Although I have strong political beliefs, I am usually reluctant to share them. I avoid lawn signs and do not often advertise my support of candidates or causes. However, I have taught in the community for twenty-five years and lived here for almost as long, and the health and well being of our schools and community is very important to me. Recently, the question I receive almost everywhere I go is what do I think about the District 113 referendum.
Here is the very short answer: I support the referendum.
Here is the short reason why: Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools are light years behind all other area schools in both technology and physical education facilities. Our buildings are aging and need significant improvement. Our pools are becoming unsafe and, at times, unusable. And if we do not make these improvements now, we will have to address them later and it will be at a higher cost to both taxpayers and kids. And we can do all this without increasing taxes!
Here is the longer answer:
Deerfield and Highland Park’s athletic facilities are some of the worst in the area. Our track kids are running through the hallways after school. Our soccer, baseball, softball, football, lacrosse, and other teams are often unable to use their fields. We do not have enough gym space for classes or athletic practices. Why would someone purchase a home in our district when our neighbors have far superior facilities (especially if athletics or technology are very important to his/her child)?
Deerfield and Highland Park are far behind in technology. Our wireless system at DHS cannot keep up with the demand. There is not enough access to computer labs and our computer equipment is aging and out of date.
Classrooms at Deerfield are poorly heated and most are not air-conditioned. Classrooms can get into the 90s in the fall and spring. Teachers in various areas of the building are experiencing various forms of work place related illnesses. The building’s infrastructure needs significant improvement.
Although low interest rates are bad for our bank accounts, they are good for loans. The district is trying to take advantage of these rates to make these improvements at the lowest cost. Many of these issues will have to be addressed eventually. Where will that money come from? If the referendum does not pass, then many pressing needs will not be met and our students will have to live with leaky roofs, poor ventilation and out dated technology, not to mention inadequate athletic facilities. And if we are eventually able to address these needs, the costs of labor and materials will be significantly higher. We will leave it to the students to bear the burden if the referendum is not passed.
This referendum will not increase our taxes. The bond from the prior capital improvement is scheduled to expire and this referendum would replace it and taxes would remain the same. In other words, with no additional expense, the kids and communities benefit greatly!
Here is a link that will give you some more information and a video tour of both buildings:
http://dist113.org/community/fac_tech/Pages/default.aspx
Voting for this referendum is in everyone’s best interest. It is good for taxpayers, students, parents, and the community at large. If you are trying to sell your home, it will make it more attractive. If your children are coming to the high school, it will improve their experience. If we do this later, it will cost more. Please vote “yes” for the referendum on April 5th.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Instead of Tests, Tenure or Taxes, Can We Discuss REAL Education Reform?
Legislators and pundits keep talking about educational reform. William Bennett recently wrote on CNN.com that we are now ready for “real” reform. Well, it is about time. School has not changed much in more than a century. Other than the presence of technology and a slightly more student centered teaching focus, our grandparents would find today’s schools very similar to their experiences. It is time to put away the assembly line model of education. The reforms of the past are like saying we are going to redesign the automobile by painting the tires a different color. The educational debates in legislatures across the nation assiduously avoid substantive issues and focus on testing, tenure, and taxes.
What would real educational reform look like? What would we need to do to revolutionize our school systems? We need to go beyond the simplistic test and “data” driven measures of success and redesign the car starting with the engine!
That engine has four components: students, parents, educators and communities. Schools live at the intersection of these four worlds. How these worlds connect, relate, and support (or work against) each other provides the impetus for learning. Parents and community must be integral parts of the school. Classes, if we even still call them that, must take children out of the schoolhouse into the community. Parents must be more than an afterthought in education. Regardless of whether or not there is “homework,” home should be highly connected to school.
One way that parents become more involved in the educational process is to start it far earlier. Instead of waiting until a child is five to begin public education, we need to work with parents before the child is born and, perhaps, before the child is even conceived! Education starts with parent education! From prenatal information and pregnancy guidance, nutrition to discipline, sleep issues and play time, our system should enfold the family from its very beginning.
Our current educational model looks like an assembly line. Kids arrive in age groupings and moved from grade to grade and subject area to subject area just like Chevys. Just as our industrial society has transformed into an information and service based world, our schools must also move beyond the assembly line.
Children don’t all develop the same way at the same time. Just because two children were born in the same year does not mean they have the same needs. Grouping children by age is not the best way to meet individual educational needs. Instead, we need to allow children to learn at a pace that matches their learning temperament. While students will work in groups, those groups should be multi-age. They should form for specific purposes and, when those objectives are met, new groups for new goals should form.
