Written Comments

Written Comments on Student Work 

I recently read an article about written comments versus grades on student work.  Written comments refer to those annotated notes that we teachers make on work that a student has turned in.  The article discussed the importance of these written comments to growth and basically argued that ALONE they are powerful.  It also suggested that when paired with a letter grade or score serve virtually no purpose.  If done properly written comments can give good feedback on what a student is doing well and where growth needs to occur.   Of course, the problem with written feedback is it is time consuming to provide and it is also highly subjective.  Written feedback can also be taken out of context or be misinterpreted.  The article suggested to try writing comments on a students work and not actually providing students with the letter grade.  If students are provided with both written comments and a grade, they tend to only look at the grade and not thoughtfully read the comments. 

I decided to try as the article suggested and only write comments on the most recent DBQs students completed as well as give them an opportunity to re-write the DBQ based on those comments.  When I handed back the DBQs I told students to read all the comments over carefully and that their grade would become clear as they read the comments.  This seemed to motivate the students to carefully read over all the comments.  I then handed out a rubric with student's grade.  As I handed out the rubric with a grade I asked them to predict what grade will be on the rubric based on the comments they read. 

The written feedback separated out from the grade served as a great tool.  The rewritten DBQs were the best I have ever received.  In the past, when students have rewritten DBQs it seems very few changes are ever made or the DBQ doesn't change at all. 

Certainly, key to written comments being successful is making sure they are straight forward and honest without being judgmental.

Grades

I've spent a lot of time thinking about "grades" as I "graded" 130 personal Declarations of Independence.  I thought I would take a moment to reflect upon grades and what I've learned about them.  For me, grades are simply one of a number of tools used to provide feedback.

As a teacher, I am familiar with grades as a form of feedback.  Grades give students an indication of where they stand.  Grades are a concrete placeholder based on predetermined grading scale.  However, whether grades motivate students to do better or learn more is something with which I struggle.   I know some students are motivated by "grades" but is it for the right reasons?  I wonder sometimes if grades are more an indication of behavior than learning.  It seems the most well-behaved kids are getting the higher grades.  When grades are given it is often the end of learning.  I am realistic to know that my students need grades to prove their learning to parents, colleges, etc. Getting rid of grades isn't possible, but looking at how, what, and when I grade would be a good idea.