Vignette 11

Mean or Median?

            Well first off if Joy was being pulled out for help the teacher should have been giving her the homework assignments and quizzes to do in that time or to do at home. Also, when she went to China the teacher should have had a package of things put to there that Joy would have missed so she could do it while she was gone and would have been able to hand it in when she got back. That is my personally opinion, and that is what I would have did if I was Joy’s teacher.

            But to answer the questions pertaining to this vignette, I would choose Joy’s mark by using the mode of the numbers, unless 0 was the most frequent number. The factors that I would consider would be reasons why they have been getting zeros on stuff. Some reason I would deem acceptable to override the zeros would be getting pulled out for ELS help/support, family crisis, medical factors, and effort they put in when they are present. I think these are reasonable factors to consider when using mathematics to determine a final grade.

            I would be up front with the parents and students about how and why I used the method I did. I do not think I would use the same method for every student. I would use mean for the students who have consistent grades and apply the same attitude, effort, and knowledge to every situation. I would use the median for students who have grades all over the map, and mode for students like Joy whose grades are affected by uncontrollable factors. I would explain to parents and students my reasoning and express that it was done on an individual bases.

Vignette 10

Mme. Wagner’s Dilemma

            Personally I think as a teacher you know what students and when students are being honest about extenuating circumstances that would be considered about modifying students’ grades. In this situation Pierre seems to be an honest, trustworthy, successful student who should be or would be (in my classroom), considered for modification of grades. Just because Pierre’s marks started to decrease in June is not a good indicator of how he performed all year in his classes. If I was his teacher I would be inclined to and would change his grade to one that would be closer to the grade he would have received if he had studied. I think when we become teachers we must not forget what it is like to be a student.

            It’s just a number!!! I think making professional judgment about a students’ performance should be considered when giving final grades.  I understand that we must give grades but we should include performance, attitude, and effort in all rubrics and have them weigh more than 5 or 10% of a grade. If giving grades is a requirement, but the numbers don’t add up to how the student actually performed as a teacher we should be able to make the call to change the grade. We learn about MI all the time, but then to turn around and give students the grade based on a written exam when they are a kinesthetic learner isn’t really fair is it?

Vignette 9

Ryan’s Impending Doom!

            To ensure that what I report includes only data reflective of the students’ true achievement I would make the little things count to a point where it makes a difference to a students’ grade. For me I know that as a teacher we must follow the policies set by the government, district, and school, but in the case of Ryan I may have allowed him to re-do an assignment that he failed and either taken an average between the two or taken the higher grade to use for the report card. Another scenario that could be done is at the beginning of the year let the students know that their lowest mark of the semester would be dropped when it came to reporting time. As a teacher if you choose to do this it helps not only the struggling students but also the students who are very competitive with their grades.  I believe that for success for students’ in a case like Ryan’s, having a lot of mini assignments, and having a high weighting for attendance, attitude, and effort would be the best for them to receive a higher grade and allowing them to feel like they are not completely useless.

            I do not think, or choose not to think, that it is easier to fudge grades in one subject than another. I think that all teachers have a policy that they must follow so the nature of the subject has nothing to do with it. Either the student knows and understands the material or not, OR the student is able to and is improving in the subject area. This topic is hard for me because I believe in giving students second chances and providing them with the opportunity to succeed to their maximum potential. I guess as a teacher if you choose to give them a second chance than you have to be prepared to make the choice in either averaging the two grades or not counting the lowest grade in the reporting period. Also, there is so much talk about not having so much focus on grades and having a little more focus on non – achievement factors than in a case like Ryan’s the non – achievement factors should have been considered to make his grade at least a 50 %. I am still a little in the air about this topic . . .

Vignette 6

Don’t Borrow Trouble!

            Trying to motivate and control the students is sometimes very challenging. However, I think the rule of thumb is to get to know the students on a personal level as well as on a professional level. I think at the beginning of the year it is important to set ground rules and make sure the students understand and respect them. As the year goes on developing relationships with students on a personal level can go a long way. It allows the teacher to know what is actually going on in the student’s life, and lets the students know that the teacher cares and they are someone that the students could talk to when they need to. I don’t think this is considered favoring, I think it is beneficial to both parties. The students will be more likely to get things done on time and to at least a satisfactory level, and the teacher will not have to chase homework and fight with students about the quality of work they are producing.

            In my classroom the consequences that I will establish for late/missed/incomplete homework will be giving up a privilege. Students will have the opportunity to come in at recess or lunch time or even after school to complete the homework. If this do not happen (they were given the choice and didn’t take it), I will accept the homework the next day if it is completed. However, if it is not done then they will have the choice of coming in that day’s recess, lunch or after school once again or take an incomplete on that homework. This way they are the one who are making the choice of what the outcome will be. I think when students are given a choice they are most likely to choose the one with a positive outcome rather than the negative one.

            However, if a student is consistently having late/missed/incomplete homework than I will have them call home and explain to their parents in front of me why the homework was not completed. I think if a parent is aware of what is going on between report card times, then students are more likely to be pushed at home to get their work done.