Vignette 2: Let the kids know what's coming!

Reflecting on my IPT I’ve come to realize that I rarely ever told the students the learning objectives I wanted them to achieve.  I do very much believe that it’s important for students to know what the learning objectives are all of the time so they know what they are trying to achieve and can strive to do so.  If students are unaware of what they are supposed to achieve it will be incredibly difficult for them to be successful in class.  I think it’s necessary to tell students what the learning objectives are and how they are going to be evaluated at the very beginning of each unit.  This will give them an idea of how to succeed in the classroom.  In my next practicum and during my career I will be sure to make the learning objectives known to my students, as well as how they will be evaluated according to the learning objectives.

Vignette 1: What's the right mark?

I think it’s very important to use predetermined marks in order to give students a mark for their report card.  The marks I would use would come from in class assignments, out of class assignments, tests and quizzes, cumulative projects, and participation and effort.  As demonstrated in the vignette, it is important to always give students a participation and effort mark to reward them for improvement and for trying their best.  It would not be fair to mark students solely on this though, because they do still have to meet the learning outcomes of the class, which is where the rest of their marks would come from.  Generally, I would determine at the beginning of the year how I am going to distribute the marks based on my unit plans.  For example, if all my units contained a lot of assignments and projects, but few tests, I would likely place a high value on the assignments.  Assuming my units contained a relatively “normal” amount of assignments, tests, and projects, I would likely assign 30% of the overall marks to assignments, 40% to tests and quizzes, 20% to projects, and 10% to participation.