Comments on: Go Grade Yourself: Podcast on “Slam Assessment” with Sean Law http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/ A field headquarters in the War on Schooliness. Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:24:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Networked Learning Class Trying to Make 21st C. Educational History | Beyond School http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1847 Networked Learning Class Trying to Make 21st C. Educational History | Beyond School Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:54:49 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1847 [...] students will grade themselves - see the “Slam Assessment” podcast with Sean Law - and justify their marks with evidence of their attempts to succeed and risks taken. [...] [...] students will grade themselves - see the “Slam Assessment” podcast with Sean Law - and justify their marks with evidence of their attempts to succeed and risks taken. [...]

]]> By: Penelope http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1820 Penelope Sun, 27 Jan 2008 09:45:58 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1820 Clay - I can't help but filter everything I read with the "that's cool, but how do I use it?" questions, but I know you're both using it in non "core" type classes. As for your ideas, yes, exactly the thought I was aiming at. <em>Penelope's last blog post..<a href='http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/invisibleteacher/~3/223743310/problem-with-curriculum.html' rel="nofollow">The Problem with Curriculum</a></em> Clay - I can’t help but filter everything I read with the “that’s cool, but how do I use it?” questions, but I know you’re both using it in non “core” type classes. As for your ideas, yes, exactly the thought I was aiming at.

Penelope’s last blog post..The Problem with Curriculum

]]> By: Clay Burell http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1819 Clay Burell Sun, 27 Jan 2008 09:26:30 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1819 @PENELOPE: I can't speak for Sean, but do note that he spoke about using this approach, I believe, in a writing course. Similarly, I'm using it in a Project-Based Learning course. Whether, and to what extent, such an approach could be integrated into a "core content" academic class, is an interesting question. It's hard to see how it could be a total replacement in, say, science; at the same time, it's an attractive idea to weave some self-grading into the overall grade somehow: tell me what you should make for class participation, and justify it with examples. Tell me what you should make as a problem-solver and team player, and justify THAT with examples too. Tell me how you translated all this academic memorizing into learning of personal worth and relevance, and justify THAT with examples. Hm. I like that. Hm. Thanks for weighing in :) @DIANE: student buy-in IS a problem. I wish I worked in a developing nation. I'm sure we'd see differences in learner attitudes. Teaching rich kids to want to learn can be like trying to teach post-binge gluttons that they're hungry. @PENELOPE: I can’t speak for Sean, but do note that he spoke about using this approach, I believe, in a writing course. Similarly, I’m using it in a Project-Based Learning course.
Whether, and to what extent, such an approach could be integrated into a “core content” academic class, is an interesting question. It’s hard to see how it could be a total replacement in, say, science; at the same time, it’s an attractive idea to weave some self-grading into the overall grade somehow: tell me what you should make for class participation, and justify it with examples. Tell me what you should make as a problem-solver and team player, and justify THAT with examples too. Tell me how you translated all this academic memorizing into learning of personal worth and relevance, and justify THAT with examples.
Hm. I like that. Hm. Thanks for weighing in :)
@DIANE: student buy-in IS a problem. I wish I worked in a developing nation. I’m sure we’d see differences in learner attitudes. Teaching rich kids to want to learn can be like trying to teach post-binge gluttons that they’re hungry.

]]> By: diane http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1806 diane Sun, 27 Jan 2008 00:17:03 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1806 Clay and Sean, Your conversation had an unexpected relevance for me, as I prepare to facilitate an online course for educators. This is a part-time job that I hope will become full-time when I retire. I tend to keep the two professional threads of my life separate, and never really thought about how to transfer some of the asynchronous, interactive forums that make up one part of my life to the structured classes that make up the other, larger part. My school has given me a Blackboard account to play with (not perfect, I know, but since even PB wiki and 21classes are essentially useless because of our filter, BB is better than no interactive site at all). It will be interesting to see how much of the PD course techniques I can translate into schooly endeavors. Your grading philosophy reminds me very much of that used by my favorite grad school instructor. We'll see just how much of my "other life" I can inject into my teaching life. If I totally bomb, at least the students will have a unique experience! So far they've been hesitant to buy into the partners in learning concept. Maybe I can win them over. diane <em>diane's last blog post..<a href='http://dmcordell.blogspot.com/2008/01/age-of-aquarius.html' rel="nofollow">Age of Aquarius</a></em> Clay and Sean,

Your conversation had an unexpected relevance for me, as I prepare to facilitate an online course for educators. This is a part-time job that I hope will become full-time when I retire.

I tend to keep the two professional threads of my life separate, and never really thought about how to transfer some of the asynchronous, interactive forums that make up one part of my life to the structured classes that make up the other, larger part.

My school has given me a Blackboard account to play with (not perfect, I know, but since even PB wiki and 21classes are essentially useless because of our filter, BB is better than no interactive site at all). It will be interesting to see how much of the PD course techniques I can translate into schooly endeavors.

Your grading philosophy reminds me very much of that used by my favorite grad school instructor. We’ll see just how much of my “other life” I can inject into my teaching life.

If I totally bomb, at least the students will have a unique experience! So far they’ve been hesitant to buy into the partners in learning concept. Maybe I can win them over.

diane

diane’s last blog post..Age of Aquarius

]]> By: Penelope http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1804 Penelope Sat, 26 Jan 2008 22:49:48 +0000 http://beyond-school.org/2008/01/26/go-grade-yourself-podcast-on-slam-assessment-with-sean-law/#comment-1804 Heh, rubrics. (But that deserves a whole blog post from me, later.) Clay - I enjoy the way you mix music into these, btw. Keep doing it. --- The idea of allowing students to grade themselves (and back it up) is very attractive if you want them to own their learning. I have to admit to having participation/discussion grades in my own classes based on the same sort of checky/slashy system Sean was using (with some + and - for particularly good/bad days for students). My question for this sort of thing goes back to what you think the point of your class is. If your class is something (like creative writing) that is already seen as about developing a skill in students that's very personal and not really measurable on a point system, this kind of approach is very easy to bring in. However, if part of the purpose of a class is ensuring that students end it with a certain set of knowledge/skills, which can be measured, how applicable do you see this sort of slam grading being? And if it is applicable, how would you apply it to, say, a history or science class? <em>Penelope's last blog post..<a href='http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/invisibleteacher/~3/220021497/wishing.html' rel="nofollow">Wishing...</a></em> Heh, rubrics. (But that deserves a whole blog post from me, later.)

Clay - I enjoy the way you mix music into these, btw. Keep doing it.

—
The idea of allowing students to grade themselves (and back it up) is very attractive if you want them to own their learning. I have to admit to having participation/discussion grades in my own classes based on the same sort of checky/slashy system Sean was using (with some + and - for particularly good/bad days for students).

My question for this sort of thing goes back to what you think the point of your class is. If your class is something (like creative writing) that is already seen as about developing a skill in students that’s very personal and not really measurable on a point system, this kind of approach is very easy to bring in. However, if part of the purpose of a class is ensuring that students end it with a certain set of knowledge/skills, which can be measured, how applicable do you see this sort of slam grading being? And if it is applicable, how would you apply it to, say, a history or science class?

Penelope’s last blog post..Wishing…

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