Chapter 8 UbD/DI: Grading and Reporting Achievement

The Eighth chapter in UbD/DI talks about the difficult task of grading and reporting in a differentiated classroom. The chapter discusses 6 key principles to grading that everyone in the class picked up on. The first one was that grading and reports should be based on learning goals and performance standards. This is so students can see exactly what they're being graded on for each assignment and create better products. Principle two is that our evidence for grading should be valid. This would mean we are not taking other factors into account that could skew a student's grade. Principle three states that grades should based on established criteria. This goes along with the first principle in that in helps students realize what exactly they are being graded over. The fourth principle discourages teachers from grading on averages and especially on bell curves. The book suggests that the J curve is a much more appropriate system to use. Principle five says to focus on achievement and report other factors separately. This is referring to some teachers who include things like participation and such in their grades. These things may have nothing to do with how well a student demonstrates their mastery of a subject yet the are still graded and can have an impact on a students final grade if included. The last principle that is discussed about grading is to focus on the achievements students are making and don't get caught up in the grading process. Ultimately we as teachers will be able to determine what grade a child deserves based on what we have viewed them accomplish with our time with them. The chapter ends by discussing how students grades can effect their motivation to learn and how they view themselves so it's important for our grades to not simply be a letter or a number but we need to give them some positive feedback an make sure they continue to have a desire to learn.

I think that overall the class liked this chapter. For a topic as tedious as grading the authors did a pretty good job making it into something worth reading. Almost everyone in the class commented on something different that stood out to them in the chapter which I thought was interesting; we all saw something which was important to each of us and there was very little overlap. Some people talked about how it made them think back to their own days in high school and reflect on how they were graded. Almost everyone like how the different parts were broken down into the principles and each was explained as to why they were important. I think that after reading this chapter everyone had a really different outlook on grades then prior to reading it, and whether or not they take it wholly to heart I believe most of the class will take at least some of the principles and apply them in their classroom.

Chapter 8: Multiple Intellgences in the Classroom

Chapter eight talks about classroom management, and how multiple intelligences influence the elements of management. The chapter provides specific methods of how to grab the attention of someone with each of the eight intelligences. The chapter also suggests that rules and regulations of the classroom would be more likely to be followed if the students have at least some input as to how the classroom is run, and what rules apply. The chapter also describes effective transition, discipline, and other communication methods.

Overall, the majority of the class enjoyed this chapter. The general consensus is that as teachers we must be fully prepared to appeal to all learning styles, and what better to apply the multiple intelligence theory to than management? It seems like classroom management is at the top of everyone’s concerns, and having a way to reach all students and learners is like having an ace in our corner.

Chapter 12: MI and Cognitive Skills

Chapter twelve in Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom titled "MI Theory and Cognitive Skills" discussed how the cognitive development of students and their own personal learning styles affect their ability to think and remember different materials that are presented during the class. Many comments were made about how much of the material being learned and then not retained. Students are presented the materials in a way that are not specific to their own personal learning style which affects how it is stored in their long term memory. It is almost as though current teaching styles are encouraging rote learning. Another cognitive skill that was discussed was problem solving and how students from the United States are one of the lowest ranked in the world in their ability to solve problems. A students ability to process and solve problems is also related to their particular learning style. Gardner’s idea of “Christopherian encounters” was also discussed. The chapter concluded by discussing Bloom’s taxonomy and the multiple intelligence theory and how they are interrelated.

Overall, the general consensus on this chapter was incredibly interesting because cognitive development, the ability of students to recall details, and think in depth is becoming more and more of an issue. Many of us have emphasized the desire, as future teachers, to teach our lessons and materials in various learning styles so that long term memory will be increased and more learning will take place in the classroom. The section on problem solving was also great to read because it reinforced the importance of multiple intelligences on our students learning abilities.

Multiple Intelligence in the Classroom Chapter 11

The big idea that is presented in the chapter, and voiced through my peers reflections, is that multiple intelligence is a great way for students who have a learning disability to comprehend the material. When material is presented in a manner that is understood by any student, whether they have a learning disability or not, they tend to not only comprehend the material, but they begin to apply their knowledge. Therefor, it is extremely important for teachers to try and teach to all the intelligences. For instance, if a student has dyslexia they have a hard time reading for the most part, and if most of the lessons being taught have to do with reading information to learn this student may become completely lost. If teachers teach to all the intelligences then the student with dyslexia should be able to learn the material through oral or visual presentations. This is why teachers need to create lessons that incorporate as many of the multiple intelligences as possible so that they can reach out to the different kinds of learners in their class.
This chapter seemed to be rather useful; generally everyone hit upon the same notion that it is important for teachers to recognize that all students are different in there learning needs, therefore teachers must take the time to develop ways to incorporate all of intelligences when delivering a lesson. One way to help teachers deliver a lesson to students who have a disability is to develop a IEP. Individualized educational programs are designed to help students, teacher, parents, and administrators figure out the best possible way to help this child learn the material. The most important part in an IEP is understanding how the student learns and accommodating, through multiple intelligence, the students learning needs.