Our final marks just came back from our English grade 12 students this week, and there were some interesting developments in student results. My marks to this point with grade 12 classes has been fairly consistent, which has never been a positive for me. My students need to be doing better, and learning better. Now let me say at the outset that I am not a believer that marks are the only measure; many of my activities are formative in nature, and many more allow students to rewrite and revise the work they have already submitted. However, if I know I am teaching the course effectively, students will achieve in spite of the manner by which they are assessed.
There came a point last semester where I decided to move from print-based (handouts) to web based (blog) deployment of my resources, assignments and feedback. It was a bit of a bumpy road, but ultimately students figured it out and we were able to get on with the learning. I’ve discussed this before, but the shift was significant. Students now respond to and interact with their classwork 24/7, and the students who might normally ‘fall through the cracks’ due to a lack of paper-based organization can manage so much better in this digital environment. Students who are ‘high achievers’ have expressed that they find it more challenging to move to a delivery and production system (digital) that is different than what they are traditionally successful with. However, this group tends to be far more versatile in their skill set and is able to adapt quickly, so they tend to appreciate working in this ‘new way.’
The result? In the final two months that I moved to a paper-based model last semester, individual assignments and projects showed a 15% jump in achievement. Some of this was due to completion, where a student would usually take a zero (called an ‘NHI’ at our school.) Some of the gains were due to more effective completion of work. I saw both happening. By the end of the semester, my overall grades for the course had moved 5% higher; this in a course in which my overall grades had not moved in a significant way in three prior teaching semesters. All things being equal, I am feeling that this new method of presenting course material and offering students the ability to submit day or night is working. It is changing perceptions about school work, and making it more like the ‘real’ work we as teachers, and other professionals complete outside of our scheduled hours. I think of how much my students would suffer if I were only able to work on my planning and preparation when I had a sheet in front of me, instead of working at home after the kids have gone to bed, or in the early morning. We now have a multitude of tools to allow us to get students the information and support they require at any point. Let’s use them!
Thanks for reading, have a great day!
Hi Mr.K.,
I am experiencing similar “bumps” with my Middle Years students. Many are reluctant to be accountable digitally, I think, because the old excuses don’t work. Once they do adjust, however, students are in general more proud of completing work, as it appears in a legible format. We are not yet at 100% digital content, but we are working towards it.