EdSe 3204 - General Instructional Methods Fall 2004: Dr. Helen Mongan-Rallis

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Assignments

Grading of assignments in EdSe 3204

The approach that I use in "grading" your assignments in EdSe 3204 is to provide you with detailed written feedback on your assignments, giving suggestions on what you might consider doing differently. In Ed. Psych terms, I try to find your zone of proximal development and scaffold your learning accordingly. Thus this will vary for each of you and also vary if you have arranged with me to change the format of or do an alterative assignment.

I do not assign grades. Rather, part of your assignment is to self-evaluate your work (see the guidelines that I have provided below). Provided that you support your self-grade with a well defended rationale, I will honor the grade you give yourself unless you have not met the minimum professional standards required for the assignment (as defined by INTASC and course requirements). If this happens, I will indicate this with an "I" and provide detailed feedback guiding you in what you need to do to revise the assignment. If you wish, you may turn in one sheet with a list of all of your assignments: under each, list the grade and your self evaluation rationale for that assignment (this approach may help you to see the "big picture" and also to calculate how you have done overall in the course.

Important: You MUST revise all assignments on which you receive an "I" as a requirement for this class is that you earn a passing grade on all required assignments. You may not earn an incomplete for this class, so if you have any incomplete grades on any assignments (or any missing assignments) by the end of the course, you will earn a D for the course (or less if your grades total less than a D).

Recycling assignments:

If you wish to recycle your assignment for a higher grade, you are welcome to do so. All recycled assignments need to be turned in to me no later than December 13th (Monday of last week of classes) If you do this you should:

  1. Turn in the original assignment (that has my feedback on it) attached to the back of your revised assignment (so I need paper copies of each -- don't e-mail to me)
  2. Attach a cover sheet to the assignments explaining your revised grade (using same criteria as below) and explaining why the changes that you have made warrant an increase in your grade.

Guidelines for self-grading:

For each assignment you need to turn in a short paragraph that:

  1. Identifies the grade you believe you have earned for the assignment:
    A = 93% ....... A- = 90 - 92
    B+ = 87-89 .... B = 83-86 ........ B- = 80 - 82
    C+ = 77-79 .... C = 73-76 ....... C- = 70 - 72
    D = 60 - 69
    F = <60
  2. Provides the criteria you used and your rationale for the grade you have given yourself. Most of you have chosen to do the assignments as described in the assignment guidelines (see links below). Thus you can use the steps described for each assignment task (see links below) as the basis for your explaining your grade. For each step, critique yourself on how well you met the requirement for the assignment. To do this, you should define for yourself what:

Assignments

 Assignment  % of grade  Due Date

Philosophy of Education. You may present this in any way that you wish. Typical areas to include are descriptions of your beliefs about:

  • students
  • teachers
  • schools

Examples:

5% Nov. 3

Understanding students. Describe what you will do to learn about your students and how you might use this information to help you in your teaching of these students. The format of this assignment is up to you. It may take the form of a list of strategies you will use; it may include actual examples of surveys you might administer to your students and/or their parent/guardian/concerned adults in their lives. Examples:

 10% Oct. 25

Analysis of teaching:

  1. Peer teaching 1: How your teaching aligns with and reflects personal philosophy of teaching and learning. Examples:
  2. Peer teaching 2: Work in teams to plan and teach a 10 minute lesson that demonstrates the teaching strategy/strategies assigned to your group. You will have the whole class time on Nov. 24th to work on planning your lesson. If you prefer not to use this class time to work on this lesson (as this is the day before Thanksgiving), your group may arrange an alternative time among yourselves to complete the planning. You will teach the lesson on Monday Nov. 29th.
  3. Apprenticeship teaching analyses : analyze at least 2 different lessons that you have taught at your apprenticeship site. Include a brief description of your (you may include your lesson plans, but are not required to) with your lesson analyses. Examples:
PT1: 5%
PT2: 5%
Apprenticeship: 2 x 5%
Total: 20% 		PT1: Oct 18
PT2: Nov. 17
Appr: by Dec. 6

Planning & Teaching Strategies:

  1. Develop lesson plans that demonstrate you ability to create coherent, well organized, detailed plans that include the key elements of lesson plan design. These can be the same plans that you developed for teaching at your apprenticeship site. You should have at least 2 different lesson plans, each demonstrating the use of a different teaching strategies. Examples:
  2. Develop a matrix that summarizes key teaching strategies that you might use in your subject area, examples of situations in which each strategy might be appropriate. Be sure to include as part of this how you will use technology as a tool to enhance student learning. (Group assignment: group size 2-5 students).
1) 2 X 7.5%
2) Matrix: 10%
Total: 25% 		1) Nov 15, 24
2) Dec. 8

