Alfie Kohn - The Trouble with Rubrics and The Case Against Grades

   I have mixed feelings on this article.  I found myself going back and forth as far as agreeing and disagreeing.  I took a look at the first quote of the article "I remember the first time that a grading rubric was attached to a piece of my writing...Suddenly all the joy was taken away.  I was writing for a grade..I was no longer exploring for me.  I want to get that back.  Will I ever get that back?" (a student in Olson 2006).  What I find today is that students today only look at the grade at the grade at top of the paper very rarely will they read the comments to see what they did right or where they went wrong.  I agree that rubrics take all the creativity and imagination out of writing or doing any assignment.  The author also suggests that rubrics think for the students that over time they come to rely on a rubric and can't figure out for themselves what is needed to succeed at the assignment. "Unable to function unless every required item is spelled out for them in  a grid and assigned a point value." Rubrics make everyone the same, to write the same and think the same.  That's not what school is all about. We're supposed to foster free thinkers, to instill confidence, and create an atmosphere that is challenging and rewarding.  A rubric does just the opposite. The article suggests that students become less engaged  with what they're doing and more focused on how they're doing.  But I'm not sure how my students would react to no grades.  I'm fairly confident that many who are now struggling would think it a great idea while my honores students might feel cheated or that they did the assignment for no reason.  If you tell students this assignment will not be graded will they put less effort into it?  Will they research for the sake of knowledge?  I can hear my 7th grades voices in my head as I was reading this "why do we have to do this?", "this is so boring".  Or when I tell them an assignment will be counted as class work which is only 10% of their grade, then they hand in junk and complete it with very little effort or concern.

   " Just as standardized assessment for teachers may compromise the quality of teaching, so standardizing assessment for learners may compromise the learning.  Standardized assessments are black and white no gray area is allowed or given credit for self expression and independent ideas.  There isn't just one form of writing or one way in which to do an assignment to reach a conclusion. Also, doesn't this contridict what we're all gearing up for- The Common Core?  Yet students are led to believe there is only one way to achieve success and only one way to achieve success.  Classrooms will become filled with robotic Stepford Wives.  This way of teaching and nongrading will take time, but everyone has to be on board;  Districts, schools, teachers, parents, and students.  We have for so long placed a value on letter or number grades and being labeled and put into categories that it would take a completely different mindset to understand the benefits of this and come to the understanding that rubrics and standards based assessments are detrimental to the learing process.

Kliewer- Citizenship in School:Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

I'm sorry I missed Seth and Tinas presentation. I heard it was very good.  Its been a very crazy 3 weeks; Ireland has been sick, babysitter took another vacation last minute forcing me to take several days off and one of my nieces cracked my computer screen.  I hoping to tread water until the holidays so I can catch up.  Thanks for reading. 

I found this poem by Digby Wolfe entitled Kids Who Are Different.
Here's to the kids who are different,
The kids who don't always get A's
The kids who have ears twice the size of their peers,
And noses that go on for days...

Here's to the kids who are different,
The kids they call crazy or dumb,
The kids who don't fit, with the guts and the grit,
Who dance to a different drum...

Here's to the kids who are different,
The kids with the mischievous streak,
For when they have grown, as history's shown,
It's their differences that makes them unique.

   I thought that was a great poem and truly epitomized some of the facts within the article.  I found the article by Kliewer to be very enlightening and disturbing.  One of the points I took issue with are the words used to describe these remarkable children/people.   Defective , Devalued, Abnormal, Uneducable.  I thought since the Americans with Disabilities Act, these archaic and oppressive terms were no longer used.  However I did agree with the connection between child and community.  A feeling of connectedness and self worth.  Why shouldn't every child have the opportunity to have this feeling and become  a part of something.  "Valued participation within the community is really a challenge of recognition posed to those who seek to exclude him".  How can society begin to erase the negative views and stereotypes of people with disabilities?  As long as the Culture of Power exists I'm not sure it can.  Most educated adults know the value of each person and can logically conclude that the majority of people within a society can contribute, one way or another.  "Those who appear to lack the potential to accrue privileges, are systematically devalued as less than full citizens-charged as they are with having the differences that matter"   Why don't we just refer to them as "less than human?  Less than full citizens.  I hope I never come across an individual who would refer to people with this disability as less than full citizens.  All people are capable, if they wish, of adding to society and from reading this article and being introduced to Mia, Shayne's students and John, its clear they have a lot to offer. 

   One of the pieces within the article that I agree with completely is the seven patterns for learning.  I think most teachers know that not all kids learn the same way or at the same speed.  Gardner suggests there are seven and possibly eight different forms of learning that exist and that students with this disability may fall into one of the categories.  " He has transformed the school notion of  intellect from a rigid, intrinsic commodity to a cultural construction widely shared by individuals traditionally devalued in the educational arena.  Hence he has made it that much harder for segregationists to support their logic of banishment when a child struggles in a rigid curriculum".  We as teachers have know for years that students possess many different forms of intelligence, now if society would catch on and learn to appreciate these different forms and acknowledge that just being book smart does not a great society make then we can begin the process of equality and move away form the thinking and acting that there are "defective" citizens.

   What struck me while reading this article is how the students were treated.  They were essentially being denied an education.  Mia was denied the classes she wanted and was forced to take special education classes that made her want to cry.  And Anne, who had been left out of her high school transition planning conference and was told her committee had decided that Anne would become a preschool aide.  Decided for her?  Sounds like a communist form of doing things. What struck me as ironic was that they(transition team) did not think she could function or do well working in the video rental store but they were going to have her become a teachers aide, helping to educate the future.  She can help foster the minds of preschool children but she cannot stock video shelves.  Everyone has dreams and aspirations, some are attainable and some are not, but let the individual choose their path and try it before you condemn them to a life of frustration and incompleteness. 

   A sense of belonging and feelings of contribution are a reoccurring theme with the author.  There needs to be feelings and actions of connectedness to your surroundings for one, especially one with a disability as mentioned in the article to feel like he or she belongs and has meaning.  Take that away and they will become less than full citzens.

Promising Practices

I have to say I wasn't too sure how I would feel about going to a conference on a Saturday morning, especially being up all night with Ireland who was sick.  But I did enjoy it and surprisingly learned some strategies to bring into my classroom.  It was also good to have some adult conversations. 
Workshop 1- Analyzing the Inclusivity of the School Environment with Photos
   Very interesting.  Our presenters had taken pictures of areas around the RIC campus and asked us to interpret what we were viewing and how it made us feel.  I think this is a great activity for junior high students.  It gets them involved and they have a chance to hear and see others people perspective on things.  This can work with anyone of the cultures I teach.  Presenting visuals of people, places and things and ask my students what they represent and how they would interpret it.  I enjoyed this seminar and have every intention of instituting it into my classroom. 

Workshop 2 - Building Confidence in Islamic Students.
   I was hoping I would be able to attend this seminar since one of the cultures I teach is the Middle East.  I've noticed throughout the years that the students have so my misconceptions and biased thoughts about Muslims and Islam.  This workshop introduced to us how Islam and Muslim culture is interwoven into our everyday society; from religion, to medicine, science, math and art.   This is a great method, showing visuals to my classes to help them see the positive side of the people and the religion and how all cultures have benefited from it.  To help them learn more about the culture and have a better appreciation for it, instead of forming negative opinions about the people and religion based on what they hear on TV or from their parents.  This is a definite for the classroom.

My day concluded with listening to the 3 teens of Teen Empowerment and learning how the group had helped them to stay on the straight and narrow and focus on what they truely wanted.  It was fascinating to be introduced to 3 people who had, basically on their own, decided that they wanted more for themselves and wanted more out of life and pulled themselves out of the negative situations they were in.  I did find it interesting that one of the teens stated that it would be better for students who live in poor neighborhoods and attend schools that are struggling to have teachers who have been through what they were going through.  They understand more and can emphathize with them.  My only thought was, you will not have many teachers who have come from your neighborhood or similar neighborhoods to teach you, so you'll have to learn to adjust and do well despite that factor.  If you want an education and you want a better life, deal with what is presented to you and learn to accept who is trying to help you. 

All in all a good experience.

Gender Harassment:Understanding teachers' (non)interventions

Appalling, disheartening, stomach turning, vile.  These are feelings that I felt when reading this article by Elizabeth Meyer.  We all know it happens, but to know that it is an accepted part of secondary education is mind numbing.  (Page 1) "sexual and homophobic harassment are accepted parts of school culture where faculty and staff rarely or never intervene to stop this harassment.  Students report that teachers stand by and allow biased and hurtful behaviors to go unchallenged".   I can't believe in this day and age that teachers, or adults would allow this to go on.  Have we become so jaded or immune to empathy that we can't recognize pain and injustice?  Are our views so skewed that we no longer can determine what is right or wrong?  I do not allow any bullying, be it physical, verbal,  emotional or sexual in my classroom.  I have zero tolerance for bullies; they're excuses or reasons.  Trying to teach empathy and open mindedness to junior high students is trying enough, add on tolerance and appreciation for differences and it becomes an impossible task. 
   I have first hand knowledge how this gender harassment can affect a student.  My cousins 17yr old daughter hung herself after being bullied and sexually harassed for most of her senior year.  It was only later that my cousin found out that the school, including guidance, teachers and administration knew what was going on but didn't feel that it warrented a parent notification.  Schools have dropped the ball on this issue.  I agree with certain assertions within the piece that state teachers are not thoroughly trained to handle these situations nor is administration up to taking on this task.  I feel my schools biggest issue is consistency and administration apathy.  The article suggested that some teachers have different views about the issue and tend to discipline differently or sometimes not at all "teachers are less likely to intervene in cases of sexual, homophobic and transphobic harassment than other forms of bullying and harassment in schools" (pg.2) Why is this?  Isn't the outcome the same as verbal or physical bullying, feelings of isolation and fear?  Even though a school states it has a Zero Tolerance Policy towards this issue, I find they are not always true to their word.  Everything seems to be passed off or delegated to someone else and issues and violations fall through the cracks.  Teachers do become overwhelmed with what we have to accomplish within the day.  We are in charge of our classrooms, outside of our classrooms we need help.  All too often administrators are overworked and overwhelmed with scheduling, paperwork, evaluations, ect... to deal with these issues.  However, like the article suggests teachers need to feel that they are supported by their principal or vice principal to follow through and come down hard on violators.  It must start from the top down.  It doesn't matter how hard a teacher tries to institute a zero tolerance policy, if it is not followed through from the top then it's merely  an inconsequential detention with no further repercussions.  And the victims feelings of isolation, embarrassment, exclusion and fear will continue throughout their school career.