FIAE: Chapter 8

This chapter really opened my eyes to the difficulties I may face as a teacher when it comes to grading. It is going to be so hard to decide what is going to contribute to that one grade letter such as participation, effort, and behavior. They are important factors in a students education, but they don't actually reflect how the student is doing in the course as a grade should do. Grades can be used both positively and negatively for a student. Low grades will not motivate a student to do better, but discourage them and make them want to give up. Good grades sometimes, but not always, make a student strive for more of that grade for a while. No matter how a student is doing it is important to get to know them a little better, know what is effecting them so that you can tailor their experiences in the classroom. This is where behavior, participation, and effort come into play. They should be only considered in a students mastery when they are contributing to it through their effort, behavior, or participation when these aspects are a positive thing. They should not hinder a students grade, and as a teacher if I want to incorporate participation into my grading then the students should be clear on it and it should have it's own designated grading scale separate from the grade that reflects their mastery in the course. But either way I am going to have to think how I will allow behavior, participation, a effort to effect the way that I grade my students.