My grade 8s are 'graduating' and after such an amazing year, I really wanted to give them a 'parting gift' but as a teacher wanted something inexpensive, but thoughtful.
One of my artistic students created this AMAZING sketch of our class. Every student is included and I could easily identify who was who in a matter of seconds! She is so talented! She is printing one for each student and teacher - clever!
I found some great ideas for year end gifts online that I wanted to share:
http://www.traceeorman.com/2012/05/ten-thoughtful-and-inexpensive.html
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?cmd=display&thread_id=3092931
http://pinterest.com/paramax166/gift-ideas-students-teachers/
http://pinterest.com/darlenepf/teacher-graduation-gifts/
My decision... I shall share it once complete - but the links above inspired me.... Stay Tuned!
A place to share my experiences as a TTOC and Middle School Teacher. Resources, ideas and important issues in education.
Showing posts with label graduation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graduation. Show all posts
Monday, 24 June 2013
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Zero Grade
How do you feel about issuing "zero" grades on assignments? This is an interesting discussion I have been reading a lot about lately.
Minister of Education in Alberta has said that zero is a last resort only. After an Edmonton teacher was suspended for issuing students zero.
Lynden Dorval, an Edmonton Science teacher was suspended after issuing students a zero grade for assignments not handed in.
Students get a print out of what is missing and an opportunity to hand them in. I believe in giving students an opportunity to make up missed work since some have not handed things in due to absence, illness, and so on, and to be honest, some are just being lazy or avoiding work. Either way, they are given adequate time to catch-up, make up and ensure they have submitted all assignments for a grade that reflects all their work.
But, I am in a temporary contract with one English class and one Student Services block.
I wonder, how a teacher with 4 english classes per semester, over 100 students, may handle a wave of late assignments at the end of a semester while marking end of term exams, essays and projects.
What is the purpose of a deadline? How important is formal grading? How much control do we really have over assessment and grading in high school, particularily Grade 11 and 12 as many students prepare for post-secondary education.
Giving a student a zero teaches them a lesson talks about alternative motivation and argues against giving a zero to students. It is an interesting read.
What I enjoyed about this post most were the comments. The discussion.
One talked about the fact that, until Universities stopped using grades as criteria for entrance, we can't stop using them in high school.
Another comment talks about class size and how a high school teacher can adequately give the individual attention needed with 4 full classes and over 100 students a semester.
I taught in Middle School where I used a 4 point scale for most assignments. Final grades were converted to a letter grade, but we did not focus on percentages or grades the same way high schools do. I used comments and ongoing assessment and communication to work with students on goal setting and improving.
Now, teaching in high school, it is all about the grade. Students are obsessed!
Not a single day goes by without at least one students asking me what their grade is so far.
Nevermind that somethings are not marked, or entered into the system yet, nevermind that provincial exams and finals or huge parts of their grade is not yet input, they want to know their percentage at that moment. Every moment!
Why?
Because the focus has become the grade.
As parents, we focus on the grade as well. I told myself I wouldn't, but when my daughter brings home her report card, I inadvertently look at the grades first.
I really enjoyed the Job Action this year, because there were no report cards, instead, communication, discussion, between teachers and parents on how a student was progressing. Without the letter or percentage to occupy all the attention, the details, the study habits, the OTHER parts of assessment were more important.
Have you ever seen a student with an A but an N work habit grade? What about a C- but a G work habit grade? Which would you rather see?
Far too often the letter grade is given more weight.
I enjoy professional conversation on this topic and others. I am curious what others think and what they use for their teaching practice.
Minister of Education in Alberta has said that zero is a last resort only. After an Edmonton teacher was suspended for issuing students zero.
Lynden Dorval, an Edmonton Science teacher was suspended after issuing students a zero grade for assignments not handed in.
The physics teacher with 35 years experience said he continued giving zeros when students failed to hand in assignments, instead of using behaviour codes such as "not completed," which the school requires under its grading and reporting practice.This got me thinking... In the high school english class I am currently teaching, I plug in an "NHI" (Not handed in) for assignments missing. This is practice continued from the previous teacher as I am in for the last month of school.
...
In Dorval's physics and science classes at Ross Sheppard High School, students who didn't turn in assignments got a printout of their marks showing them how a zero would affect their overall grade. Most times, the strategy spurred students to complete the work, he said.
Students get a print out of what is missing and an opportunity to hand them in. I believe in giving students an opportunity to make up missed work since some have not handed things in due to absence, illness, and so on, and to be honest, some are just being lazy or avoiding work. Either way, they are given adequate time to catch-up, make up and ensure they have submitted all assignments for a grade that reflects all their work.