The other half of the assembly line needs to change as well. We have built artificial subject areas and forced them on the students. Reading, writing, problem solving, creating, communicating, exploring, questioning, and thinking are universal. While there may still be some basic “content” that we want students to “know,” it is no longer reasonable or desirable to think of education as simply turning our kids into little encyclopedias. They need to know how to find the information they need and then how to evaluate and use it. We are moving from a content-based education to a skill-based curriculum. The lines between English, math, social studies, science and other academic disciplines have become less useful. In fact, these content labels discourage kids from transferring their skills from one “subject” to another. We build fences between subject areas and then are disappointed when our students can’t leap over them.
If we are not grouping by age and we don’t have rigid subject areas, then education is not only going to be more individualized, but students are going to get much more independence and control. The range of activities that constitute “schoolwork” will broaden significantly. Students will work with their parents and other adults in the community. Students will create their own learning experiences and adults will merely facilitate them. Rather than teaching kids, we will help kids teach themselves.
And how will we know if we succeed? Will there be a series of big tests that each child must pass? What would be on these tests? Tests are good at measuring a finite amount of knowledge. Knowledge based learning died in the late Twentieth Century. We need to find a new way to measure and evaluate learning.
In a skill based “school,” students should be evaluated based on the skills they have mastered. Just as a girl scout must prove she is capable to earn a merit badge, we should have sets of skills that our children must master. There will be as many roads to skill mastery as there are children. And those who know and work with these children will help them self-evaluate and, if necessary remediate, their skills.
Of course teachers and schools will be accountable for this kind of evaluation, but parents, community members, mentors, and even lawmakers will also share this accountability. And the largest share will reside with the students themselves!
If you are thinking that this idea is difficult and different and will require remarkable, creative, and brilliant people to make it happen, you are right. Our educators need to be the best of the best. We need to attract and retain people who are gifted in a wide variety of areas. We cannot afford to stick with a narrow definition of “smart” for our children or our teachers. Those who guide and coordinate this process should be highly trained, dedicated, and richly rewarded professionals. As a nation, we should create a system that not only attracts those who are best suited to teaching, but also encourages them to stay in the system!
The final reform that will be critical to the success of our education revolution is the most difficult. Schools are a reflection of their communities. If our children live in poverty and have to fight gangs, drugs, and the myriad of social ills each day, they will not learn. If they have not eaten well and their parents cannot give them adequate attention because they must work long hours, they cannot learn. While an improved educational system may help alleviate some of these problems, these problems will prevent our children from thriving. All children, all families, have a right to live in a safe community free of violence and fear. All families have a right to healthy nutrition, a productive job and a decent wage. These issues must be addressed or we will be forever divided between the haves and have-nots.
It is time to redefine school and I don’t think lawmakers have the guts or ability to do it. Their mistakes and machinations have created the system we are trying to reform. It is time for families, teachers, and community leaders to take the lead. It is time to put our tax dollars where our hearts are: with the children, with our future, and make real change!
Here is an excellent video that explores this topic further:
What would real educational reform look like? What would we need to do to revolutionize our school systems? We need to go beyond the simplistic test and “data” driven measures of success and redesign the car starting with the engine!
That engine has four components: students, parents, educators and communities. Schools live at the intersection of these four worlds. How these worlds connect, relate, and support (or work against) each other provides the impetus for learning. Parents and community must be integral parts of the school. Classes, if we even still call them that, must take children out of the schoolhouse into the community. Parents must be more than an afterthought in education. Regardless of whether or not there is “homework,” home should be highly connected to school.
One way that parents become more involved in the educational process is to start it far earlier. Instead of waiting until a child is five to begin public education, we need to work with parents before the child is born and, perhaps, before the child is even conceived! Education starts with parent education! From prenatal information and pregnancy guidance, nutrition to discipline, sleep issues and play time, our system should enfold the family from its very beginning.
Our current educational model looks like an assembly line. Kids arrive in age groupings and moved from grade to grade and subject area to subject area just like Chevys. Just as our industrial society has transformed into an information and service based world, our schools must also move beyond the assembly line.
Children don’t all develop the same way at the same time. Just because two children were born in the same year does not mean they have the same needs. Grouping children by age is not the best way to meet individual educational needs. Instead, we need to allow children to learn at a pace that matches their learning temperament. While students will work in groups, those groups should be multi-age. They should form for specific purposes and, when those objectives are met, new groups for new goals should form.
