by Dr Davis on September 25, 2008
Pittsburgh Public Schools are following Dallas with the goofy idea that students should not fail.
The ‘E’ is to be recorded no lower than a 50 percent, regardless of the actual percent earned. For example, if the student earns a 20 percent on a class assignment, the grade is recorded as a 50 percent,” said the memo from Jerri Lippert, the district’s executive director of curriculum, instruction and professional development, and Mary VanHorn, a PFT vice president.
…
a 20 percent score means a student isn’t trying or needs more help with the material. Automatically putting 50 percent in the grade book… doesn’t help the student in either case.
And … one teacher she knows already worries about how awkward it will look when a student correctly answers three of 10 questions on a math quiz — and gets a 50 percent.
Will this really help our students? No, it won’t. And it isn’t fair to the people who actually work hard. I am opposed.
by Dr Davis on September 25, 2008
These points are coming from my online class.
Taste, touch, smell
“What if you brought artifacts or props that were related to your lecture to class? Appeal to the students’ senses.”
We are starting storytelling today and I am bringing in the smell of New York in the autumn. I am also bringing three narratives that make a point. They are children’s stories, but I don’t think they are childish.
I am also thinking that we may play one simple kid’s game in class. The folding story game. Just as a starting point to get people talking and thinking.
Is change scary?
“Risk is the central element of all teaching.” Joe Kagle
Final exam questions
After the grades are handed out, give this as a writing assignment.
What did you learn in this class that was useful in your life? What do you think you will take away from this course and use in twenty years? What would you suggest to improve the course?
I am not sure how I would assign this with my present syllabus, but I really like the idea.
Literature
One of the people in my class had Robert Frost as a mentor. He asked Frost about the meaning of “The Road Not Taken.” Robert Frost’s response was, “I don’t know. I place holes in my poems so that you can put yourself into them.”
by Dr Davis on September 25, 2008
I am taking an online class for educators because I think that learning helps me to grow. One of the other students has been teaching college for 50 years! And while he’s not a character, he seems to have the most intriguing stories. I’m a sucker for good stories. In answer to one set of questions he wrote about his friend from college with whom he has deep discussions. One of the questions he shared from their conversations was: Who is the third best writer that few people know about?
His post made me think and I wanted to post my response here so that I would remember it.
As an English teacher, I think I ought to have an answer to “who is the third best writer that few people know about,” but I am going to have to think about that one.
For my literature courses, one of the questions I think about is “What texts are often referred to among educated people that the students haven’t read?” That question brought Frankenstein, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, and Gulliver’s Travels into several of my syllabi. I collect popular culture or news references to literary works and file them so that I can discuss relevance with my students.
The ability to ask thoughtful questions is part of what makes life interesting.
I have found that sometimes my students can be the ones who are asking those questions. My first year teaching developmental writing, I learned more about the whys of grammar than I had ever even thought of before. This last semester I had a group of highly inquisitive and motivated students. They also kept me learning.
I wonder if I could do more to elicit those kinds of questions from my students… Hmm. Maybe in Brit Lit I could ask them what they would have wanted to learn about a section that I didn’t cover. Since it is a required course I am not sure that asking them what they want to know would elicit any useful information. I’ll have to think about that.
I am also wondering if I can get my freshman composition students to pose thoughtful questions about their controversial issues papers. How would I do that?
