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FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Personal Rubric

This topic reminds me of one of my first days as a teacher. I kept hearing the word "rubric" and honestly had no idea what anyone was talking about. After a few days, I got up the courage to ask my team teacher what she meant when she said this new-fangled teaching term. Once explained to me, the rubric made perfect sense - I'd even seen one before as a student, though I remember it being called something else. Do my rubrics reflect my personal values - yes and no. MY rubrics reflect my personal values, some of the rubrics I use, do not. This reflects my job situation...I am a team teacher who is the 6th hire in about 6 years. There are lots of materials that existed before me that I am trying to rework in order to better reflect expectations that would be found in the industry. All of the rubrics that were in place when I came to teach consisted of a line item and then a numeric ranking from 0-5. This setup made the possible points for projects incredibly high and clouded the expectation. I have since changed all of my rubrics to a Yes (2 points), Partial (1 point), and No (0 points) format. This basically simplifies the project for the students and the rubric better serves as both an evaluation tool and a checklist. The great thing about teaching BVP is that video doesn't lie. It's either in focus, or not; properly exposed, or not; framed correctly, or not. The rubric that I've utilized does reflect my personal values in that I was an exacting shooter/editor who believed in a very small margin of error when I worked in the industry, but with the partial point, rewards effort for someone who is not as experienced in the field as I am. I am never happy with my rubrics and am constantly changing them - I've even gone so far as to have an upper level class help me design the rubric by which they were graded. I would like my rubrics to change as I learn more about teaching and to reflect my students' ability to continually exceed expectations.

2 comments:

Dr. M said...

Hi, Bruce - I really like, and sure your students appreciate, your involving them in designing/updating your/their rubrics. And your continuing pursuit of a better measuring device is refreshing as well. Keep it up!

Dr. M

Randi said...

Bruce,
I too use the rubric system in my classes. Isn't it great?!?! THank you NTI! It makes grading so much easier and direct. THis way the students know exactly what we as teachers expect from them. They also know how they will be graded and what they need to work on. I especially like the idea of including the students in creating the rubrics. This is an awesome idea!