Assessment - Develop assessments that show your ability to:

  1. Use Understanding By Design (UBD) template (click to download template) to outline backwards design process for a lesson/unit, and then:
  2. Create an test in your subject area. Ideally have this be a test that you have designed & administered to students at your apprenticeship site.
  3. Assess students using some form of authentic assessment. Your assessment should include a rubric that you would use to evaluate the student work. (Group assignment: group size 2-5 students).
 UBD overview: 5%
Test: 5%
Authentic Assess & rubric: 10%
Total: 20%
 Dec. 13

Classroom management: You will create this for EdSe 4501 (EdPsy), but be sure to include in this assignment in your portfolio for General Methods. Follow Jody's guidelines rather than the ones below, but if you are NOT in EdPsy, you should develop something for your portfolio following the type of framework that I describe below:

  1. How you plan to set up your classroom to create an environment that reflects your beliefs about teaching, learning, students and student diversity.
  2. The types of rules you will have in your class and the approach you will take for responding to students who do not follow these rules.
  3. Provide a reflective analysis to accompany (1) and (2), explaining how the environment you will create reflects your philosophy of classroom management and your understanding of student diversity.
N/A
(graded in 4501)

Professionalism and professional dispositions: Provide evidence of these. You should include something in each of the following categories:

  1. Self-evaluation of your professional dispositions (assessing your performance in each area in all aspects of your work related to EdSe 3204 (i.e. in class on campus, homework, and work at your apprenticeship site). Use the Professional Dispositions checklist (view as html) or you may download this document in MS Word and use this as a template (so you type your responses directly into the document). For each of the fourteen professional dispositions, circle the one that most closely describes your performance in General Instructional Methods and at your apprenticeship site this semester. Provide comments to support your self-evaluation, and include if appropriate goals that you set yourself to develop this area further in future (in Block 2, or for some of you, student teaching) and beyond.
  2. Evaluation of your professionalism and professional dispositions by others. (e.g. by your students, cooperating teacher, principal, other teachers, peers)
  3. What you have done to become aware of and connected to professional communities of practices and resources in your discipline.
10% Dec. 15
Self Evaluation of Preparation for Class and Readings : Self-evaluation of your preparation for class and your keeping up with readings for class. 10% Dec. 15
Final portfolio:

Portfolio due Monday of finals week: Portfolio consists of:

  • Cover sheet
  • Index page listing each assignment and grade earned for each, with total at the end showing your final grade for the class
  • All assignments for the class demonstrating your achievement of the course objectives (you may choose to include other examples of work that you have done that also addresses these objectives). For each assignment you should state which of the course objectives it addresses.

Example of online portfolio: Stacey Mittag (used with permission)

(N/A: serves as evidence of final grade) Dec. 20

Assignment Policies:

  1. Earn at least a C- in all required assignments by the end of the semester in order to earn higher than a D grade for the course.
  2. All assignments are due on the date listed. Late work will be graded but may earn a reduced grade (10% per week past due date). In order for you to be allowed to recycle an assignment, you must have turned in at least a first attempt by the due date.
  3. If an assignment is designated as one that can be recycled for a higher grade, you may recycle it no later than December 13th (Monday of last week of classes). Recycled assignments must be submitted along with the original and with highlights noting the areas that have been changed in the recycled version.
  4. Prepare yourself thoroughly for class sessions by doing the necessary outside work and readings. All readings and assignments will be posted on the course web site. It is your responsibility to check the site prior to class for updates and to link to readings and assignments.
  5. Work cooperatively with others in class and on group assignments, contributing your fair share of work.
  6. Challenge yourself to make the most of in and out-of-class work. IMPORTANT*: If you already have evidence demonstrating your achievement of the expected knowledge and skills for any assignment, meet with Helen to develop an alternative assignment that further extends and challenges you and meets your needs.
 Total Course Grade:
A = 93% ....... A- = 90 - 92
B+ = 87-89 .... B = 83-86 ........ B- = 80 - 82
C+ = 77-79 .... C = 73-76 ....... C- = 70 - 72
D = 60 - 69
F = <60

 

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