Chapter 12 Abstract and Synthesis

Abstract- Jenna
The majority of the class has come up with the following main point of chapter twelve of Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom: this chapter discusses how teachers can incorporate the eight intelligences into cognitive thinking skills and problem solving so that students can think deeply about a topic and actually remember it. Many students also drew a distinct line between merely memorizing facts and truly understanding content. The class agreed that students learn differently- some learn through visual aids while other learn through listening. One student can learn by physically participating in a hands-on activity while another student learns through the musical intelligence. If a teacher is able to incorporate all of the intelligences within the classroom, then the problem of students superficially learning material will disappear. A higher order of thinking will be seen within classrooms across the United States.

Synthesis- Jenna
The class believes that differentiated instruction should be exercised in classrooms throughout the United States to ensure that there is evidence of higher order thinking. Students across the country are merely memorizing superficial facts and do not fully understand why they are learning particular subjects. Students today just want to get to the answers and are not putting enough time into understanding how to get to the solutions. This poses a great problem because students have great memorization skills, but little to no application capabilities. However, if teachers are able to incorporate all of the intelligences into the classroom, then varied learners will be able to truly comprehend the material and knowledge will become more meaningful.

Chapter Fourteen: Responsive Report Card Formats

Chapter fourteen of Fair Isn't Always Equal explains about responsive report card formats and the numerous methods of depicting students' final grades. The report cards must always reflect the differentiated instruction that the educator provided to the students during the year. Because students vary from one another, this must be shown on the report card because students will not have the same curriculum as other students. The first grade on the report card must reflect the students' grade (it will be a letter). The second symbol seen on the report card is the progression against the standards set for every student. The chapter also mentioned the use of progress reports. This is a phenomenal way of showing the students' progress in a formulative manner. It can be a good reference to the teachers, students, and parents to see where the student is, what the student needs to work on, and the student's strengths. I really loved this chapter because I've always thought that report cards had to be set in stone and very traditional. To the contrary, report cards do not have to be this way. I can incorporate my differentiated instruction into the grading so that I can truly give students more than a mere, meaningless grade. The grades will represent the students' understanding and hard efforts exerted throughout the semester and year.

Chapter Thirteen: Gradebook Formats for the Differentiated Classroom

Chapter thirteen of Fair Isn't Always Equal describes the grade book that will best serve a differentiated classroom. Usually, all forms of grade books are effective because it is only recording the final performances and achievements. The examples of grade book formats were grouping assignments by standards, objectives, or benchmarks, weight or category, listing examples by date, or topic-based. I found every one of these suggestions to be very helpful methods to exercise in differentiated classrooms. My mentor teacher uses his grade book format categorized to tests, quizzes, and homework grades. I noticed that this was very effective for him. I personally love weight grading because it allows each assignment to have worth and meaning to the students. Because there are so many points that a student can receive for the assignment, I can take off less points when they have a emergency and have to turn in the assignment a day or two late. This way, I will not be misrepresenting the student's mastery of the content.

Chapter Twelve: Grading Scales

Chapter twelve of Fair Isn't Always Equal explained grading scales and how to use the best indicator, which would be a 4.0 scale using a rubric. Rubrics enable the students to fully understand the directions and requirements of assignments given to them by their teachers. They know exactly what the rubrics want them to do and they know exactly how to do it. It was so confusing in high school when teachers would use the 100 point grading scale and they would give me a 93, but in another class a 94 was a passing A, while in the class that I received the 93 it was considered to be an A. This is why I find that the rubrics are so effective for both students and teachers when grading work. The rubrics take out the subjectivity and they also specifically tell the students what exactly is required of them.

