Chapter 10 Conditions for Redoing Work for Full Credit

It is important that a teacher gives a student the opportunity to redo work that has not reached expectations, however, there are some guidelines that should be followed. A student may abuse the redo policy if it is handled correctly. The redo option should be done at the discretion of the teacher and it should be clear how the work is to be made up. The tip given by this chapter that was most useful to me was the idea of giving the student dates that things needed to be made up on. If the assignment has a lot of parts that need to be redone, the student needs to be given specific times that the parts need to be completed in so that the teacher can ensure the student is staying on task and completing the work. I will use this advice with my students to keep them accountable and also to make sure that I know where they are at with the assignment.

Chapter 9 Ten Approaches to Avoid When Differentiating Assessment and Grading

Chapter 9 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal focuses on ten ways that assessing and grading are done which should be avoided. These techniques are all common practices that are not effective in determining a student’s mastery. A point that was made which I had never heard was the idea that homework should not be graded. The chapter claims that homework is given for practice and refinement of skills and that it is not a representation of full knowledge. Homework should not be given to a student until he or she has a grasp on the topic and is only to be used to practice his or her skills. As a teacher I hope that I am able to make sure the homework I give out is effective and that I do not penalize my students who are still learning.

Chapter 8 Why Do We Grade, and What About Effort, Attendance, and Behavoir?

This chapter focuses on one intrinsic and two extrinsic qualities of students that should not be graded. The author does not believe attendance, effort, or behavior should be graded because they are not objective and they do not indicate mastery. One of the points that was made that I found useful was the idea that students should be given the tools needed to meet the expectations teachers set for them. The chapter emphasizes that just clearly presenting what is required of students will be of no benefit to them if they don’t have the appropriate processing time and are not given effective feedback. As a teacher, it will be important for me to make sure that I am regularly checking up on my students and ensuring they understand what I am teaching them.

Chapter 7 The Relative Nature of Grades and Thier Definitions

This chapter focuses on the sticky and inconsistent issue of grading. There is no clear-cut easy solution to grading and the grades are fairly subjective most of the time. Because there are so many layers and things that are considered by a teacher when grading it is hard to determine what really is meant by a grade that is given. The one point that was made in this chapter that really stood out to me was the idea of basing grades on what I intend for my students to achieve. I need to be clear to my students what my expectations are and the criteria should always be what my grading is based on. It doesn’t do my students any good if I grade on someone else’s view of evaluation or if I don’t hold them up to high standards for learning. Students need to know that their grades mean something, and it needs to be clear to them what they are working towards.

Chapter 12 MI Theory and Cognitive Skills

Teachers need to be aware of how students think about the topics they are being presented with in order to help them retain the information. Multiple Intelligence theory provides teachers with ways that he or she can present information so that students will store it in their memory and use it in the world. This chapter encourages teachers to focus on helping students use the information they are being presented with so that he or she has a working knowledge to work from. I was surprised that so many students are only being taught at a surface level and are never encouraged to go beyond the basic knowledge to be able to use the information. When I teach, I need to ensure that I require my students to think beyond what I am teaching them and use their intelligences to use the information in the world.

Chapter 11 MI Theory and Special Education

Teachers who want their students to succeed will capitalize on his or her strengths and will not be as focused on their weaknesses. Multiple intelligences theory recognizes that students have strengths even when they are labeled as having special needs. It is critical that when I teach I seek to find the strengths that my students have and use them to help him or her grow in understanding. By focusing on what a student can do and not on what he or she can’t do I will give my student the tools to succeed both in school and in the world. When I am teaching I hope that I will be able to diversify my instruction enough so that every student will be able to grasp something and that they will understand what techniques help them learn best.

Chapter 8 MI Theory and Classroom Management

Multiple Intelligences leaks into every aspect of teaching and classroom management is no exception. Throughout this chapter various ways that multiple intelligences can be used to establish order in a classroom are given. I particularly liked the ideas given for conveying the rules to students of different intelligences. Giving students different ways of remembering the rules that are given in a classroom or by the school is a helpful way of ensuring they will take some ownership of them. I could see splitting my students up into groups based on their intelligences and allowing them to learn these rules in the way that has most meaning to them. I could also see these ideas being helpful for helping students to know what is expected in a class either using the syllabus or some kind of schedule going over the topics that will be covered in a unit.