A Not Inconsiderable Amount of Feedback

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Justifying 6200+ Words

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When I’m asked about the need to make instruction and feedback interstitial — to spend Saturday morning with a pot of coffee and keyboard, like I have here — I think of days like April 4, a Wednesday, which was one of three days added to the calendar after we used up all of our allotted snow days. It was also a day with pretty low attendance:

Those are the numbers for each class on April 4. 37 different students missed class that day. That’s more than ¼ of the total roster. Thursday and Friday were the same, and this doesn’t include students who were late, sometimes significantly, or who left early.

When I write to students, it circumvents all of those problems. It gives everyone a chance to access deep, meaningful feedback at any time, from anywhere, with total transparency. When hard data are included — like the spreadsheets embedded later — there is a chance to self-assess and adjust even more. No aspect of it is wholly dependent on the unpredictable personal and environmental parts of a high school.

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Background, or What You Should Have Read Two Weeks Ago

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The following instructional and feedback post led to a lot of good student feedback. Here is the post, which absolutely needs to be read in full before you proceed:

Verbing Weirds Language

I’m going to walk you through quite a bit of what students had to say, because I want you to see what your peers are thinking alongside my responses. It’s all much more valuable when it’s transparent and accessible to the entire group.

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Under the Hood

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We’ll start with some constructive criticism:

For this GAP period you decided to put everyone’s GAP scores up on classroom. It was made as anonymous as it could be because it was done by student id and it wasn’t in alphabetical order. I still found this incredibly rude though because now everyone can see everyone’s scores. I think a grade should be something that is private between a student and a teacher and if the student feels comfortable enough to share their grade then they can. Now, student know that someone got a 3 or a 4 on their GAP profile and will now start to speculate on who that was, causing rumors to start. And imagine how badly the person who got a 3 or 4 must feel after seeing that people in their class got a 9 or 8. They might see that they did as much as someone who got a higher score but the quality of their work wasn’t as good as that other persons.

This is why I didn’t post those under-the-hood scores until now, right before the last quarter of the year. Some of you needed the reminder: Every choice you make is significant. But I don’t want you to be embarrassed. Of course not. I want to help you confront the idea that what you see in your own work and growth might not be accurate — because our sworn nemesis, the Dunning-Kruger effect, is always lurking.

If you walk away from our classroom with nothing else, I hope it’s a sense that you and you alone control whether you avoid that:

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Self-Awareness and Self-Efficacy

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I flipped numbers to give some of you a chance to grapple with your actual performance. The post on the process — read it again here — is clear about how feedback is embedded in everything we do, which makes these numbers redundant for anyone paying attention. It also emphasizes the need for herd immunity — read that essay again, too — since you should be empathetic enough to your peers to want to help them.

Here is a student who didn’t complete a lot of work for the first two-thirds of the third quarter:

I like this approach you did to explain how you arrived to the grad you gave, and I am one of the people who didn’t do that well, which should say something. It showed us what really goes isn’t the grading, and showed the difference between the people who actually put in the effort to get an 100, and those who didn’t (like me). This actually really help show me what I can do to improve in this course.

I am quoting her for a specific reason: She’s actually being too hard on herself. It’s not always about a lack of effort, and it’s not always about the delusions of the Dunning-Kruger effect. Sometimes, it’s about recognizing that real life — never to be confused with the Sisyphean landscape of school life — can interfere with our ability to get work done. When that happens, as it did with this student, admitting to it isn’t capitulation or weakness; it’s the most sane and rational response.

In other words, you all deserve to be human beings, and often human beings are overwhelmed and overcome by things outside our control. So we work on hacking the impact real life has on your school work, usually by targeting metacognition and the more therapeutic aspects of reading and writing.

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Correlation and Causation

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As always, you need to know how to read data to reach the right conclusions. One student had this to say:

When looking at the AP11 P2 GAP Q3A+Q3B some people have 7+ assignments missing throughout the quarter yet still come out with an 8 and kids that have handed in all the assignments come out with 5+. After seeing this chart im confused as to how the grading policy works because I feel like it can’t be based off how many assignments that you hand in. I was not surprised with my GAP score and was happy with it but I can see why some people were not, looking at the chart it makes no sense.

