It's about teaching again.
We used to deduct 5% each day an assignment was late, and after one week, it gets a big fat zero. Typically I'd get almost all the assignments on the due date, and a few stragglers by the end of the week.
Now we can't deduct late marks, and we can't give a zero if it's not handed in. If they don't do the major essay, they can't get the credit, so we don't want to give a final day that we won't accept it, because we know full well that if they end up handing it in on the last day of term, we'll have to take it anyway. We can call home, but most parents don't have much sway over their near-adult children.
The effect? Fewer than half my grade 12s handed in their essay on the due date. Why would they? I gave, as incentive, that I'd be marking it harder if it's late, and that I'll be explaining the next assignment the day after this one is due. We'll be moving on without you, and you won't have the comments on the first paper to help you do the second. Better get it done....
Still no rush to finish. It'll get done whenever. Maybe they'll do all their assignments over the Christmas break. Maybe they'll get to them during the final exams.
I called all that. Knew it would play out like this. I was ready for the new approach that measures only ability and not time management (as if they can possibly be separated out).
But what I didn't expect is the effect it would have on me. I had been getting a rush whenever my marking was done and cleared away after each assignment. Now it's totally anti-climactic to finish marking two more papers, a week after the due date, and know there's only nine to go whenever they might be submitted. I didn't realize how hooked I was on that rush of adrenaline that comes with a couple of late nights getting 30 essays marked in a row. And then later comes the fulfilling filling in of the zeros after the week is over as we all acknowledge the one or two that just have no real interest in doing the work. Now it's more of a game where they string us along insisting they can't wait to do that essay, but they're really quite bogged down this weekend, so maybe next...
There was an intoxicating sense of finality that's gone now. Now the marking for each assignment is never ending. And on top of that are the calls home and paperwork to track and report on the late submitters.
This too shall pass. One way or another.
We used to deduct 5% each day an assignment was late, and after one week, it gets a big fat zero. Typically I'd get almost all the assignments on the due date, and a few stragglers by the end of the week.
Now we can't deduct late marks, and we can't give a zero if it's not handed in. If they don't do the major essay, they can't get the credit, so we don't want to give a final day that we won't accept it, because we know full well that if they end up handing it in on the last day of term, we'll have to take it anyway. We can call home, but most parents don't have much sway over their near-adult children.
The effect? Fewer than half my grade 12s handed in their essay on the due date. Why would they? I gave, as incentive, that I'd be marking it harder if it's late, and that I'll be explaining the next assignment the day after this one is due. We'll be moving on without you, and you won't have the comments on the first paper to help you do the second. Better get it done....
Still no rush to finish. It'll get done whenever. Maybe they'll do all their assignments over the Christmas break. Maybe they'll get to them during the final exams.
I called all that. Knew it would play out like this. I was ready for the new approach that measures only ability and not time management (as if they can possibly be separated out).
But what I didn't expect is the effect it would have on me. I had been getting a rush whenever my marking was done and cleared away after each assignment. Now it's totally anti-climactic to finish marking two more papers, a week after the due date, and know there's only nine to go whenever they might be submitted. I didn't realize how hooked I was on that rush of adrenaline that comes with a couple of late nights getting 30 essays marked in a row. And then later comes the fulfilling filling in of the zeros after the week is over as we all acknowledge the one or two that just have no real interest in doing the work. Now it's more of a game where they string us along insisting they can't wait to do that essay, but they're really quite bogged down this weekend, so maybe next...
There was an intoxicating sense of finality that's gone now. Now the marking for each assignment is never ending. And on top of that are the calls home and paperwork to track and report on the late submitters.
This too shall pass. One way or another.
6 comments:
Marie,
Your post leaves me with a few questions:
1.) Obviously, I'm not surprised that not everyone handed the assignment in at the deadline. It happens, I miss deadlines sometimes too. Generally, they are the deadlines for the work I deem irrelevant, much to the chagrin of my department head, vice principal, etc. Paperwork, for the sake of paperwork. Have you considered that the assignment may not be relevant and therefore not motivating, therefore the only way you could motivate in the past was to threaten with marks? Dan Pink argues that we are internally motivated when we see the authentic purpose of a given task. Maybe the assignment isn't a good one? Without the imposed "punishment" of late marks, why do it on time?
2.) I'm troubled that your attempt to subvert the lack of late marks leads you to "marking it harder if it's late". Are your expectations of "Grade 12s" really that fluid that they can change overnight?
3.) Your insistence that ability and time management can not be separated is flawed. What are you measuring if not the overall expectations of the curriculum? If I write an essay for you tomorrow or next month, how does the timing affect the skills of writing an essay (which you are ostensibly evaluating)?
4.) You refer to the "game where they string us along insisting that can't wait to do that essay, but they're really quite bogged down this weekend, so maybe next..." However, couldn't it be argued that there was always a game around assignments? It used to be that the game was one where teachers string students along insisting marks should motivate you to complete assignments by an arbitrary deadline.
Just provoking conversation. :-)
Cheers,
Scott
Hi Scott.
1. I think many of my assignments are actually enjoyable for students, but, without any penalty, they just don't get around to doing them in a timely fashion. I see the necessity for my marks to be done on time, and I want to give students necessary feedback so they can proceed knowing how they're doing, but if I thought I could get away with submitting them months late, I might. It's just human nature to avoid doing work - even enjoyable work - if there's nothing there to ensure it's done by a certain date.
But, there are certainly some assignments that not everybody is motivated to do due to the sheer enjoyment of the activity. I'm not sure it's possible in our system to make assignments that everyone will be thrilled to do. Some love writing a letter from the trenches, others are loath to do anything that can show me they understand a bit about the war. But they have to do something in order to be evaluated.
2. I don't mark significantly harder if something's late a day, but I do think it's reasonable to change the expectations if some students have an essay done in two weeks and others take five months. If someone takes the entire semester to do the first essay, I expect it to be significantly longer and more detailed because they granted themselves significantly more time to do it (including Christmas break for example). Otherwise it's just not fair to the students who finishing on time.
3. If I'm at a job that requires me to write essays, my ability to do that job is necessarily attached to my ability to do it in time for publication of the magazine. If I hand it in a day after the publication deadline, then it's tossed out, and I won't get paid. When employers look at transcripts from school, a 90 in English translates in their head not just to good writing skills, but also good work habits. We can't just ignore how our grade 12 marks are viewed by employers and universities.
4. We do use marks as motivators, but for the greater good. It's not that we string them along, then never give the marks. They actually get good marks if they do the work up to standards. (So the analogy falls short - because I know I'll never get some of the essays for which I'm doing paperwork and making phone calls home and getting endless promises.) People will hate this, but it's like training a dog. We offer a treat if they come when called - but it's in order to save their lives if they are running into the street. People aren't much different. I love my job, but knowing that I could be denied my paycheque (and my job) if I fail to get my marks in on time ensures that I actually do what's best for everyone involved. Sometimes we have to give rewards and/or punishments in order to get people to do something good for them and that they might discover they actually enjoy!
Always love a good conversation!
I think there are two factors that are being worked here.
Firstly, your evaluation of the skill should be relative to the grade and level they are in, not when they hand in an assignment. Are you suggesting that a student who gets an 80% on an assignment at the beginning of the course, would get lower if handed in later in the semester? Isn't the 80% communicating their achievement versus the expectation of the assignment, not the timing of said assignment? The assignment is an avenue to demonstrate their skill. Sure, they may not get extra practice, but if they hand in an excellent essay for grade 12, does it matter if it is at the start of the semester or the end. Their growth might be compromised, but that doesn't change their product.
Secondly, the idea of "fair" is a fallacy. We both know there are a number of variables (inside and outside the classroom) that have an effect on student performance. Using the word "fair" because a student takes an extra week or month is inaccurate at best. Where are you accounting for all the other variables? You're not, so why is fairness being assigned to this one?
Finally, your insistence that marks need to be used to motivate is true; but only when we look at factory style piece-work type of tasks (according to Dan Pink). Is this what school is? All in the name of "for their own good"? Really? I find that such a rationalized idea of the things we are asking of our students. And challenge that idea by showing the countless things students and people are doing all over the internet for no marks or money. Rich, sophisticated, value-added things, like you writing this blog. Maybe we need to re-evaluate how "good for them" these things we are asking them to do are and who is choosing what is "the greater good" in the first place.
Cheers,
Scott
Once I got going I changed my two factors to three without changing the first sentence. The problem of my rambling... :-)
Hey Scott,
Firstly - It matters if they submit at the start or end for evaluation, but it's primarily for motivation. I'm not sure why that's a bad thing. I'll preface this with an explanation that this is what my class agreed should happen. They're worried, themselves, that if they don't have some kind of penalty, that they won't get the work done, and it'll all pile up at the end of term. But also, they don't like the idea that some people get more time than others just by taking it. If it's the case that they can all hand it in at the end of term without any penalty, then they will, and they'll miss out on the feedback they could really use before they do their seminars (this week), and before they do the next paper. The difference in evaluation is primarily a means to get them to get their work done in a way that will benefit them later. And it's partly about my ability to manage the workload. I really don't want 60 essays and a final exam to mark on the last day of term just for one class. There's a practical component to this - that, starting from the end, I have a due date for my marks, so I work backwards to determine the due date for each essay so I can actually do all the marking in a thorough fashion. So suggesting I'll have different expectations if they take more time is mainly a means to offer some incentive to do the work by a deadline. BUT, further to your concern here, it's also an acknowledgement that if they have more time, they can do more research and have longer to think about the ideas, so they should be evaluated based on that fact. Time factors in evaluations. If I ask about the facts around WWI, and a student needs a week to give me the answer, then it's clear s/he doesn't really know the content. If it takes a student (we'll assume there's no IEPs in the mix) months to do what it takes others a few days, then that tells me something about their ability to read, understand, organize, and write. If we just look at the end product, and not their process, then that can also lead to an inaccurate evaluation. Something like that.
Secondly - 'fair' is subjective, for sure. But because we can't get a completely even playing field isn't to say we shouldn't try to even it out here and there where we can. But I do account for many other variables - I think most teachers do. This one is changing her meds, so that will make her have a hard time processing for a while, and that one needs surgery, and another is being kicked out of the house, and another has a cognitive impairment which means he does need more time - or even needs me to tape myself reading the articles for him to facilitate understanding. We do our best to take all these things into consideration, but, for grade 12s, we also have a responsibility to get them prepared for what happens next year. A minute after a paper's due, they get a zero. This is their last chance to learn to get to the due date with a ton of support before they're on their own. I think we're being negligent if we gave them all the time in the world just because they want it.
Finally (it was too long for one comment) - It's not just in terms of the factory model that people need external motivation to do work. I hated reading as a kid, and if I wasn't forced to do it in high school, I'm not sure I would have started. Even more pivotal in my life was being forced to follow politics in newspapers in a 2nd year soc. course. I just did it for the credit. I hated it at the beginning, but, once I figured out all the players, I was hooked. Yup, there's lots that people are intrinsically motivated to do, but there's also lots that they don't know they'll like until they're made to try it. One of the benefits of public education is that kids get forced to learn a breadth of material. Some of it needs to be extrinsically motivated, but later becomes self-reinforcing. Lots doesn't. Some kids complain long after school that they never used that math formula in real life. But they likely find it handy being able to multiply in their head. That's something nobody would learn without some type of reinforcer, but it's really useful. And it never killed anyone to have some extra knowledge they don't use. It's up there with learning to play piano. Without my dad over my shoulder every night, I wouldn't have done it. But I'm happier for it now. If we decide we're not going to get kids to do anything they don't love from the get go, I think they'll have many regrets later on in life. I see that with grammar now. Only select teachers seem to be teaching how to put together a sentence or cite sources. So I tell my grade 12s they'll have to teach themselves if they want good marks, and I direct them to links. But there's not pleased that some people in the class have a leg-up because they already know this stuff. How do we get them to learn the things that are really handy for them later on without extrinsic rewards or punishments - particularly for a group at an age in which measuring long term benefits against short term costs is not their forte?
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