earned.
i think that if a student takes the extra time and effort to get an A than that grade should be given to him/her
If a student earns an A, they deserve and A. I believe it is important for teachers to hold certain standards for grades, however, I also believe it is important to consider the situation of the student and effort put in.
I think students should definitely have the chance to correct their mistakes and resubmit their assignments. People learn at different rates and mistakes are never intentional. For a course like this, competency is far more important than competitiveness so the method of grading is perfect. I do see how other professors view the importance of professionalism though, especially when instructors are trying to enforce the use of time management and organization.
I really like the idea of the class being able to resubmit their work because the emphasis is on comprehension of the material. School should be a place where if a child is motivated and wants to learn the material, they should be able to learn it and not shut down because of a grade. In the end, the knowledge is what really counts not the grades. Besides there’s nothing wrong with giving a learner a second chance!
Grades are not a reflection of what is learned. There have been many times that I have received an A but can not state what I learned. Then there have been many times where I have learned a tremendous amount about the subject as well as myself in a class and received a bad grade. I think the emphasis needs to be about the growth in the student rather than what grade they have received.
Of course, the teacher’s primary goal is to teach all students to be competent in the curriculum and to be able to learn new things related to the curriculum on their own. That means I basically agree with the competency model Professor Heil has advocated. But, especially in middle and high school, one of the skills teachers try to teach is responsibility, and that means making a good faith effort to do the assignments on time and do them completely. I think this is best summed up by the oft heard statement, “I won’t try harder for you’re ‘A’ than you do.” Where did I hear that? ;-)
I also agree that everyone can earn an A, if the student puts all their effort to do so. Also, getting feedback on an assignment lets the students know what they need to do to fix their grade, instead of just getting the grade and not knowing what was missing.
I think it depemds on the assignment. If it ia a test tha toyu are grading then ther should be one chance but to get the information for that est you should be a ble to have moe than one chance. I think the student will learn more when they can go back out there and get the right answer themselves instead of the teacher telling them they did it worng and giving them the right answer.
I think that A’s should be earned and if a teacher is willing to allow you to earn them in a non-discriminatory way than they are doing (part of) their job. I also believe that competency should be the goal of all assignments, teachers who want their students to succeed are giving their students opportunity backed by confidence that students can succeed.
I think that everyone in the class should have an equal opportunity to get an A, which means that if the class is somewhat easy, or the majority of the class is doing well; then the majority should get an A. classroom percentage should have nothing to do with who gets the A's. If 30% of the class is succeeding then 30% should get an A. It should be soley based on the performance of the students.
I agree that if any student puts all their effort and time, they will be able receive an A. Every student's learning ability is different. When students are able to redo their work, it gives them the opportunity to do better.
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