The other half of the assembly line needs to change as well. We have built artificial subject areas and forced them on the students. Reading, writing, problem solving, creating, communicating, exploring, questioning, and thinking are universal. While there may still be some basic “content” that we want students to “know,” it is no longer reasonable or desirable to think of education as simply turning our kids into little encyclopedias. They need to know how to find the information they need and then how to evaluate and use it. We are moving from a content-based education to a skill-based curriculum. The lines between English, math, social studies, science and other academic disciplines have become less useful. In fact, these content labels discourage kids from transferring their skills from one “subject” to another. We build fences between subject areas and then are disappointed when our students can’t leap over them.
If we are not grouping by age and we don’t have rigid subject areas, then education is not only going to be more individualized, but students are going to get much more independence and control. The range of activities that constitute “schoolwork” will broaden significantly. Students will work with their parents and other adults in the community. Students will create their own learning experiences and adults will merely facilitate them. Rather than teaching kids, we will help kids teach themselves.
And how will we know if we succeed? Will there be a series of big tests that each child must pass? What would be on these tests? Tests are good at measuring a finite amount of knowledge. Knowledge based learning died in the late Twentieth Century. We need to find a new way to measure and evaluate learning.
In a skill based “school,” students should be evaluated based on the skills they have mastered. Just as a girl scout must prove she is capable to earn a merit badge, we should have sets of skills that our children must master. There will be as many roads to skill mastery as there are children. And those who know and work with these children will help them self-evaluate and, if necessary remediate, their skills.
Of course teachers and schools will be accountable for this kind of evaluation, but parents, community members, mentors, and even lawmakers will also share this accountability. And the largest share will reside with the students themselves!
If you are thinking that this idea is difficult and different and will require remarkable, creative, and brilliant people to make it happen, you are right. Our educators need to be the best of the best. We need to attract and retain people who are gifted in a wide variety of areas. We cannot afford to stick with a narrow definition of “smart” for our children or our teachers. Those who guide and coordinate this process should be highly trained, dedicated, and richly rewarded professionals. As a nation, we should create a system that not only attracts those who are best suited to teaching, but also encourages them to stay in the system!
The final reform that will be critical to the success of our education revolution is the most difficult. Schools are a reflection of their communities. If our children live in poverty and have to fight gangs, drugs, and the myriad of social ills each day, they will not learn. If they have not eaten well and their parents cannot give them adequate attention because they must work long hours, they cannot learn. While an improved educational system may help alleviate some of these problems, these problems will prevent our children from thriving. All children, all families, have a right to live in a safe community free of violence and fear. All families have a right to healthy nutrition, a productive job and a decent wage. These issues must be addressed or we will be forever divided between the haves and have-nots.
It is time to redefine school and I don’t think lawmakers have the guts or ability to do it. Their mistakes and machinations have created the system we are trying to reform. It is time for families, teachers, and community leaders to take the lead. It is time to put our tax dollars where our hearts are: with the children, with our future, and make real change!
Here is an excellent video that explores this topic further:
Saturday, March 5, 2011
What Follows the Race to Nowhere?
My first thought after watching the documentary, Race to Nowhere was that none of the criticisms of our stressed out educational system are new. Kids do get too much homework and much of it does not have educational value. Our children are not resilient and find mistakes and failures devastating. Cheating and unhealthy competition and pressure are clear results of an overcharged desire for entry into the most elite colleges. It is easier to have our children’s lives programmed to the nanosecond than allow them unstructured time to find their own ways. As a nation, we see education as merely a stepping-stone to financial gain. It has no real purpose beyond making us wealthy.
And that may be the heart of the problem. One of the unstated themes of Race to Nowhere is our highly simplistic and numerically based desire to measure educational success. We use grades, test scores, college entrance exams, and other statistics as the primary way to determine educational accomplishment. We want proof of our children’s achievements in cold hard statistics. That system isn’t working.
We want an easy answer. We don’t want to deal with the fact that education is complex and messy. We cling to the simplistic success formula: Good grades in high school lead to admission in a “good” college. An education at a “good college” will eventually land a child a “good” job. A “good” job means a “good income” which will bring happiness. How many people do we know who do not fit this formula? Our economic crisis was caused by the college-educated people who recklessly and selfishly pursued financial gain and created a worldwide catastrophe. This formula is more than faulty, it is dangerous.
And it is stealing our kids’ childhoods. The film clearly shows how we are asking our kids to grow up too quickly. How many times has someone noted, when looking at a child’s homework, “I didn’t do that until I got to high school, college, or graduate school”? Our simplistic thinking says that, if we make our children do more and do it earlier, they will be smarter. What idiot came up with that?