But, I am in a temporary contract with one English class and one Student Services block.
I wonder, how a teacher with 4 english classes per semester, over 100 students, may handle a wave of late assignments at the end of a semester while marking end of term exams, essays and projects.
What is the purpose of a deadline? How important is formal grading? How much control do we really have over assessment and grading in high school, particularily Grade 11 and 12 as many students prepare for post-secondary education.
Giving a student a zero teaches them a lesson talks about alternative motivation and argues against giving a zero to students. It is an interesting read.
What I enjoyed about this post most were the comments. The discussion.
One talked about the fact that, until Universities stopped using grades as criteria for entrance, we can't stop using them in high school.
Another comment talks about class size and how a high school teacher can adequately give the individual attention needed with 4 full classes and over 100 students a semester.
I taught in Middle School where I used a 4 point scale for most assignments. Final grades were converted to a letter grade, but we did not focus on percentages or grades the same way high schools do. I used comments and ongoing assessment and communication to work with students on goal setting and improving.
Now, teaching in high school, it is all about the grade. Students are obsessed!
Not a single day goes by without at least one students asking me what their grade is so far.
Nevermind that somethings are not marked, or entered into the system yet, nevermind that provincial exams and finals or huge parts of their grade is not yet input, they want to know their percentage at that moment. Every moment!
Why?
Because the focus has become the grade.
As parents, we focus on the grade as well. I told myself I wouldn't, but when my daughter brings home her report card, I inadvertently look at the grades first.
I really enjoyed the Job Action this year, because there were no report cards, instead, communication, discussion, between teachers and parents on how a student was progressing. Without the letter or percentage to occupy all the attention, the details, the study habits, the OTHER parts of assessment were more important.
Have you ever seen a student with an A but an N work habit grade? What about a C- but a G work habit grade? Which would you rather see?
Far too often the letter grade is given more weight.
I enjoy professional conversation on this topic and others. I am curious what others think and what they use for their teaching practice.
Monday, 4 June 2012
Flocabulary for Grads
I love Flocabulary. They use rap to teach numerous things. They have some free resources as well as subscriptions available for more content.
This is a cool video that recaps the last 18 years for 2012 graduates. There is also some lesson plans and activities.
http://flocabulary.com/18-years-in-rap-2012/
http://flocabulary.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/18-years-in-rap-2012-activities.pdf
This is a cool video that recaps the last 18 years for 2012 graduates. There is also some lesson plans and activities.
http://flocabulary.com/18-years-in-rap-2012/
http://flocabulary.s3.amazonaws.com/pdfs/18-years-in-rap-2012-activities.pdf
Thursday, 10 May 2012
And so it continues.... Voluntary vs Mandatory
It seems BCPSEA (employer) feels teacher's withdrawing their voluntary activities is illegal. They have filed their conplaint with the LRB who will likely rule Friday.
I don't understand how teacher's volunteer choices outside of school hours can be viewed as "illegal" but I am interested to see how this plays out.
I have a lot of opinions on extra-curricular and this whole situation, but first, let me share with you the information in the media:
Teacher withdrawal from after-hours work is illegal, employers say
My fear is that voluntary activities become mandatory. Thus, forcing teacher's to take on some form of the 'obligated' volunteer time. This seems to defeat the purpose of any volunteer activities. Teacher's often take on areas they are passionate about, be it sports, drama, clubs, or other events. If there is a need in the school, teacher's interested or connected to that area may volunteer, but by making voluntary activities "part of the work day" it takes away the passion and the point... "I am doing this extra because it is important to my students, important to me, important to our school community"
The Globe & Mail writes:
This is the only action teacher's can legally take to voice their concern with the current government's attack on public education! It is to raise awareness and take action against the threats being imposed against public education!
The activities are extra's and voluntary. This is not stopping MATH class or skipping lessons - this is stopping out of school hour activities, such as overnight camping!
Since when did teacher's taking students camping become the norm? When I was in school, my teacher's didn't give up their evenings to take me camping - that is what Girl Guides or my parents were for!
Our "wrap-up" activities were within the school day, a school picnic in the park, a field trip to the waterslides, and so on.