Again, the original post covers all this in significant detail. You can’t just look at the chart; you have to look at the explanation, too. If you take data at their most superficial level, you will make mistakes in reasoning and understanding. Correlation isn’t causation.

In fact, take a break from this post to visit this site about spurious correlations:

You have to keep an open mind about what you think you know.

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What You Put into It

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The most important thing that last student highlights, however, is that GAP scoring “can’t be based off how many assignments that you hand in.” That’s correct. It’s not enough to hand in work. You have to meet the criteria for a profile, and those criteria are far more about growth, collaboration, self-awareness, amenability, etc., than they are about checking assignments off a list.

If there’s a lesson in flipping these numbers, that’s probably it: The system is a bit complicated, but it’s fair and transparent and consistent in its expectation that you do more than just the bare minimum. You get out of your education what you put into it, for the most part, which is exactly why someone handing in poor work might fit a lower profile than someone doing exceptional, individualized work.

But the individualized work is the exception. Many students will complete just the formal assignments, because that’s where the most accessible learning opportunities are embedded. You should do what you’re asked to do. That’s not different from any other aspect of school.

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Decoding the Data

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More student thoughts on that flipped set of data, feedback, and direction:

I think this chart could be a helpful tool throughout our GAP periods and that we should have access to a diagram like this, not just at the end of the GAP displaying our scores, but throughout the whole gapping period so that we are given a chance to fix and make up assignments before the GAP is over and it is too late.

This is from a student who put herself down as an 8 and probably fits a 9 — and I only say “probably” because I am still going through evidence as I type this.

Here’s another insight¹:

The aspect of the post that I found the most intriguing was the way in which the information was presented to us, almost in a type of code. Therefore, if we cared enough to know what those numbers meant, it became our responsibility to decode the charts on our own, which wasn’t much work at all, as we simply just had to use our brains and digest the writing which followed.

That’s exactly it. You had to decode the feedback. The struggle — which, as this student notes, isn’t really a struggle, not if you are paying attention — teaches you how to decode, helps you grapple with close reading, encourages you to think critically, etc., and serves, therefore, as a microcosm of interstitial instruction and feedback overall.

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Rock Bottom

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If necessary, force yourself to write responsively to what you’re studying, and do it often. Skill and understanding will come with repetition. Meanwhile, you’ll generate enough evidence to earn a higher profile.

Here’s the same idea from another perspective:

Today I took a good look at the spreadsheet that was made for us individuals to really look at what I was doing. The whole idea with the spreadsheet really helped open my eyes to a lot. It made me realize my time management is terrible. For the majority of the assignments, I had a bolded number. It made me realize that I need to be more responsible and consecutive with my work. I need to turn many thing in way before the deadline. Also, I noticed that I only had one Rubicon point, which gave me a bit of a sigh of relief. It shows to me, that my teacher has noticed, I try my best to stay on track and be focused with whatever is going on in the class. Another thing that the spreadsheet has opened my eyes up to is my actual work quality. Seeing all the one’s or two’s really hit me hard. Going back to another post on Sisyphean High from a while ago that I really related to, I hit rock bottom. Seeing numbers for every assignment shows, my work isn’t where it should be. Now, after analyzing everything, I feel more inclined to try harder. That means, getting assignments on time and really diving into every instructional post that is given to me.