The film notes two pieces of governmental action that fueled this fire: the Nation At Risk report in 1983 and more recently the No Child Left Behind Act. Both of these declared that the sky was falling and that the solution was to measure the fall and punish anything that fell. What the film does not point out is that, in the almost three decades since Nation at Risk, we have subjected students to more and more high stakes testing and put more and more “teacher accountability” measures in place. Has it made things better? Has it improved our system? Is all this testing working? Even the aforementioned idiot could answer that question.
Which leads to my primary criticism of the film: it does not spend enough time on solutions. Solutions to this issue cannot be simple numeric testing, additional homework, or tutoring third graders in calculus. We need to truly reimagine our educational system. We need to, as the film states, “invest up front” and put more money, time, skill, and talent into education. This will not only help prevent many of the costly social ills created when students are chewed up and spit out of the system, but may help bring back the joy of learning.
The brief suggestions for students, parents, teachers, medical professionals and administrators are not enough. And where were the suggestions for lawmakers, by the way? This film is calling for an educational revolution: a complete and total restructuring of our current system. It will be a messy and difficult process. The simplistic formulas have failed and at a great price. Race to Nowhere challenges us to get dirty and go beyond the superficial attempts at educational reform of the past.
What does this educational reform revolution look like? The film doesn’t say. Stay tuned.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Questioning Grades
Grades can suck the joy out of learning. When I first started teaching, I said I didn’t want to use grades. I was told I had to give grades. Fine, I said, then I’ll give everyone A’s. No, that wasn’t an option either. Since that time, I have asked a lot of questions about grades’ effects on learning. Like a strong spice, you cannot have grades nearby and not be flavored by them. They change the nature of the learning and the relationship between the student and teacher. They shift the focus from the good deed to the gold star.
So if grades are a necessary evil, how do we put them in their proper place? The way we approach grades is a snapshot of the way we see school and learning. To change my metaphor: if grades are like a powerful medicine, when used carefully and in proper proportion, they can be healthy. However, they can also be addictive drugs that do great harm.
As a teacher, I know what I want students to learn. Grades should be a measurement of that learning. However, this isn’t always the case. It is easier to count grammar errors than evaluate analytic thinking. It is easier to have a scantron test than an essay. Rather than grading the real learning, it is easier to grade what I can easily measure.
Some classes focus more on learning information, the content. Some classes focus more on skills: learning to do things. Most classes are a mixture of the two. In my discipline, I see the content as a means to learn the skills. I teach annotating as a means to learn how to read. I teach grammar as a way to become a better communicator. For me, the real learning will always be centered on skills much more than content. We live in the information revolution. We will never be able to hold all the facts in our heads. How we interact with that information, our information management skills, is what is really important.
If the skills are what are important, then mastering them is the focus of class. Grades should be a measure of students’ mastery of these skills: in English, how well they can communicate and analyze. But it isn’t that simple. What if George can master the skill in two tries and Lennie takes ten attempts. They both landed in the same place. They have both mastered the skill. Should George be rewarded for getting there quicker? If Lennie is a hard worker and does all his homework, should his grade reflect that? Is hard work a trait we want to encourage? What about errors? Lennie might make more mistakes than George. Should he be penalized for that?
It is easy to create tests and assignments that are worth a set of points and add them up and divide for a grade. Students and parents are used to that. The averaged point grade system may not in the best interest of learning. An averaged point system is simply the average of all the things we have counted over the term. If a student makes a mistake and then learns from it, that is not part of the average. If a student takes a risk and it doesn't pay off, the average goes down. If a student really learns and starts off doing poorly and gets better with each assignment, then the grade will be the average of where she started and where she finished. Does that make sense?
Despite my issues with the Boy Scouts, I think the merit badge system may provide a model for grading. Scouts get a merit badge when they have mastered a specific set of skills or activities. The criterion for each merit badge is clear and the same for all scouts. It doesn’t matter (that much) how long you took to get the badge or how many times you fell down along the way. What matters is that, after two or twenty attempts, you mastered the skills. Could we learn to be that specific and clear in the classroom? Could grades look like that?
What should our students learn? How do we know they have learned it? What habits, skills, and behaviors do we want them to master? If we must have grades, they should be the answers to these key questions.
So if grades are a necessary evil, how do we put them in their proper place? The way we approach grades is a snapshot of the way we see school and learning. To change my metaphor: if grades are like a powerful medicine, when used carefully and in proper proportion, they can be healthy. However, they can also be addictive drugs that do great harm.
