Chapter 10: Conditions for Redoing Work for Full Credit

Chapter ten had conditions that students should be allowed to redo assignments. Allowing students to redo assignments can be very powerful for understandings. However, this can also cause problems with students repeatedly putting in a half done assignment because they know that there will be a chance to repeat the assignment later on. This can cause more time grading for the teacher and more headaches. What I plan to do is to allow students to redo their work only after they have talked to me about what they did wrong and how they plan on revising and fixing the assignment. I hope that students will not rely on a redo but use it as a tool to further their knowledge. Giving students a chance to redo the assignment is very important but can be very frustrating and disappointing if not handled corretly.

Chapter 9: Ten Approaches to Avoid When Differentiating Assessment and Grading

What really stuck out to me during the reading of chapter nine was the idea that teachers shouldn’t grade students practice. This means that teachers shouldn’t grade student’s homework. This was strange to me, because I know that homework I know isn’t going to be graded has a chance that it won’t get done. After reading the options for grading homework, I came up with a few good ideas that I hope to utilize in the classroom. Give the homework a small percentage of the overall grade so it won’t affect the overall grade but will keep students honest by doing the assignments. Teachers should also provide non-graded feedback on homework so they know what they are doing wrong and can adjust their study habits or thought processes. This can be very beneficial to the teachers as well. The homework of students will be a clear indication of whether they understand the material that you are going over. So this is also a test for the teacher, homework, or any formative assignments are very important!

Chapter 8: Why Do We Grade, and What About Effort, Attendance, and Behavior?

Chapter eight was very similar to one of the chapters in Multiple Intelligences, which talked about grading participation, attendance and behavior. When teachers grade students on these tools, it tends to skew a student’s grades and may cause students to turn away from the material that is being taught. I remember when I was in school; I had my days where I didn’t talk at all because I simply didn’t feel like talking. There were classes that I felt uncomfortable in because I knew that if I didn’t contribute to the class, and then my grade would go down. I feel this unfair and students may not learn by demonstrating their knowledge to the class. In order to portray a clear demonstration of a students mastery of a subject, I will not grade students on their participation, attendance or behavior unless directed so by the school or the school district.

Chapter 7: The Relative Nature of Grades and Their Definitions

Chapter seven focused on grading and how I plan to do it. A grade is not a good indicator of how much a student knows, it is simply a letter or number on the test. By giving out grades on having no formative assessments, students will never receive the feedback that makes them a stronger learner, nor will the teacher know how well he/she is doing. The shift in grade expectation was really interesting to me because it represents a change in ideals. Students are expected to achieve higher so “C’s” are no longer average but poor. “B’s” are the averages now and this is plain to see in students today. I can remember talking with students who felt that receiving a “C” was just as bad as failing. Students need the feedback that comes with more formative assessments. I plan on giving out tests which are summative, but also a lot of formative assignments that will show what the students need to work on and what I need to make more clear in the section.

Chapter 12: MI Theory and Cognitive Skills

Teaching students through there intelligence, you can help students. Chapter twelve delves into the ways that teachers can help students learn, such as giving students rhymes for their spelling words and grammar issues. I can remember to this day that “I” comes before “E” except after “C”, or when it sounds like an “A”, as in neighbor or weigh. Giving motions to words or ideas may help those students who are kinesthetic learners. There were so many good ideas that I would like to try in my learning. I can remember my chemistry teacher singing element Christmas carols to us during class. It made me want to learn the elements and see what they did, not to mention I became a secondary education, chemistry major!

Chapter 11: MI Theory and Special Education

Chapter eleven was really beneficial to me, because it explained about kids who are in special education and help make them learn easier and faster by teaching them through their intelligence. Even students with IEP can learn through their own intelligence. I thin that this chapter helped open my eyes to the fact that everyone can be taught, not just the students in the honor classes. With the right teacher, anyone can learn because everyone is a master in their own intelligence. If I can make sure to use as much variance with my special education students, they will never be left behind because they can learn own way.

Chapter 8: MI Theory and Classroom Management

Chapter eight discussed using multiple intelligences with classroom management. For the most part, the ideas that were described seemed pretty elementary, but there were some neat ones. Like using animals or actions with the class rules and schedules. This could be important because the lab can be a dangerous place and so if I am able to help my students remember the rules of the lab, I could save the students a lot of injuries. Keeping my students engaged during the rules and schedules will help them to remember what it is they will need to remember for certain classes and keep them engaged, even during the most boring talks, such as safety.