When did the expectation change? Why now do we expect so much more from our teacher's spare time? I would encourage anyone to come into a classroom for a day, observe, or help run the class for the day and then after school there is the marking, preparation for the next day, photocopying, and possibly some coaching or meetings afterschool. Planning and taking a class camping seems like a far stretch from the "regular teacher duties"
I have heard of some schools where teacher's who run lunch time intramurals get a different block for their lunch (which they still often spend planning or marking). I have seen schools where teacher's who plan Sports Day or awards ceremonies and assemblies are given additional preperation time to do so, instead of using their own time at home to plan. PACs stepping in to plan activities with teachers is another strategy I have seen to ensure programs still run at schools, despite teacher's decision to stop voluntary activities.
It can be done! It is not the end of these extra's, it is a shift in how they are approached!
I don't disagree with teacher's doing extra-curriculars, I am a teacher who enjoys doing extra's with my students and like most teacher's who do extra curriculars, we don't want to stop forever, but right now, given the threats from this government and the corner we have been backed into, this is the only thing we have control over - our own voluntary time! And if this is the only way to deliver the message - it is what we must do.
I don't understand how teacher's volunteer choices outside of school hours can be viewed as "illegal" but I am interested to see how this plays out.
I have a lot of opinions on extra-curricular and this whole situation, but first, let me share with you the information in the media:
Teacher withdrawal from after-hours work is illegal, employers say
A protest that has resulted in teachers withdrawing from all after-hours activities in B.C. public schools amounts to an illegal strike, the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) alleges.
On Wednesday, it filed an application to the B.C. Labour Relations Board (LRB) seeking an order that would end the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) protest and require teachers to resume all such activities.
The crux of the issue appears to be the definition of extracurricular. The BCPSEA says it is not trying to force individual teachers to coach sports teams, for example, but does not accept the union’s broad definition of what constitutes voluntary activities.
“The BCTF has directed its members to withdraw a very broad range of duties that teachers typically perform as part of their teaching job, based upon the fact that those duties are typically performed either before or after the school bell rings,” the association says in a statement. Those activities include parent-teacher interviews, student tutorials, writing reports and talking to principals.
“The BCTF’s call for service withdrawal captures both duties that are clearly and expressly required of all teachers and duties that are performed by some teachers at those teachers’ option.
“In our view, the BCTF’s direction to its members to engage in a concerted refusal to perform these duties constitutes an illegal strike in violation of the Labour Relations Code and the Act,” the association states.
Read More
My fear is that voluntary activities become mandatory. Thus, forcing teacher's to take on some form of the 'obligated' volunteer time. This seems to defeat the purpose of any volunteer activities. Teacher's often take on areas they are passionate about, be it sports, drama, clubs, or other events. If there is a need in the school, teacher's interested or connected to that area may volunteer, but by making voluntary activities "part of the work day" it takes away the passion and the point... "I am doing this extra because it is important to my students, important to me, important to our school community"
The Globe & Mail writes:
The British Columbia Teachers’ Federation maintains teachers are withdrawing from what they consider voluntary activities – such as coaching sports teams – and that the withdrawal was the only tactic teachers had left to protest against what the union characterizes as punitive legislation.
This is the only action teacher's can legally take to voice their concern with the current government's attack on public education! It is to raise awareness and take action against the threats being imposed against public education!
The activities are extra's and voluntary. This is not stopping MATH class or skipping lessons - this is stopping out of school hour activities, such as overnight camping!
Since when did teacher's taking students camping become the norm? When I was in school, my teacher's didn't give up their evenings to take me camping - that is what Girl Guides or my parents were for!
Our "wrap-up" activities were within the school day, a school picnic in the park, a field trip to the waterslides, and so on.
When did the expectation change? Why now do we expect so much more from our teacher's spare time? I would encourage anyone to come into a classroom for a day, observe, or help run the class for the day and then after school there is the marking, preparation for the next day, photocopying, and possibly some coaching or meetings afterschool. Planning and taking a class camping seems like a far stretch from the "regular teacher duties"
I have heard of some schools where teacher's who run lunch time intramurals get a different block for their lunch (which they still often spend planning or marking). I have seen schools where teacher's who plan Sports Day or awards ceremonies and assemblies are given additional preperation time to do so, instead of using their own time at home to plan. PACs stepping in to plan activities with teachers is another strategy I have seen to ensure programs still run at schools, despite teacher's decision to stop voluntary activities.
It can be done! It is not the end of these extra's, it is a shift in how they are approached!
I don't disagree with teacher's doing extra-curriculars, I am a teacher who enjoys doing extra's with my students and like most teacher's who do extra curriculars, we don't want to stop forever, but right now, given the threats from this government and the corner we have been backed into, this is the only thing we have control over - our own voluntary time! And if this is the only way to deliver the message - it is what we must do.
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