As a teacher, I know what I want students to learn. Grades should be a measurement of that learning. However, this isn’t always the case. It is easier to count grammar errors than evaluate analytic thinking. It is easier to have a scantron test than an essay. Rather than grading the real learning, it is easier to grade what I can easily measure.
Some classes focus more on learning information, the content. Some classes focus more on skills: learning to do things. Most classes are a mixture of the two. In my discipline, I see the content as a means to learn the skills. I teach annotating as a means to learn how to read. I teach grammar as a way to become a better communicator. For me, the real learning will always be centered on skills much more than content. We live in the information revolution. We will never be able to hold all the facts in our heads. How we interact with that information, our information management skills, is what is really important.
If the skills are what are important, then mastering them is the focus of class. Grades should be a measure of students’ mastery of these skills: in English, how well they can communicate and analyze. But it isn’t that simple. What if George can master the skill in two tries and Lennie takes ten attempts. They both landed in the same place. They have both mastered the skill. Should George be rewarded for getting there quicker? If Lennie is a hard worker and does all his homework, should his grade reflect that? Is hard work a trait we want to encourage? What about errors? Lennie might make more mistakes than George. Should he be penalized for that?
It is easy to create tests and assignments that are worth a set of points and add them up and divide for a grade. Students and parents are used to that. The averaged point grade system may not in the best interest of learning. An averaged point system is simply the average of all the things we have counted over the term. If a student makes a mistake and then learns from it, that is not part of the average. If a student takes a risk and it doesn't pay off, the average goes down. If a student really learns and starts off doing poorly and gets better with each assignment, then the grade will be the average of where she started and where she finished. Does that make sense?
Despite my issues with the Boy Scouts, I think the merit badge system may provide a model for grading. Scouts get a merit badge when they have mastered a specific set of skills or activities. The criterion for each merit badge is clear and the same for all scouts. It doesn’t matter (that much) how long you took to get the badge or how many times you fell down along the way. What matters is that, after two or twenty attempts, you mastered the skills. Could we learn to be that specific and clear in the classroom? Could grades look like that?
What should our students learn? How do we know they have learned it? What habits, skills, and behaviors do we want them to master? If we must have grades, they should be the answers to these key questions.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Plan B
My favorite game is chess. I am not fond of games where the players’ success is dependent on chance: the roll of a dice, the deal of the cards, or random selection of tiles. While those games are certainly interesting and have their challenges, the player’s success is integrally connected to random chance. Not in chess. In chess, both players have the same “hand” and the only difference between them is who goes first. In chess, success or failure is the result of the skill of the player.
In my experience, the key to a successful chess game is the ability to think beyond the immediate move. Good chess players have many contingency plans. They think beyond the next move, the move after that and the move after that. They anticipate the moves of their opponents and create multiple versions of those plans.
This skill is critically important, not only in chess, but in life. Of course we want to, “live in the moment.” But how many of our own and our society’s problems are the result of short-term thinking? While all consequences cannot be predicted, many can. I would argue that a person with a plan B (and a plan C and D) is better equipped to deal with surprises than a person without.
Recently, the Chicago Tribune published an article providing drivers with winter safety tips. One of the those tips was to look head and see what was coming up, “Drivers should anticipate difficult situations by looking down the road far enough to identify potential problems. They also should be aware of drivers coming from other lanes and cross streets. ‘Across the board, that's the No. 1 mistake people make in driving, period: Not looking far enough ahead,’ said Mark Cox, director of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colo.”
A good driver is always looking ahead and asking, “what if.” What if that truck pulls out? What if the door to that car should suddenly open? What if that child runs into the street? What if the light changes now? Like a chess player, a good driver must have multiple plans to fit many possibilities.
It goes beyond chess and driving; it could be a philosophy of life. Whether it is with financial or personal choices, at home, school, or work, how much more successful would we be if we thought a few moves ahead?
This doesn’t mean that we save all our money because the pleasure we buy today would prevent us from purchasing food tomorrow. Not at all. Rather, it means that we consider the possibilities. It is prudent to anticipate needs. Americans are notorious for spending money they do not have. They are terrible savers. Buying a fun toy today is even more satisfying knowing that it will not jeopardize tomorrow’s necessities.
But it goes even further than these simplistic examples. Considering the options while making choices could help us with our relationships, the environment, and bring us more success. When I purchase a product, who is getting the money and what will they do with it? If I support this candidate, what is she likely to do in office? How will my words and actions affect my family, friends, and co-workers?
Thinking a few moves ahead will slow us down. It will help us have fewer of those impulsive mistakes. It will make us safer drivers and more successful chess players and human beings.