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Akrasia, Back Again

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This next excerpt is specifically about an AP class, but the idea that everyone should, at least, complete all assignments is a universal one:

Personally, I liked the way the GAP scores were displayed this quarter. It was nice to have some feedback as to see what I was missing, and how many assignments I have submitted in each catergory. For my one catergory that was a 0, I was able to understand what I was missing and how it was effecting my GAP score, when before I didn’t realize I was missing it. I noticed some of my peers commenting on how they didn’t like the way it was arranged and how there was so much emphasis on a number. I agree that its disapointing that in high school our education is measured by a number, however that is just how it is. It is impossible in my opinon to have a class without any sort of grade ever. Although there are exceptions, most teenagers would take advantage of that and not have any motivation to do anything. It would be treated like a study hall and not be effective. In addition, it was interesting to see the other grades in our class. Without knowing who they are, we can see the environment around us. I was very surprised at the number of lower grades in the class. I would assume everyone who takes AP Lang, is going to do the work given at least. In addition, looking around the class it seems as most people are on task everyday. This just goes to show how decieving people can be, and why grades are necessary somewhat.

That idea of “how deceiving people can be” is interesting. I don’t think there is real malice in the deception, but it is a conscious choice — or, at least, a choice made despite knowing the consequences. It’s a bit different from the Dunning-Kruger effect, which is about the perceived quality of the work.

This is akrasia again. Revisit this older post and its threat of flying guillotines for a reminder:

The Fatal Flying Guillotine

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Slashing Canvases

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Flying guillotines haven’t been our only metaphor, and I tried to come up with a less violent one in this post. It ended up with knives and slashing, of course. Students had their fair share of reactions:

I like the idea of thinking how for each GAP period we are a blank canvas and we get a chance to start over and change our ways. However, I don’t like the idea of how one wrong thing and the canvas is ruined. I think as students we are human and we aren’t some perfect robots that don’t make mistakes or get distracted. I think the analogy should be more of we are a blank piece of paper and when we mess up it gets a mark. But, that mark can easily be erased as it was drawn on there. I don’t like the fact that if we do one wrong thing we are ruined and there’s nothing we can do to fix it. It’s unfair and unrealistic. This is the only class where what we do during class time effects our grade. In every other class its if the work is completed then you get a good grade. In here I do above and beyond what is needed for a good grade but if I slip up in class once, my whole canvasis ruined. I dont think thats right at all. We’re real people not just a canvas and we make mistakes but that shouldn’t mean we are ruined entirely.

Like all metaphors, this one helps clarify an aspect of what we do, but it has its limits. Think of it more in terms of the act of destruction: If you make a mistake while drawing or writing, you might be able to erase it; if you make a small mistake while painting, you might be able to paint over it; but if you take a knife to the canvas, you’re going to need to start over.

Even then, that’s the key: starting over. No one is “ruined” by mistakes in here, and every three or four weeks, you can set aside even the most serious mistakes. You can start over.

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We Are What We Repeatedly Do

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It’s not true, by the way, that “[t]his is the only class where what we do during class time [a]ffects our grade.” What you do in class contributes to most of your grades to some extent. In Physical Education, it’s dressing or participating, but that’s the obvious one; less obvious is that you often receive classwork or participation grades. You’re assessed formatively all the time. It’s part of the DNA of this district now.

I think what this student is identifying is that most classes give you a heads-up before a grade — a bit of forewarning, like knowing that you have a seminar or an in-class lab or station work.

But that’s just it: In here, you have just as much forewarning. You know exactly what you have to do, each and every day. You have had around ten different calendars, tailored to your needs and updated whenever necessary — and they cover every day of the entire year:

• Overall Shape of the Schedule | PDF version
• Final Calendar: English 11 | PDF version
• Final Calendar: AP English Language & Comp. | PDF version

That’s just the most recent update, which covers April, May, and June. It’s posted to the main website, shared over Google Classroom, and tacked to the bulletin board by the door to our room.

I’ve even added your skill- and content-based goals for each assessment panel. You have the flexibility of meeting those goals according to your own strengths, but you have the guiding focus of knowing exactly what’s happening.

Most importantly, the expectations for staying on-task and the penalties for failing to do work have been clear since September. You are surrounded by the posters every day.

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Nothing Is Ever Ruined

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Still, you’re not “ruined” by small mistakes, and certainly not by one mistake, as that student fears. If one mistake could devastate you, just a little more than 100% of you would be devastated. It’s human nature.

