Click for the source. Read the feedback below for why it’s here.
TL;DR
This is less a summary, per the usual application of TL;DR, and more a warning: Do not gather your pitchforks and torches without reading everything available to you in this post.
If you read everything, you will not need those pitchforks and torches. That’s the self-fulfilling prophecy: If you invest in this feedback, you will see no reason to mob together and storm the castle; if you don’t do the assignment, that will be just another example of where those Frankenstein numbers came from.
Unlearning Helplessness
This space is reserved for interstitial discussion and Q&A feedback on the following documents:
- GAP Q3A+Q3B Notes
- AP11 P2 GAP Q3A+Q3B (SN)
- RE11 P3 GAP Q3A+Q3B (SN)
- RE11 P8 GAP Q3A+Q3B (SN)
- AP11 P9 GAP Q3A+Q3B (SN)
These have been posted to Google Classroom. The notes are the same for all students; the spreadsheets differ by roster, as you might expect. All students should also look carefully at their Google Classroom portfolios, since those assignments are represented in these spreadsheets. As a reminder, you see all assignments by clicking “VIEW ALL” at the top of the Classroom stream:
You’ll see that the lesson in most of the feedback you’re being given today is about taking responsibility for your own progress. You have an extraordinary number of resources to help you; if you won’t use them, that is a poor choice that may further roil a sea of poor choices.
This Assignment
All students should read the guide/overview first:
This will explain the notations in each spreadsheet, contextualize the feedback embedded in those data, and provide direction for metabolizing all of it. If you do not read this carefully, we will have nothing to discuss.
When you’re ready, you should fold what you’ve learned into reflective and metacognitive writing. Set aside time this week, over the weekend, or next week. You have enough time before the end of the next GAP panel to adjust, but this is much more about success beyond that — success not just in this course, but in any situation where you are expected to demonstrate growth, understanding, mastery, and so on.
In a day or two, I will post the indicated GAP scores to Infinite Campus. They will not surprise you, if you’ve set aside time to read this feedback, consider the data, and analyze your performance. If those Infinite Campus scores do surprise you, we’ll talk about the need for greater awareness and vigilance when it comes to interstitial instruction. Again, this is about taking responsibility for your choices.
Above all, please help each other. Ask questions here about what I’ve given you. Use class time to collaborate. Use interstitial access to me and each other to investigate. Do the work.
I think something that many of us have been struggling with in this course and in others is separating the grade from the learning. I have found it difficult to try and move away from the mindset that we have been comfortable with for so long. The mindset being that the two in some sense go hand in hand. Since the beginning of this year, this course has helped us to stray away from this idea and in many ways I think it has been a success but I often still find myself focusing on a number over anything else. When looking over the chart for my class period at a first glance I found myself concerned not knowing what these numbers meant and how they could hurt me. So, I continued to look at the posts and developed a peace of mind as I read that the numbers were basically for organizational purposes. It’s definitely concerning that the first instinct when seeing numbers like that is to worry. I know everyday in our classroom we try to find solutions to this problem but I am left with one question. Is there a permanent solution to this problem? Is there a way to permanently separate the grade from the actual learning?
These are insightful questions. Thank you for posting.
I think the key is to realize that we can still connect learning to a number, but only if we base the assessment on profile-driven growth. The connection isn’t immediate, though, and that’s what makes it difficult. That Skinner-box logic we are all used to is gone, for the most part; instead, we have to monitor ourselves and rely on our peers and mentors for feedback. Good choices pay off over time. So do bad choices. There is a number, in the end, to honor our need for validation. (We also need a way to communicate your success or failure to other stakeholders, colleges, employers, etc., and numbers are the only common language that exists.)
This is a tough question. This happens in most classes, and grades and numbers are what people care about the most. We find ourselves worried about these grades because of high honor roll, college, etc. that it takes away from actually learning. In other classes, we study for quizzes and tests and then that material is a lot of the time forgotten after we have taken those exams. Also there is a lot of stress that comes along with grades. If there weren’t such things as grades then school would be very different. At the same time grades and numbers do motivate people to do the best they possibly can and I think they reflect on how someone approaches an assignment and the effort they put into it.
I think that the way the GAP scores were displayed this time was very helpful. It lays out everything that you have done-or haven’t, and although it is already clear when posts are missing and we know what is required of us, having it all clear in a chart like that was effective for me. The one thing to keep in mind though, is that the bolded numbers visible don’t always mean a bad GAP score. If you look closely, in the top corner it says that additional notes on individualized and/or alternative projects or assessments are not indicated on the chart. That is why it occasionally look strange that someone with a lot of “missing work” still gets in the fourth tier, you are not seeing everything that comes into play.
I agree with Jenna that this form of displaying GAP scores is very helpful. While we should be able to self-assess on our own to some degree, seeing the assignments we did or didn’t do right off the bat is very helpful in launching further metacognition and reconciling our scores with our expectations.
I really appreciated seeing this chart. While at first, like Christie said, I found myself worrying about the numbers, I carefully read the post and understood them. I think one thing that I struggled with when I first entered this class is why I received the grade I received. Once I realized that I had to collaborate with my peers more, it was evident to me that the work that people getting higher GAP scores than me did was well above mine. I did not realize the level at which this class was. So, I greatly adjusted ad this paid off for me. But, by seeing this chart and being able to completely understand the grade I got helped me so much. I can see every little thing that led me to get that grade. Sometimes I don’t completely grasp what it is I did differently or wrong to not get the grade I thought I would, so this completely laid it out for me and I understand now. I know you were hesitant to post it for everyone because people read into the numbers but I think it was beneficial to most of our understandings of the class. Would it be possible to have a chart posted after GAP scores from now on?
I agree Jenna, I appreciated the way in which the GAP scoring was presented to the classes. It has allowed me to see my work as well as that of my peers around me, without actually seeing a name. Seeing all the grades in an organized chart as such also put me in a position to see what I need to work on before the next GAP comes around. At first before reading the posts I was confused as to why some scores on the chart were bolded. But with more scanning and research I see what those actually entail. I do like seeing my GAP chart in this way and would recommend it for next quarter and other graded assignments as well.