Reflection

NIWP
Rubrics

I first learned of Rubrics when I was getting my Ed. degree at Eastern. I had never even heard of them before - granted I had been out of school for 25 years - but I had three kids in and this was still new and insightful information to me. On various assignments at Eastern we would be partnered up w/another adult student, and I lucked out with being paired up w/Sarah Franko. Sarah, who I've known since 2000, was/is such a go-getter, let's get this done, partner! And the best thing she taught me was to write to the rubric - just answering each question! It was so simple so I had always thought this was kind-of cheating --- it was just too easy! But in reality, this is just what the instructor wanted! A whole new world of responding to assignments was opened up to me, and my grades improved, and my time spent on responding to assignments decreased!

Since I've been in the classroom, I've used rubrics but they work best when I have them coordinated with the students. Thus, I have to be "on the ball" before I hand out the assignment, otherwise I'm continually playing catch-up and I don'thave the best answers for the students when they ask about grading on a particular assignment. This is my third year to teach 6th grade, and I'm finally getting a better scope of what I want and need to do in the classroom, what has worked for me, and what hasn't. It's starting to become easier!

In the article, Teaching with Rubrics - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, by Heidi Goodrich Andrade, I have noticed there are still a number of ways that I can improve my use of rubrics. Andrade says, "I use rubrics before, during, and after I deliver instruction, and the benefits are numerous." While I think this is great for her instruction, and she admits this as well, I would think the impact on the student's comprehension would be amazing! As a student at Eastern, the rubric began to make the assignment so clear and purposeful!

A negative in rubric assessement for me is when the numbers don't add up to the grade that I think the student has earned. Do all rubrics have a 5-4-3-2-1 grading system? I need a half-way point in there somewhere - like a 3.5 type of grade. I was having to create that this past year in order for me to give a better reflection of the grade I thought the student deserved. I need to improve this in my teaching practice, or at least figure out a compromise.

Andrade emphasises that, "Rubrics improve when we compare them to published standards, show them to another teacher, or ask a colleague to coscore some student work." This makes sense, and we actually did discuss our rubrics in our classrooms during a couple of our Wednesday morning meetings this past year. It was helpful and look to other teachers for back-up opinions, experiences, and advice. in particular, I look to Debbie Barry, our 7th grade LA teacher, which is where my kids move after me. I want to do my part to have the kids prepared for 7th grade. Debbie knows her stuff inside and out, and she is a great role model for me to bring my students up to her 7th grade level by June.

I will really need to stay forcused in August as I prep my classroom and planning using all of this info that I have gained this month! I could actually continue taking this class on a weekly basis to keep training my brain and not to get into a rut. I need to make lists and more lists about what to do, how to do it, and, just as importantly, the why of what I'm doing!!! Need to get to class!