Read the feedback and guides to this carefully, and note that it is always about patterns of behavior or massive, impossible-to-ignore choices. In other words, you are always given plenty of chances and a sizeable benefit of the doubt.

If you are chatting with a peer for a few moments before starting an assignment, that’s okay. If you take out your makeup during a practice essay and spend five minutes adjusting your eyeliner, that’s obviously not okay. If group discussion gets off-topic here and there, that’s to be expected. If you barely register that the discussion has a topic, that’s not good. If you hand in a few assignments late, but we’re in constant communication about it, that’s probably fine. If your work is always late or missing, that’s somewhere south of fine.

There are levels to this. I’m encouraging you to experiment, so you can mess up as many canvases as you like, especially if you are trying to do something interesting. If you take a knife to that canvas, however, you’ve made a different sort of choice. And if you slash one canvas, get a second one, slash that one, and then are told, “Stop slashing these canvases, please,” then you need to stop.

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It Can Feel Inhuman

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There’s a cost to this approach, since we remain in a public school:

I know that that’s not the intention of the Crossing the Rubicon score and the WIP GAP score, but when someone uses a number to tell you whether or not you’re doing something bad, it can feel inhuman in the way that it just makes our goal to just lower the number. It makes it so instead of genuinely wanting to be focused during class, we are doing it just so our GAP score doesn’t drop.

It’s hard to find a balance. That’s why information dumps are not the usual practice in here. All of these experiments in Rubicons and Skinner boxes and other, even weirder metaphors? They’re to help you get at the “genuinely wanting to be focused” part of learning. When they work, we stick with it (e.g., with the profiles themselves), and when they don’t, we try something else (e.g., with the “tallies” of crossed Rubicons — I think we’re done with that).

Sisyphus is our mascot because of Camus’ essay, or at least a pop-culture understanding of it: We have to imagine ourselves happy in a situation that often makes us feel inhuman.

Another, less existential perspective:

I realize now that my everyday habits affect my performance in school and in order to succeed, I must push these habits aside and focus on what’s really important.

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From a 5 to a 9

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This is universal and universally useful stuff. You should practice it constantly. The more you practice, the easier it gets, the better you do, etc., until you can report something like this:

With there being a sub on the first day this week, I found this as a test for myself. This was a test to see if I could focus even if there was slight chaos around me. And I am proud of what I did. I stayed on task the whole class and completed the in class assignment on time. This triptych, I will be 100% sure that I do not hand a single assignment in even one minute late.

This is the kind of goal-setting that you want. And what’s heartening is that she did it. She didn’t miss any assignments, and what she’s writing now is thoughtful and invested. Here is the same student in another response:

While I was writing, I realized how much I actually appreciated that [The Catcher in the Rye] was a text we were able to read on our own time. In past years we have been forced to read novels during class. It became such an obligation that I absolutely hated it. If someone would have asked me last year, to write about my thoughts on the book we were reading, I most likely would have laughed in their face. Most of the time I never knew what was going on, and if I did I was never interested enough to have an opinion in it. However, since we have been able to read both 1984 and Catcher In the Rye on Our own time, I was able to analyze the books deeper than I ever had before. I was able to….. Enjoy the book.

I take this sort of thing at face value, because (1) this student seems like a genuinely good human being, and (2) even those of you fake this kind of appreciation are still engaging with what we do. Read the tenth part of this essay: Faking it can work in here, if you fake the right things.

Anyway, this student went from a profile in the 5s to a 9 in less than a month. That’s how important in-class focus is: It translates into success everywhere. And even if it feels a bit hokey — especially when it feels a bit hokey — there is power in realizing what we’re trying to do here.

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Find Yourself through Your Writing

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Here’s another student noticing the power of it:

Everyday when I walk into math class I get handed a worksheet. It has different numbers, but the same idea. I have to solve for X, using only the knowledge that has been shoved into my brain. Every person in the class must come to the same conclusion, and if you don’t, it’s considered to be wrong. It’s similar to be given a sketch and then told to color it. You can choose any color you would like, but ultimately it comes out to be the same picture. It contains no individuality, especially when the beginning picture has been provided to you. Math is like a sketch. A copy of somebody else’s work. Essentially, plagiarism.

Everyday when I walk into the makerspace, I get handed my own imaginary canvas. In this case it’s my worn out chromebook. For other students, it’s the Macbook pro they were gifted from their last birthday. Either way in 2018 a blank canvas, usually contains some kind of technological advancements. This class was designed for students to take a new step in their english learning career, but also an opportunity to find themselves through their writing.

I think I’ve said before that not everything can be experienced through ironic detachment and memes. We have to allow ourselves to be excited about learning, to want to learn, to enjoy the freedom to figure things out. Then you can send each other memes.

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In the Kingdom of the Blind, the One-Eyed Man Is King

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Here is another student whose work over the last month fits a 9:

This post starts with a very powerful quote “Do not gather your pitchforks and torches without reading everything available to you in this post.” I understand what this means, because a lot of people like to form their own opinion or become aggressive or defensive about something that they don’t even have any knowledge of. This is the very definition of ignorance. However, in this class, referring to the posts that detail what is required of each student, a lot of kids don’t read it. So, it is hard to tell them not to say anything without completely understanding, when in reality they are probably not even going to touch this post so they would never even see that quote. This can make it very frustrating for others that hear people complain when in reality they do not even know why they got the grade that they got.

I read the gap quarter three A and B notes, however I have to say that they were not very useful because these are things that have been reiterated in class. It was more of reminding people than saying anything new.

That is pretty insightful. I know that the people who most need the feedback in a post like that — or a post like this one, right here — aren’t going to read it. But as this student points out, most posts “are things that have been reiterated in class.” That’s why the term is interstitial. You get the same access and feedback and so on in class as online.

Another purpose of all this writing is to galvanize the best of you to help others — to have you galvanize, in turn, the people who don’t read posts or seek feedback. Read it again: GAPs in Herd Immunity. The more you help each other, the stronger we all get.

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Metacognition Is the Key

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The other way you get stronger is through metacognition:

I mostly get my higher grades through metacognition, which is a key aspect of the class and my Pareto Project, which I work on every quarter because it is something I like to do. So as we near the next grading section I would like to see my work on that spreadsheet again, so I can make sure I am doing all the work required and doing it right.

The bolded phrase in “Verbing Weirds Language,” gave my a smile and also stated the truth. In this day in age, people like to act before thinking, fix something before knowing exactly what they are fixing. Some people just don’t have the awareness to realize what they are doing wrong and how their grade reflects that. I saw a couple grades that were low in the spreadsheet, but when looking at the work, it justified the low grade. One student didn’t do any work. Zero. Another completed two assignments, asked for a 7, and got a 5-. Some students think that they are invincible to low grades, others think that by doing nothing and trying to fake their way through the class, their grade won’t suffer. They are wrong. This class is student oriented. If you don’t put in the work, your grade will reflect that. If you do, you grade will prosper.

Metacognition is, always has been, and always will be the key. Done properly, it unlocks everything else you want, from a high grade to a truer understanding of how you learn. That’s done properly , though. This student does it properly. And it’s true that “people like to act before thinking, fix something before knowing exactly what they are fixing.” You need patience to improve.

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Your Style, On Your Terms

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This student refers specifically to the AP curriculum, but the insight applies to every class in Room 210:

As we’ve progressed throughout the year, I’ve noticed that I have become more aware of my actions and thinking about why I did something, or what pushed me to do or not do something. I think that GAP scoring is a great way to self assess because it lets you evaluate from your perspective how well you did. Mr. Mullane’s military history class also has GAP scoring because for most assignments there are no right or wrong answers which I feel applies here too. When someone writes in this class, they write in their words, their style and on their terms. This class allows for that, which I haven’t experienced in other English classes, but I have the freedom to respond to a prompt in anyway that I want. I like that I’m not graded on just my writing because I don’t write formally and I don’t prefer to. I want the reader to hear me when they read whatever I’ve written or else it won’t feel like I wrote it. I don’t know if that flies for the AP but my goal in this class isn’t to pass the AP or even stress about it. I want to use this class to my own advantage and do the assignments in the way that they will benefit me. For example, writing about reading helps me break down what I’ve done, how I’ve understood it, and how I should move forward. As I go on with the book I would like to write about it more and how I connect with Holden- I plan to have a few of those for myself for Quarter 4.

Consider this line: “I want to use this class to my own advantage and do the assignments in the way that they will benefit me.” That’s a good approach, as long as you recognize that it always helps to have help figuring out what will benefit you. Your idea of what works is likely to be improved by some feedback — critical and constructive feedback, especially.

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The Two Aspects of the Class

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Here’s more feedback about how difficult it is to square the circle:

The central message of this post was clearly that we must learn how to find success in this course. That does not mean we should work merely towards a high grade (even though achieving a high grade should reflect an investment in the course). We should instead be focused on growing and improving our character. I noticed in the comments that some of my classmates were having difficulty separating the grade from the process of learning. I completely understand the confusion here, but I’m not really sure how it can be amended. It’s difficult to separate these two aspects of the class, especially when grades are so impactful in our lives.

That’s why it’s abatement, not de-grading or a “Kohnian shift” (which was its original form). Grades can’t be eliminated. They can barely be mitigated. All we can do is gut the smoke-filled, belching machinery inside of them, replace it all with something better, and change what the number means. The number is ineluctable.

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Lengthy Feedback: Read Carefully

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Which brings us to a set of responses written to a student asking questions about the difficulty of separating these two aspects of the class. While his questions have been answered before, I thought there might be a benefit to using them to help everyone at this point in the year.

My responses are in red:

• Lengthy Feedback: Read Carefully

Read that carefully, as its title suggests. If you’ve gotten this far, tell that friend who blew off this post to read this document carefully, even if you can’t make them see the value in the rest.

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Next Steps: Proxy Feedback

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When this kind of feedback is flipped — posted anonymously so that you can all benefit from it — the student is pretty much required to become a proxy teacher, using his or her newfound insight to help others. You’ll see that idea emphasized in that “Lengthy Feedback” above, but it needs to be emphasized, because two things are about to happen: You’re going to see the GAP Q3C data I have, and you’re going to hear about a list of students who should be acting as proxy teachers.

These students are what I’d call journeymen. They’re learning how to make themselves better students and people, how to think and read and write well, how to hack their own learning, etc., and they’re well on their way to a kind of master craftsmanship. They’re able to teach others.

If you’re one of these students, you’re going to get a notification about it. You need to reach out to help others, and if you haven’t realized that already, it will be made explicit. Everyone needs to start working together more regularly. Remember: The best learning happens in groups, and collaboration is the stuff of growth.

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A Bunch of Numbers and Notations

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Now you’re ready to see the numbers. You should know how to read these spreadsheets, or you know that you need to go back to the GAP Q3A/B post to learn.

Make sure you recognize that the score out of 100 in the “GAP Q3C (Report) — 3/29” column is the one you selected for yourself. It’s what came in as part of your report and self-assessment. You won’t find a true WIP GAP or final GAP score. You’ll have to parse this as-is.

AP students: The first multiple-choice assignment is here, too, as a reference point. It does not factor into your profile, but it obviously matters as part of your exam prep. It might help to see it all together.

Here are the flipped spreadsheets for Q3C:

• AP11 – GAP Notations, Q3C
• RE11 – GAP Notations, Q3C

Ask questions below. Your in-class time is reserved for other assignments for a little while. You need to practice using this kind of forum, and you need a reason to examine your choices outside of the school day.

If you want a starting point for how to process everything in this post, make sure you follow the instructions you were given in the last one:

“Just say, how will you walk?”

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1. I’m editing this after the fact, and I’m going to invite all of you to have a conversation with me about why that is. Here’s the original introduction to this quotation: “To see what one of the strongest 9s has to say, you’ll want to read the entire response that is copied below, in the next subsection of this post.” That’s been deleted, as has the following section. ↩