In my experience, the key to a successful chess game is the ability to think beyond the immediate move. Good chess players have many contingency plans. They think beyond the next move, the move after that and the move after that. They anticipate the moves of their opponents and create multiple versions of those plans.
This skill is critically important, not only in chess, but in life. Of course we want to, “live in the moment.” But how many of our own and our society’s problems are the result of short-term thinking? While all consequences cannot be predicted, many can. I would argue that a person with a plan B (and a plan C and D) is better equipped to deal with surprises than a person without.
Recently, the Chicago Tribune published an article providing drivers with winter safety tips. One of the those tips was to look head and see what was coming up, “Drivers should anticipate difficult situations by looking down the road far enough to identify potential problems. They also should be aware of drivers coming from other lanes and cross streets. ‘Across the board, that's the No. 1 mistake people make in driving, period: Not looking far enough ahead,’ said Mark Cox, director of the Bridgestone Winter Driving School in Steamboat Springs, Colo.”
A good driver is always looking ahead and asking, “what if.” What if that truck pulls out? What if the door to that car should suddenly open? What if that child runs into the street? What if the light changes now? Like a chess player, a good driver must have multiple plans to fit many possibilities.
It goes beyond chess and driving; it could be a philosophy of life. Whether it is with financial or personal choices, at home, school, or work, how much more successful would we be if we thought a few moves ahead?
This doesn’t mean that we save all our money because the pleasure we buy today would prevent us from purchasing food tomorrow. Not at all. Rather, it means that we consider the possibilities. It is prudent to anticipate needs. Americans are notorious for spending money they do not have. They are terrible savers. Buying a fun toy today is even more satisfying knowing that it will not jeopardize tomorrow’s necessities.
But it goes even further than these simplistic examples. Considering the options while making choices could help us with our relationships, the environment, and bring us more success. When I purchase a product, who is getting the money and what will they do with it? If I support this candidate, what is she likely to do in office? How will my words and actions affect my family, friends, and co-workers?
Thinking a few moves ahead will slow us down. It will help us have fewer of those impulsive mistakes. It will make us safer drivers and more successful chess players and human beings.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Formula For Finals
In college, final exams are a part of the academic formula. Put in a few papers, a midterm and a final and a grade pops out. Final exams in high school are a different mix. Students are often taking more courses and the nature of each final may vary widely. It is very easy to mess up the final exam recipe in high school.
In my twenty-five years as a high school teacher and my more recent experience as a high school parent, I have found that some practices make the final exam process beneficial and others create unnecessary stress and pain.
While both the students and teacher contribute to a positive final experience, most of the control is with the teacher. There is a straightforward formula that will help make the final not only a summative assessment but a good learning experience as well.
The teacher should start by providing students with detailed information about the nature of the final at least one week in advance. This information should include the form of the test (multiple choice, short answer, essay, etc), what the test will cover (the entire semester, the most recent unit), materials students may bring to the test (books, notes, old work), and some guidance on how to prepare.
Students frequently complain that the pace of teaching speeds up before finals. It should be the reverse. The pace should slow down as finals approach. There should not be any more quizzes, tests, papers, or assignments in the weeks before the end of the semester than there have been throughout the term. If a teacher has not made it to the finish line, the kids should not pay for that by having to run twice as fast to get there.
Spend several days, maybe even the last week of the semester, reviewing with students. Instruct them how to study for the final. If there must be homework at this time, connect it directly to the final studying process.
Have a unified final. Do not splinter a final into several pieces. The final exam should be a single paper, project or test that is due at the assigned final exam period. While it may be tempting to ask students to create another assessment, even if it is complementary or good preparation for the final, this practice amplifies students’ anxiety and stress and steals energy from their preparations for other exams. In my school, we call this double dipping. While there are a few exceptions to this rule (if the course involves pubic speaking, the speeches will never fit into a single testing period), double or triple dipping is really a sign that a teacher may be uncomfortable with the grade weight of the final itself. If one assessment experience should not be worth that much of the grade, that is the real issue.
Speaking of the weight of the final: one size doesn’t fit all. Should a first semester freshman final look like the final for seniors about to go to college? Should they be weighted the same? Finals should be tailored to the course, content, and students who are being assessed. If the grade weight of the final feels too much to the teacher, imagine how it might intimidate the students!
Make sure that the final is consistent with the assessments that students have already experienced. If you are going to collaborate with colleagues or use a departmental final, students should have already experienced unit, chapter, or other assessments that were created this way. If you have never given students an in-class writing test, for example, the final should not include one either.
