#tnedchat Archive
TNedchat is a way for educators in Tennessee to share thoughts, resources, and information. The weekly chat is moderated by Jessica Warner (@jessawarner) and Samantha Bates (@sjsbates).
Thursday February 4, 2016
Tonight we're talking about the quality of student work. ,
Introduce yourself, and name your favorite synonym for "good."
Nikki. Fourth grade ELA teacher. Fantastic!!!
That's a great one!
Oooh, great!
Sarah. 3rd grade math. Awesome!!! Yes, I know it is over used, but I can't help it....I always say it!
Tonight's is edcamp-style, so just a conversation about student work quality. (Speaking of edcamps, RSVP for .)
It's overused because it's awesome!!
What are your opinions/expectations on student work quality?
Eric. 9-12th grades. All social studies. Excellent!
Awesome! Wonderful! Stupendous!
Jessica Drinnon, kindergarten-ELA. Superb
There are just so many phenomenal ones.
I want to see genuine effort and improvement in finding information. I like to see longer responses
Superb is so underused. I love it though.
Work quality=effort, explanation, evidence of student learning
My exams are 10 Qs, short answer. (paragraphs roughly). I want to see less dependence on notes & more on knowledge.
How do you determine effort?
Hi guys! Coming in late.. Emily, 7th grade SS. "Excellent!" I want to see effort and connections made.. Take it a step further.
It's subjective really. But I eval the response. Class size so small I can tell when a student is trying
Effort is huge! Since I teach math....I want to see evidence of how they solved the problem.
That's a good point about class size and the level of analysis you can do with their work.
I focus on relevance. Are Ss connecting work to ideas, values, and concepts that matter to them? Do they take it personally?
Effort is subjective but if a student keeps working and pushing it's there. It is easier to see effort than to prove no effort.
Hello tweeps! Tina, aka , late to the party
Let me apologize in advance. New to twitter. Still trying to figure out how to respond to direct questions
writing down their thinking shows effort. Explaining your work.
connections. I love when students make connections between what we are learning and their outside life.
You're welcome at any time!! Glad you could make it.
We were talking about Qs going home from work this week. Qs should be prodding, not so specific a S can see the answer in the Q. +
Kirk here from the Chicago Northshore. Teacher of 6-8th grade double accelerated math in a flipped classroom.
+ The answers to those types of Qs can determine S improvement
I know I am much more about the process than the product. And I work w/the little ones, so I tend to give them more slack.
process is so important. And explain thinking after you get the final answer.
. I see it all as a process & by the time they get to the product, it will be correct. They just "...gotta have faith"
Quality should be personally relevant to the learner bc progress & Ss aren't 1 sz
How much slack should we cut to students on work quality?
I believe you have to meet the S where they are. So the slack given is determined by their start position.
Work is all practice/none of it is graded. I don't even collect it. Only thing I assess is the final result of mastery of content
Yay Jessica! Beauty of Twitter, no apologies necessary... as long as you're on here, we grow together https://t.co/74EaPgaCW9
Let me apologize in advance. New to twitter. Still trying to figure out how to respond to direct questions
I love to see student with demonstrate application of various strategies/prior learning!
This year no longer collect or grade any classwork or homework. We are encouraged not to. It's practice and shouldn't be graded.
Better yet kids do much more quality work knowing it will never be graded or collected. My kids are on fire with their math.
Give feedback, not grades.
If differentiating instruction also differentiate expectations for ourSs High expectations w understanding https://t.co/pW26u67uZ5
Quality should be personally relevant to the learner bc progress & Ss aren't 1 sz
I'm with you, mostly because grading everything is a nightmare.
The other rule I now follow. I should never talk more or work harder than my kids.
then what do you use for grades? Deciding between what to grade and what not to grade. UGH!!
Maybe turn off the scoreboard during football, volleyball practice while you are at it.
I cut no slack on quality & I'm SpEd. Quality in depth of work, even if revision is needed for mechanics
why grade per se...Focus on mastery learning & areas of improvement
I grade (1) In-class quizzes (2) in-class tests (3) personal projects mostly done in class.
I think problem with grades is knowing what to grade. It's so easy to inflate grades if you aren't careful!
We’ve largely switched to a 1-6 scale in many of our high school classes.
I grade. I grade everything. My Ss do very well on exams & normally exceed on expectations. Return to home school w/ better skills
In my English class, just essays/full papers.
Have fun folks - your chat hooked me! Gotta get my son to hockey practice and then moderating at 9ET/6PT
Ps& Ss want System wantson report cards. Until standards based grades are a necessary evil.
I'm no fan of grades, but if your school/dist requires them, you grade.
what about partner work or work they've received help? Shouldn't grades tell what S's can do independently?
I don't mind grades. They are subjective for the most part. But I use them to my & the Ss advantage. They get a bad rap.
could you assign grades based on effort,improvement & Ss trying personal best
We have to stop saying we’re moving to ‘Standards Based Grades’ What else would grades be based on?!! Lucky Eight Ball?
'cause we're still the cogs, and not yet the engines, but someday?
EEK! No. Effort, improvement, etc. should never be included in an academic grade.