Chapter Eleven: Six Burning Grade Issues

Chapter eleven of Fair Isn't Always Equal deals with the ever-lasting issue of grading and how teachers should handle late work and work that never gets passed in. I learned that it is always better to give a grade on a late assignment than to just give the student a zero. This way, the student is receiving a better representation of what they really know of the material. I also loved the idea of taking off a few points off of a late assignment, instead of marking it down a whole letter grade. I remember when I injured my leg during junior year and I was on pain medications that made me drowsy. I would pass in my homework late and I had this one teacher who would mark me down a whole letter grade because of it, even though she knew that I understood the materials and subject content. It was so frustrating and it made me never want to pass in anything else in her class. However, when I am a teacher, I will not accept a late homework assignment every week. A couple of late assignments a month is acceptable, because I know that students have issues every now and then. But there is no excuse for not having their homework assignment every day. Grading is a very touchy issue and it is important for me to remember that I have to be fair in my grading because I do not want to misrepresent a student's mastery of the content.

Chapter Ten: Conditions for Redoing Work for Full Credit

Chapter ten of Fair Isn't Always Equal tackles the difficult issue of redoing assignments. The chapter explains many things an educator can do in order to make redoing work more manageable. The first method is requiring the redone work to be completed at the teacher's discretion. Reserving the right to rescind a retake brings up the opportunity to discuss the problem with the student and make sure that they get back on track. If a retake is necessary, then the teacher should allow the student to do so. However, teachers should have the parents of the child sign the original work, in order to ensure that the families are involved in their child's academic careers, as well as hold the students accountable for their work. The second method suggests that teachers need to keep in mind that the students want to be treated like adults. I remember that when I was a student, I disliked when teachers always treated us like little kids. They never made us take responsibility and when we tried to, they would sometimes put us down for not passing in the assignment on time due to us trying to complete the work correctly. In the "real world", adults are given more time and second chances all the time, as long as it is not a chronic incident. The third method is for teachers to change the format for redone work and assessments. By changing the task, students will be more responsible for thier learning- there is a greater chance of deep-seeded learning. Above all, teachers must always communicate with their students. I found this to be very valuable because I want to help my students figure out what they can do to catch up without making them feel that they have to learn at a certain pace.

Chapter Nine: Ten Approaches To Avoid When Differentiating Assessment and Grading

Chapter ten of Fair Isn't Always Equal discussed ten different things to avoid when differentiating assessments and grading. Approach number one spoke about avoiding the mistake of incorporating nonacademic factors such as behavior, attendance, and effort into the final grade of the student. Teachers should avoid penalizing students' attempts at trying to master the content. If a teacher penalizes a student for trying to learn in a different intelligence, then that teacher is denying them the opportunity to learn. The chapter also suggests to the teacher that (s)he should avoid grading homework. Homework is meant to serve as practice. The content is new to the students, so if they do not fully understand the new content, and it is evident in the homework that they do not comprehend the material, then the teacher should seize this opportunity to teach them what they do not understand while providing the students with a non-threatening environment (a place where the students can have the opportunity to learn at their own pace and revise their work). The point of homework is to help the students become comfortable with the new content and new ideas, not for them to perfect it on the first try. Teachers should withhold assistance with learning when it is needed. Teachers should help their students understand the content, differentiate and tier assignments. Teachers should never assess their students in ways that do not depict the children's mastery. Teachers should avoid using extra credit and bonus points. If grades are about mastery of content, then using methods that alter grades to encourage motivation and participation are not being constructive to the students' knowledge. Teachers should avoid group grading because every student works differently. Teachers should also avoid grading on a curve (similar to what Dr. Grace was talking about in class with a positive alternative of teaching with the J curve). Teachers should avoid handing out zeros for unaccomplished work. Students should be given an opportunity to attempt the content. The last suggestion warns the teachers to avoid using norm-referenced terms to describe criterion referenced attributes. Teachers simply cannot use a grade that shows a student's average in order to demonstrate a mastery of a standard. This chapter was extremely valuable to me as a teacher because it displayed the many negative aspects of grading in a classroom. I can use this information to remind myself that it was used ineffictively in other classrooms and that I should not practice these questionable methods in my own classroom.