Week Two--Why Use Rubrics?

I am going to use the outline format here again for GMIT 660 for this week's journal reflection on Rubrics:

I. The reading for this week was Chapter 2 (Why Use Rubrics?) from our text Introduction to Rubrics, with highlights from the chapter:

• Rubrics save time, provide timely, meaningful feedback for students, and have the potential to become an effective part of the teaching and learning process.
• In a rubric, we simply incorproate easily predictable notes into the "descriptions of dimentsions" protion of the rubric.
• The result is an easier grading process for us, and timely, detailed, often easier-to-read feedback for the student.
• Because we discuss the rubric, and thereby the grading criteria in class, the student has a much better idea of what these details mean.
• We can use the rubric to try to determine if the students' work is improving overall.
• The grid pattern of the rubric, with its clearly defined dimensions makes doubly clear which areas need work.
• By encouraging students to think critically about their own learning, rubrics can inspire precisely the pattern of "self-assessment and self-improvement" intrinsic to creating the kind of motivated, creative students we all want in our classes.
• We also know that students need to be challenged to think critically, and we know what kinds of assignments will lead to critical thinking in our respective disciplines.
• Not all components of a rubric relate equally to critically thinking.
• Rubrics help us to refine our teaching skills.
• Sharing rubrics with other instructors can reveal the degree to which grading is consistent.
• Rubrics level the playing field in a culturally diverse landscape in education; they are wonderful "translation devices."

II. Fellow cohort, Gina Ewing, led the seminar for GMIT 660--two of her proposed questions:

First Question:
As an instructor, have you observed students “thinking critically” due to the use of a rubric? Explain what you observed and how critical thinking took place with the student (if you are not an instructor, than within yourself).

Fellow cohorts responded quite extensively with numerous examples of how we use rubrics in our own experiences, and how we thought our students responded in a critically thinking manner. Those who are not yet instructors presented great ideas on how they perceived critical thinking in relation to rubrics as a teaching and grading tool.

Second Question:
In an article called Rubrics for Web Lessons http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/weblessons.htm
The author recommends allowing students to assist in the development of the rubric for their class and lists the advantages of doing so. In your opinion, what types of disadvantages do you see arising from this process and do you agree with the advantages listed? Would you add more to the list of advantages in this article?

Gina provided a great website on allowing students to participate in creating rubrics! As can be expected, there were mixed reviews on this topic; many of us felt that getting the students involved was a great idea, but caution should be exercised while doing so. The time factor involved in students assisting with this was another concern.

Gina also provided us with some other great resources to glean information from on rubrics and how they affect our teaching and grading experiences! Gina did a great job in leading the seminar and keeping the threads going!

III. My reflections in relation to the "Reflecting on the Seminar" questions:

• I did feel very engaged by Gina's questions and provided resources. She did some good research and provided good fodder for us to reflect and discuss!
• I learned a lot about rubrics, and plan to use these resources as I move along in my teaching career for sure!
• I will investigate further how I can use the suggested ideas and resources in my teaching!
• I was surprised how rubrics are such an important part of teaching and how most of us didn't realize their power and potential!
• I feel that I participated at a graduate level in this seminar; I shared with the cohort what I have attempted with rubrics and how I feel the need to continue using them even more in all classes I will teach! I felt that the seminar was a great learning experience for us all; we all did a great job of sharing and reflecting!
• The seminar format was a great educational tool for us, and will continue to be throughout the rest of the course!

Week Two--Intellectual and Cognitive Development During the Adult Years

The question of the week in GMIT 650 is, "Does general intelligence increase, decrease, or remain stable over the life span, or do some aspects of intelligence increase while others decline?" I'm an "outline kind of guy" so I'd like to start with a schematic, if you will, of how I saw this week:

I. Chapter 2 (Intellectual and Cognitive Developement During the Adult Years) reading from text Learning and Change in the Adult Years with highlights from the chapter:

• The relationship between aging and intelligence is problematic, principally because the concept of intelligence itself is so problematic.
• Intelligence test scores improve with education.
• Intelligence does decline with chronological age, but the decrease does not begin until relatively late in life.
• Where decline is found, it can normally be reversed through training.
• Fluid intelligence: information-processing capacity.
• Crystallized intelligence: experience and acculturation.
• Intellectual functioning remains relatively stable with age, but crystallized intelligence assumes a more prominent role as a component of intellectual functioning.
• There are shortcomings of using standardized tests to measure the intelligence construct outside Western school-based culture.
• Two important challenges to the validity of intelligence tests: 1) they are too culture-specific; 2) they are constructed from problems and tasks derived from the context or "culture" of schooling rather than everyday life.
• Practical intelligence is strongly correlated with the ability to form relationships and social networks.
• There is a need to distinguish between intelligence as an abstract, context-free capacity, and intelligence as the application of capacity in everyday life.
• Contextually intelligent behavior involves the ability to adapt to the environment, select a better environment, or shape the given environment so that it affords a better fit with one's skills, interests, and values.
• Mature adult congition is characterized by the ability to fit abstract thinking into the concrete limitations of everyday life.
• Intellectual and cognitive growth occurs in the adult years and is based on the experience of dealing with concrete problems and situations at work, in the home, and in community life.
• The ability to recognize and anticipate problems before they strike is a key skill in the world of work, allowing the development of contingency plans.
• Intelligence tests typically have a single correct or best answer; in everyday life, the solution must often be found among several possibilities.
• Problems on tests are typically decontextualized, whereas everyday problems are contextualized, where all the operating variables have been taken into account when approaching the solution.
• Feedback from test problems is usually unambiguous; by contrast, everyday life rarely provides explicit feedback on performance.
• Test problems are usually solved alone; everyday problems must often be solved in conjuction with other people.

II. Fellow cohort, Doug Brtek led a student-directed seminar on this week's topic--here are a couple of questions he proposed and my overall view of how the discussions went and the main consensus:

Question #1
Refer to table 2.2 on page 23 of your text and review the information.
Now, think about the format in which you give your students tests and compare it with the information in the table. (If you give test in a multitude of different formats, then consider the one you use the most.) Based on the information in the text, do you agree with the strength-weakness assessment? Based on the grades your students receive, do you agree with differences in percentages listed on the chart? If there is significant difference in your results compared to the table? Do you need to consider alternative test methods? Why or why not? (Please remember to take into account the age of your students.)

The discussion was pretty extensive in this area, and the consensus was that the table reflected the commentary from the text that commonly used intelligence tests don't lend themselves well to mature decision-making and problem-solving. As far as personal experiences from cohorts, there was a variety of testing formats that were shared, with most containing objective quetions relating to the career fields of each.

Question #2
The text referred to a number of problem solving methods. Is there a particular method or methods you have used as a student/teacher that has been successful for you? Please explain your process.

There was a lot of good sharing here, also in the problem solving area. The main focus was critical thinking and interactive learning, and how that was being attemped, as well as the need to improve both!

Doug also provided us with some great websites relevant to this week's topic and there was very lively discussion and participation!

III. In response to the reflection questions on the seminar provided in "Participating in Seminars" document provided by our instructor:

I felt very engaged by good resources and questions provided by Doug. I felt he did a masterful job of leading the seminar and keeping it going with good responses!

I learned a lot about the this week's topic; after being encouraged to look for good resources online, I supplied some good information on the issue of cultural bias and standardized testing.

I feel the need to investigate this issue even further; cultural diversity is a big factor in college education, and there is a continuing need to address the gap that exists between cultures and education in this country.

After I was encouraged to seek resources that supported the ideas from the main topic I felt that I was then participating at a level expected from a graduate student. At first, I was somewhat intimidated by the volume of information to be covered, but as is the case in all levels of learning, I stepped it up and felt that I went to a higher level of performance.

I do feel that my participation in the seminar helped lead to a better experience for everyone involved. My questions led to good comments from others, and others comments helped me to continue to try to grasp and understand the material presented and think critically about how it affects me now in my career, and how it will continue to do so!

The seminar format worked very well as an educational method for this topic. It was a very rich experience, and I think it will continue to get even better!