Someday!! The best I've seen is a rubric or mastery scale.
Very subjective and open to arguments. In an ideal world YES!!!
I told students to show me mastery on quadratics by simply asking, "which drinking fountain in the school is the best?"
Ss know that grades don't matter in my class. If they do what I ask of them, they'll pass. It's that simple.
They had to write quad functions for every drinking fountain using measurements and then graph the parabolic curves of each.
how to advantage? really, or just playing the game? (not being sarcastic/confrontational)
sure all pub req grds but don't give list of what/how to grd,maybe sm changes
never thought of it that way!!! Great point!!
@ last school, we piloted SBG. Our classes had rubrics or mastery scales, and
...the SBG scale had a trad. grade equivalent.
love optimistic outlooks!
I grade positively, not neg. I give Ss choices in what they do & permit mistakes & "brain lapses". Grades reflect
This year my biggest struggle has been quality writing. Any tips? What's worked for you & your Ss??
There was discussion about so many factors. This year I can't wait..we are building catapults!
I guess in a way it is just playing the game. But I grow weary of new fads & processes in ed. Reinventing wheels
Practice, practice, practice, & more practice. I had students read & respond to articles at weekly, and discuss..
luxury of HS. In elem. we can grades indicate to Ps and Ss if Working on grade level https://t.co/jUi4hWQ7pn
Ss know that grades don't matter in my class. If they do what I ask of them, they'll pass. It's that simple.
agreed! Requires culture shift but I can dream!
...them w/ ea other on top of grammar & mechanics lessons and reading standards.
me too. Biggest struggle is length. 4th graders want to answer everything with as few words as possible.
H.S. Ss do the same. Quite irritating.
Ooh, my favorite is "IDK"
Model, kid friendly resources, etc. I have kinders who can write quite a bit, but I model often and pull books written by kids
How do we stop the overall culture of "getting by"?
I hate the "bullet" style answers
7 Amazing Things About The Story We Just Read.
Oh no. Buzzfeed HW.
is an AWESOME writing teacher. I have seen the results. https://t.co/h2aZhF7Kla
Model, kid friendly resources, etc. I have kinders who can write quite a bit, but I model often and pull books written by kids
You Won't Believe These 5 Facts About WWII
. GClassroom instant feedback & comments as notes hone skills,also less can be more think comics not only essays
VOX & Buzzfeed are killing us
I am fighting with my own son. 7th grade and just doing what required. Any suggestions?
I like returning "unfinished" work to be completed :)
I don't know if this helps, but I tell my Ss about ramen noodles when it comes to writting & the interrogatives.
so true. Good point from today's meeting. FB post of character or tweet of character.
This Shakespearean Play Is Going To Blow You Away.
I could do this all night.
have you tried round robin style writing w/diff topics&all Ss adding to ec others??
It will help me better if you explain what you mean. Ramen noodles???
W/my Ss & my own kids, continuous talk of "what life do you want to live?" Relevance!
Hook, line, and sinker. Thank you for asking. :)
Everybody likes ramen. But everyone eats it differently. Some w/ spice packet only, some w/ cheese, olives, ham, etc +
Oh also, re: quality writing: You can't read everything. Have Ss read each others' work.
"Good enough is hardly good & never enough."
...and she infuses tech into the curriculum & her K Ss use it seamlessly https://t.co/B2sLy4KlNL
Model, kid friendly resources, etc. I have kinders who can write quite a bit, but I model often and pull books written by kids
+ But the ramen is the base of it all. Everything else is extra. Doesn't have to be added, but it makes it better+
I have a friend who eats it dry with ketchup and mayonnaise, I think.
the ramen is the facts of a writing piece, the stuff you have it have in a essay or whatever. The fluff around the +
+ facts are the extra things. & each person makes it different. Just makes you add the ramen to your writing.+
+ Which are essentially answering the interrogatives for the question or writing prompt
again...kinda hard to explain in 140
If you wrote it out, I'd read it. I'd even put it on my blog (credited of course).
I teach in an alternative school. So I completely understand this challenge
I love *idea* of credit/grade recovery & 2nd chances. Also competency base-but hate watering down/cutting corners. Not happening?
Yeah, that's Day 1 of Alt School.
I should probably do that. My Ss like the analogy. Food analogies pretty much rock.
Oh Happy Nat'l Carrot Cake Day, y'all.
yeah, and I do not water it down or make it easy. I never provide an answer when I can make them think it through.
I'm in alternative sped program. We start w/ student written goals - take no prisoners
yeah...ramen noodles. It's the essential ingredient in an essay.
We also have written goals each week. We have many sped Ss.
Holy Toledo, Batman! Our time at is almost at an end! (You can keep going though.)
You could do pizza. Start with the dough...now what do YOU add? Everybody adds something different.
I throughly you meant quality versus quantity bc ramen is cheap & small :-)
I want to thank all you wonderful educators for discussing work quality tonight, and don't forget to register for !
ahhh ok. No. Using the ramen as the base - the facts. Extras in ramen are like the extra writing in an essay.
That's not a bad analogy either. But then I'd really REALLY want pizza.
