I was really excited about our first lab report in Grade 12 Biology. The lab was fun - we tested various foods for the presence of lipids, proteins, starches, and sugars, and figured out the identity of a mystery food. We went through a checklist for what a formal lab report should look like, did a short activity to go over what a lab report should include, and since they are a strong class, I assumed they would be fine to write the labs on their own.
So when the reports were in on Monday, I discovered I'd really missed the mark in giving them adequate direction. While there were a few labs that met most of the requirements on the checklist, many labs were incomplete. Two were partially plagiarized. One contained three points for a procedure, handwritten on a sheet of paper, and nothing else. I couldn't in good conscience mark the labs and return them. We needed to rewind, take some time to learn how to write a lab report, and re-submit. So I asked them to meet with me individually, do peer editing in class, and then re-submit the labs on Tuesday. We would take this tough situation and turn it into a great learning opportunity! The route from the recovery room to hospital discharge was sparkling on the horizon.
The next day, our principal (who is very supportive) was at my door right before the start of class, letting me know that two students came to his office to tell him that my teaching was unfair and too hard. In my sleepy mind-set, after staying up until midnight getting that day's lessons ready, it was a devastating thing to hear for me. Back we went to emerge.
After a few conversations after school, I learned a bit more about the situation: revision has been synonymous with punishment for many of my students. It sounds like they understood our peer editing/resubmission plan to mean that I was punishing them, and were naturally upset. Today, we're on the mend (for now). The students did a great job peer editing and marking each other's work using my rubric, and from our individual meetings, I think they are ready to create very good lab reports (version 2) now.
The bumps and falls are far from over though. We started our next project today - we're doing a joint project with the Grade 2 class that I'm pretty excited about. We're communicating our understanding of cellular processes to a non-scientific audience using storybook analogies, and we'll be reading buddies with the Grade 2 class to share our stories. The project has already been really helpful for me to see their learning process so far. Today, I talked with one student, who was originally planning to use a lego wall as an analogy to the cell membrane. It was such a surprise and helpful feedback for me to realize that a student successfully memorized the term "fluid semi-permeable membrane", but really didn't understand what that means yet.
But... (and there is always a but), the student who told the principal that our lab was unfairly hard also confronted me today because he felt a test would be a better assessment of his learning than the project. We talked about how I can assess knowledge and understanding on tests, but if I only used tests for assessment, it would be hard for me to accurately assess communication, thinking, and application. And it wouldn't be fair to students who struggle with tests, but can demonstrate their ability through other means. It seemed a good answer to me, but to be honest, I don't think he bought it. And I get that - his world is getting good grades for university applications, not balanced assessment practices.
Always mending.
I appreciate this post on a couple of different levels Anneke. On the one hand Michael is currently being taught grade 11 physics by a brand new teacher She came to the class a few weeks into the term when the original teacher left for another job. About a week and a half after arriving she gave a test. The class average was 30%. She told the class it was a fair assessment and that since they are allowed to drop one mark during the term this could be the one. In my opinion any test that yields a 30% is eithee an indication that I have failed to teach the concept or the test was poorly written (on my part). I love how you acknowledged your lack of direction and turned it into a learning experience for the kids. That was a perfect recovery and more than fair in terms of marks.
ReplyDeleteI also love to hear what a new teacher is going through now that I'm teaching potential teachers. Hearing about your experiences could help me a lot to relate to them. I hope you continue to blog.