Friday, February 6, 2015

Academic FYI #9- Lesson Planning, HW, & Assessment





Getting back to some pedagogy discussions this week... 3 very good blogs-- Quick reads...

Shared the article below with new teachers and mentors last week. The author hits upon the most critical times each class period: the beginnings and the endings. Are you engaging students right away and are you checking that your goals were attained in the end?

The first 4 minutes and the last 4 minutes are critical. See the article for some great ideas on those 8 minute activities.

8 Minutes that Matter Most

This blog has brought up the importance or non-importance of homework in the past. This short article and chart just shows the average amount of homework students in various countries get per week. Both China and Finland score in the highest percentage year after year on the internationally recognized PISA test. However, China is #1 on time spent on homework while Finland is dead last. We are somewhere in the middle. Interesting information.

Where Teenagers Have the Most Homework

The grading system norms from this one high school mentioned in the article below I stumbled upon via Twitter.

The opening line really grabbed me:

  • We believe that each student learns at a different pace and we believe that ‘when’ a kid learns isn't nearly as important as ‘if’ a kid learns. 

Another interesting take:

  • retakes will be encouraged and will be allowed after the relearn process for full credit in all content areas up until the last week of the quarter. Click on the relearn process link for the actual sheet they use. 
Some very debatable ideas: 
  • non-academic indicators, such as simple classroom participation, behavior, work completion, attendance & other non-academic indicators, will not be included in a student’s academic grade. 
  • extra-credit is NOT accepted 

Lots of interesting assessment norms and ideas in this short article.
The Grading System our Students Deserve


Hope you enjoy these articles.

Have a Great Weekend!

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