Monthly Archives: December 2010

Grade Reporting: To comment or not to comment…that is the question!

Posted on December 31, 2010 by

Grades – A Measure or a Rank from It’s About Learning along with an impromptu tweetup with @occam98 have prompted me to question the value of the comments I have written to accompany my grades this semester.  For a little background, … Continue reading →

Posted in Grading, Questions | 7 Comments

Assessment Goals Inspired by The College Board

Posted on December 30, 2010 by

Around here there has been some conversation about AP.  If you’d like to read some of the thoughts, check out the following blog posts.  How to get rid of AP…start by changing the conversation How to get rid of AP (part … Continue reading →

Posted in Questions | 11 Comments

The self-discipline to watch, wait, and coach

Posted on December 26, 2010 by

On our 4th day of cookie baking, AS taught me a couple of really great lessons about learning with my students.  Once again, by popular request, we were making Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies.  We make peanut butter cookie dough, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Could it be as simple as adding rather than subtracting?

Posted on December 23, 2010 by

I prefer to think of myself as their coach.  “I coach kids to learn algebra” says that I am dedicated to my kids.  “I teach 8th grade algebra” indicates that my dedication may be to the content.  Being their coach does … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Grading, Learning, Questions | 2 Comments

What we see isn’t always what we’ve got…

Posted on December 22, 2010 by

Can we identify what do these two learners have in common? Academically, they are both new learners.  AS is new to reading while ES is new to abstract reasoning and variable representation.  AS’s reading hit a plateau in late October.  She began … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, Questions | 5 Comments

Hiding in Plain Sight or Walking the Path Together?

Posted on December 18, 2010 by

It just breaks my heart when I think about one of my classes.  Their behavior is awful.  I have been counseled over and over again – it’s not your fault Jill; it is the combination of personalities.  Well, it may … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, Questions | 6 Comments

Reflection, Attitude, and Efficacy

Posted on December 16, 2010 by

I’ve been rereading journal entries from August to reflect on the growth of children I coach to learn algebra.  The point of this particular journal entry was to help assess disposition.     Can we effect their growth in algebra AND their … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Learning, Questions | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

2nd Chance Tests, Effort, and Assessment

Posted on December 15, 2010 by

Can changing our assessment practices and our approach to learning help them learn to embrace the struggle, to see that a “failure” is an opportunity to learn?  Does success breed success?  Does success change your confidence, efficacy, and disposition? Listen … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Learning, Questions | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Deep Practice in practice

Posted on December 7, 2010 by

Let’s think more about the idea of deep practice for homework and what it might look like.  The children that I am coaching to learn Algebra I are encouraged to complete the homework the idea of deep practice.  We are trying … Continue reading →

Posted in Learning, Questions | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Is time a variable? Is learning a constant?

Posted on December 1, 2010 by

I think that I need some counseling – a reality check, if you will – about the meaning of:  Time is the variable and learning is the constant.  Is it true all of the time, some of the time, regularly … Continue reading →

Posted in Assessment, Learning, Questions, Time | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments