Please Read Bean, Chapter 5: Coaching the Writing Process and Handling the Paper Load and Richard Haswell's "Minimal Marking." (See course documents.) Also watch the 8 minute film "Beyond the Red Ink" in which students respond to teachers' comments on their essays. Here is the url: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XluNo599LMY.
For this two-part blog, first share your current practices in responding to student writing. Then, after reading Bean, Haswell and listening to Bunker Hill CC students in video, what new ideas do you have that might make your grading practices better? What aspects of the reading and viewing helped you the most, even suggested ways of making your grading practice easier, clearer, more effective?
Hello all,
ReplyDeleteSince this is my first semester as an adjunct, grading my first paper was definitely very tough. I did not expect the amount of errors with respect to grammar and general sentence structure. It was definitely a wake up call and it was a challenge for me to grade them. I now realize that grammar is a big pet peeve of mine (although I'm not the best at it either) and didn't realize how frustrated it would make me become.....
The first few papers I graded were very time consuming. I looked over every word and corrected every grammar/speeling mistake that I saw. I knew not to grade in red ink and used blue instead. After the first 2 hours of grading, I felt more like an English professor! I decided not to correct the grammar with such detail, but started to make generalized statements at the end of each paper. I would write comments such as - please correct grammar or please visit the writing center if the paper was really bad. I have another paper to grade this week and will use Bean's chapter and Haswell's Minimal Marking Techniques as much as possible. I especially liked Haswell's technique of making the student more responsible for checking over their work and self-grading their papers!
It's refreshing to read your comments James because they are so honest! We all struggle with this issue and I'm glad Haswell was helpful. I have other little tricks, for example, if I think a student has just been careless, I will grade the first two paragraphs, identify a "kind" of error (ed endings, run-ons). Then I draw a line, letting him/her know that I could not complete paper because of quantity of errors. I tell that student to go through the rest of the essay carefully and correct same kind of errors. If he/she doesn't understand the error, go to Writing Center (B200). I believe this helps shift responsibility to writer--our job is not to edit their writing!! The Writing Center loves it if you can at least identify one kind of error for the student to focus on.
ReplyDeleteHello everyone:
ReplyDeleteI enjoy writing because it is my ‘getaway’ from the noise of my daily life. But grading papers is… well let’s just say a ‘horrific’ experience at least for me!
Like James this is my first writing class and to be honest it is challenging for me. My first writing assignment took a couple of hours to correct. The problem for me was I couldn't enjoy the passionate stories that the students wanted to share with me. Instead I focused on their grammar.
So what I did was meet with each student for about 15-20 minutes and discussed their paper with them. I also gave them the opportunity to redo their assignment.
I did not comment using the ‘red ink’ but I somewhat guided them with comments like “Good observation but what else can the nurse do?” or “Which level of Maslow hierarchy needs were involve?” or “What do you me? etc.
I also made some of the students read aloud with me and they actually recognized their grammatical errors. About 90% of my class are ESL students so it is a bit difficult for them and me as well. However I must say that they are utilizing the writing center which is working!
I enjoyed the video on “Beyond the Red Ink” because it actually brought back some memories (good/bad) as a student. Commenting is a critical element in helping your student learn. It can make or break their spirit or willingness to learn. I agreed with one of the students in the video who said “Give something positive before taking something away…the sweet before the sour.”
I believe at times as professors/educators we tend to point out the negatives which I call “Subtraction” rather than focusing on the positives which I call “Addition.” In my opinion adding is usually more productive than taking away because you are giving the student room to improve…
I will incorporate Haswell’s Minimal Marking techniques now and in the future. I will also ‘hold students responsible for finding and fixing their own errors’ as it will give them a sense of empowerment and push them to become the best they can be!
I also appreciated the writing on “A Note About Nonnative Speakers of English” because I remembered writing a paper and the teacher wrote all over my paper (in red) and made comments like “Bad, Spelling problems, Need help” which I did not understand. I was raised under the English system so I wrote ‘cheque and not check’ etc. and she did not realized that I spelled words differently. This scarred me and I was afraid to write again.
Although I was not a nonnative speaker of English I had to conform to the American system and maybe the teacher should have had a better approach. Again adding rather than subtracting is key at least in my humble opinion!
Good read and informative material which I will cherish and hold on throughout my teaching journey.
Hi Faith,
DeleteGlad you found the readings and video so helpful! I think the personal experience that you bring up is probably one many students would relate to, and to that end, very helpful to keep in mind. I also think your ideas about adding and not subtracting are key!
It seems you are already on your way to implementing much of what these readings suggest. Offering revision-focused comments, such as those you mention in the form of questions, keep the focus on how students can improve--particularly relevant if they do have the opportunity to revise.
Overall, the student comments in the video seemed to suggest a desire for real engagement with their work (something we all hope for), so seeing that professors have taken what they are actually saying into account is encouraging. I often try to start my comments to a student by summarizing their main idea: "In this essay you claim that..." or "It seems to me that you are making an argument about..." This shows students I have heard what they are saying (it also takes time though, so I think you have to figure out what style of commenting is most effective for you!).
I think that offering positive comments plays a practical role in addition to not discouraging students: its helpful for them to know what they did well so they can keep those parts, or continue to do the things that they were doing well--they might not always be clear on that.
Some other strategies to address grammar concerns without losing sight of the larger project (or spending endless hours grading) include correcting grammar in just one paragraph of the essay, and asking the student to look for those errors in the rest, or identifying in end comments one or two major patterns of error that would be helpful for them to address throughout (less overwhelming and more feasible than trying to tackle everything at once!). I'm glad to hear the Writing Center has been useful--this is a great place for students to turn, particularly if you have given them one or two notes on what they could focus on improving.
- Meredith
Thanks for your input Meredith. We do use rubric as well. I was just curious.
DeleteI also wanted to ask "How do you grade a paper on a student who you like or see have so much potential" but not doing as you expect.
ReplyDeleteAnd how do you comment on that student paper without coming off as 'harsh'... Just a thought!
Thanks so much,
Faith.
Hi Faith,
DeleteI think one strategy for addressing this is to use a rubric--which we'll be talking about in a later blog post. Sometimes these are assigned by the department, which gives you less flexibility, but if you can design your own, you can allocate a certain percentage of an assignment grade to something like "grammar and mechanics" or "style and clarity." That way, its clear what area needs work.
I think to avoid coming off as harsh, its helpful to do as you mentioned above--whether its in written comments or in conference with the student, begin by summarizing what they've written, pointing out at least one or two things that they did well, and then moving on to what needs work. I think framing things in terms of what they could improve, also helps avoid coming off as too harsh. Of course, the challenge with all of this is managing your own time, and figuring out how much feedback you can reasonably give!
Would be interested to hear others' thoughts as well!
Hi Meredith and Faith,
DeleteThe grading rubric has a section for writing mechanics, the student is aware of each area that needs improvement.
Completeness: Complete in all respects; reflects all requirements Complete in most respects; reflects most requirements Incomplete in many respects; reflects few requirements Incomplete in most respects; does not reflect requirements
Understanding Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of the topic(s) Demonstrates an accomplished understanding of the topic(s) Demonstrates an acceptable understanding of the topic(s) Demonstrates an inadequate understanding of the topic(s)
Documentation Contains well-documented statements and appropriate references to the readings and other sources of information Contains adequately documented statements and references to the readings and other sources of information Contains limited support for statements or references to the readings and other sources of information Contains no documentation or references to the readings or other sources of information
Writing mechanics Writing demonstrates a sophisticated clarity, conciseness, and correctness Writing is accomplished in terms of clarity and conciseness and contains only a few errors Writing lacks clarity or conciseness and contains numerous errors Writing is unfocused, rambling, or contains serious errors
APA format Uses APA format accurately and consistently Uses APA format with minor violations Reflects incomplete knowledge of APA format Does not use APA format
Hi Faith, Roxanne, Meredith--I just wanted to mention that Bean has pretty cool rubrics in Chapter 14--I think somewhere in this thread someone mentioned that it would be good to review/refine rubric for your assignments.
DeleteHi Roxanne and Meredith:
DeleteThanks for your input as always. I am aware of grading rubric etc but that was not what I was referring to... I was somewhat curious I guess...
However, I posted the question about how do you grade a student etc... because I was having a conversation with a professor and she was having some difficulty with a situation and the individual said "I love this student..." and was so hurt about the situation. So I was wondering how can we as professors deal with these sensitive situations.
Although I may have my own ideas I was curious to hear from other professors and how they handle certain situations.
I would like any one to share any experiences they had and how they handled it!
Thanks!
Hi Faith--I think you are describing a situation I encounter from time to time where a student really cares but isn't doing so well. This semester when I gave back first essays in Composition one of the "better"--ie more active, responsive students in class got a paper back with no grade (because it would have been an F)--I wrote her a note praising what was good in paper but asking her to come see me to talk about how to clarify her ideas. She immediately started crying in class so while the students workshopped I sat with her, assured her she would revise well, and asked her to begin reading her essay to me. After the first paragraph she said, "I see what you mean. It doesn't make any sense. . .what I meant was..." That was one of the more positive moments I have had! Hope this is a teeny bit helpful.
DeleteWriting has always been a challenge for me, this is the second academic year that I am teaching a writing intensive course and it has been a challenging experience. Like James and Faith the first year was exceptionally painful as I was new to academia. I found myself correcting papers for grammar and spelling instead of reading the content, and as Faith stated 90% of the students were ESL.
ReplyDeleteFast forward today, I utilize a grading rubric, never correct in red ink, refer all students to the writing center and post is as a requirement before submitting the assignment. I also read the content having a better understanding of what the student was trying to say.
After watching the film and reading the chapter, it has given me a positive push in the right direction not to give up. Hearing the all the students’ comments caused me to pause and reflect on how I felt as student.
When I correct papers my practice is to encourage with comments like “good idea”, “well done here”, “maybe next time we can try expanding on this thought”. The student stated in the film “the sweet before the sour” doesn’t make the corrections seem so harsh and provokes the student to think.
Roxanne--so glad the film was interesting to you and gave you new perspective. That's the effect it had on me. Since you put a lot in this post about how you respond to student work, I'll post another essay that we love in WID called "Learning to Praise"--it will be under course documents.
ReplyDeleteThank You!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Dr. Van! I will keep this in mind and I will
ReplyDeletealso communicate this to my colleague as well.