Carefully time your final. Too many of my students’ and children’s finals are too long. Teachers then rationalize this by allowing students to take extra time. This is an insensitive and selfish solution. The time in-between finals belongs to the student, not the teacher. Many students use that time to prepare for the next final. Is it healthy for a student to go from one long and challenging final to another with barely enough time to go to the bathroom or review? If your final is consistent with earlier assessments, these should give you a good idea of how long students will need. Err on the side of shorter, rather than longer.
Examine the final grades closely. If the students and teacher have done their jobs well, grades on the final will resemble the grades from the rest of the semester. If a student who has earned A’s or B’s on the quarter does poorly on the final, it could be that she didn’t study well. If several students who did well struggle on the final, their preparations are probably not the cause.
Think twice before posting any grades where all students can see them. Of course, you would never post grades with student names, but ID numbers are not much better. In addition, giving students access to the whole class’s (or course’s) results is a set up for bullying, humiliation, and unhealthy academic competition.
The final exam of a course should represent the key skills and content that a student should take away from the learning experience. The final is the destination: the time when the teacher’s and student’s work is demonstrated and celebrated. Done well, they are a formula for successful learning. Done poorly, they are a stressful game of grade roulette.
In my twenty-five years as a high school teacher and my more recent experience as a high school parent, I have found that some practices make the final exam process beneficial and others create unnecessary stress and pain.
While both the students and teacher contribute to a positive final experience, most of the control is with the teacher. There is a straightforward formula that will help make the final not only a summative assessment but a good learning experience as well.
The teacher should start by providing students with detailed information about the nature of the final at least one week in advance. This information should include the form of the test (multiple choice, short answer, essay, etc), what the test will cover (the entire semester, the most recent unit), materials students may bring to the test (books, notes, old work), and some guidance on how to prepare.
Students frequently complain that the pace of teaching speeds up before finals. It should be the reverse. The pace should slow down as finals approach. There should not be any more quizzes, tests, papers, or assignments in the weeks before the end of the semester than there have been throughout the term. If a teacher has not made it to the finish line, the kids should not pay for that by having to run twice as fast to get there.
Spend several days, maybe even the last week of the semester, reviewing with students. Instruct them how to study for the final. If there must be homework at this time, connect it directly to the final studying process.
Have a unified final. Do not splinter a final into several pieces. The final exam should be a single paper, project or test that is due at the assigned final exam period. While it may be tempting to ask students to create another assessment, even if it is complementary or good preparation for the final, this practice amplifies students’ anxiety and stress and steals energy from their preparations for other exams. In my school, we call this double dipping. While there are a few exceptions to this rule (if the course involves pubic speaking, the speeches will never fit into a single testing period), double or triple dipping is really a sign that a teacher may be uncomfortable with the grade weight of the final itself. If one assessment experience should not be worth that much of the grade, that is the real issue.
Speaking of the weight of the final: one size doesn’t fit all. Should a first semester freshman final look like the final for seniors about to go to college? Should they be weighted the same? Finals should be tailored to the course, content, and students who are being assessed. If the grade weight of the final feels too much to the teacher, imagine how it might intimidate the students!
Make sure that the final is consistent with the assessments that students have already experienced. If you are going to collaborate with colleagues or use a departmental final, students should have already experienced unit, chapter, or other assessments that were created this way. If you have never given students an in-class writing test, for example, the final should not include one either.
Carefully time your final. Too many of my students’ and children’s finals are too long. Teachers then rationalize this by allowing students to take extra time. This is an insensitive and selfish solution. The time in-between finals belongs to the student, not the teacher. Many students use that time to prepare for the next final. Is it healthy for a student to go from one long and challenging final to another with barely enough time to go to the bathroom or review? If your final is consistent with earlier assessments, these should give you a good idea of how long students will need. Err on the side of shorter, rather than longer.
Examine the final grades closely. If the students and teacher have done their jobs well, grades on the final will resemble the grades from the rest of the semester. If a student who has earned A’s or B’s on the quarter does poorly on the final, it could be that she didn’t study well. If several students who did well struggle on the final, their preparations are probably not the cause.
Think twice before posting any grades where all students can see them. Of course, you would never post grades with student names, but ID numbers are not much better. In addition, giving students access to the whole class’s (or course’s) results is a set up for bullying, humiliation, and unhealthy academic competition.
The final exam of a course should represent the key skills and content that a student should take away from the learning experience. The final is the destination: the time when the teacher’s and student’s work is demonstrated and celebrated. Done well, they are a formula for successful learning. Done poorly, they are a stressful game of grade roulette.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Winter Break, How I Love Thee
Let me count the ways:
Your timing is impeccable. December may not be the middle of the school year but it feels like it. The weather has cooled, snow has fallen, and the freshness of the fall is gone. Summer vacation feels very far away. By the end of December, I am tired and I need down time.
You are long enough to actually give me a true break. Most breaks from school are a day or maybe two. Even Thanksgiving break is not long enough to really create distance from school. Most days off are really a chance to catch up. I spend most school holidays grading papers, planning and whittling my list down to a reasonable size. Of course I do work during winter break too, but the work does not dominate the time. I can do other things and not feel like I should be doing schoolwork. There is plenty of time for the many things I want to do.
You provide me with a change of scene. For many years, I didn’t care to go away during spring break. It is too short. Winter break is my family’s time to get out of town. I value this change of scene. When I am at home, home calls to me. There are chores to do, bills to pay, errands to run. When I am away, I can’t attend to all those mundane details. I love having a week or so to just “be” and not “do.”
You rejuvenate me. After winter break, I feel renewed and can return to work with new energy. Unlike summer, I am not eager to return. The break isn’t long enough for that. However, I feel like I have actually been away and, since I haven’t spent a majority of my time on school, I can see some through the stress and frenetic fogs of December. I have more patience upon my return and that is a good thing as we roll into final exams.
You provide me with quality family time. I spend a vast majority of winter break with my wife, kids, and parents. We eat together and the meals are slow and luxurious. We play games and watch movies. On vacation, we spend most of our time as a group. It is a great time to talk about important (and trivial) issues. Whether it is my son’s impending bar mitzvah, my daughter’s college plans, my parents’ health issues, or household planning, winter break is the time for substantive family dialogue.
You let me read things that are not for school. My winter break reading, unlike much of my summer reading, consists almost entirely of material I will never teach. I read fluffy science fiction, parenting non-fiction, and computer and health periodicals.
Winter break, you are my favorite time away from school. Shorter than summer, but far more sweet, longer than spring break and better timed, you are the best of the school holidays.
I must admit, winter break, that when you leave me, I feel stranded and cold. Getting back to school after winter break is a dive into a cold pool and it takes at least a week to adjust. Summer break fades away while winter break shuts off. While it is a difficult transition it does not negate the positives. Winter break, how I love thee!
Your timing is impeccable. December may not be the middle of the school year but it feels like it. The weather has cooled, snow has fallen, and the freshness of the fall is gone. Summer vacation feels very far away. By the end of December, I am tired and I need down time.
You are long enough to actually give me a true break. Most breaks from school are a day or maybe two. Even Thanksgiving break is not long enough to really create distance from school. Most days off are really a chance to catch up. I spend most school holidays grading papers, planning and whittling my list down to a reasonable size. Of course I do work during winter break too, but the work does not dominate the time. I can do other things and not feel like I should be doing schoolwork. There is plenty of time for the many things I want to do.
You provide me with a change of scene. For many years, I didn’t care to go away during spring break. It is too short. Winter break is my family’s time to get out of town. I value this change of scene. When I am at home, home calls to me. There are chores to do, bills to pay, errands to run. When I am away, I can’t attend to all those mundane details. I love having a week or so to just “be” and not “do.”
You rejuvenate me. After winter break, I feel renewed and can return to work with new energy. Unlike summer, I am not eager to return. The break isn’t long enough for that. However, I feel like I have actually been away and, since I haven’t spent a majority of my time on school, I can see some through the stress and frenetic fogs of December. I have more patience upon my return and that is a good thing as we roll into final exams.
You provide me with quality family time. I spend a vast majority of winter break with my wife, kids, and parents. We eat together and the meals are slow and luxurious. We play games and watch movies. On vacation, we spend most of our time as a group. It is a great time to talk about important (and trivial) issues. Whether it is my son’s impending bar mitzvah, my daughter’s college plans, my parents’ health issues, or household planning, winter break is the time for substantive family dialogue.
You let me read things that are not for school. My winter break reading, unlike much of my summer reading, consists almost entirely of material I will never teach. I read fluffy science fiction, parenting non-fiction, and computer and health periodicals.
Winter break, you are my favorite time away from school. Shorter than summer, but far more sweet, longer than spring break and better timed, you are the best of the school holidays.
I must admit, winter break, that when you leave me, I feel stranded and cold. Getting back to school after winter break is a dive into a cold pool and it takes at least a week to adjust. Summer break fades away while winter break shuts off. While it is a difficult transition it does not negate the positives. Winter break, how I love thee!
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