I have known for sometime the value of formative assessments, where we provide feedback and guidance as the students learn. I enjoy providing them to students, when I can structure courses so that they make sense and are efficient enough to be effective. But returning formative assessments to students, never fails to entertain me. Because students (some not all) have no idea what to do with it. Have we moved so far from formative assessments that students don't know what to do with drafts? I hand back drafts of research proposals that I have spent hours re-writing sentences, rearranging paragraphs. And tell my class, "these are looking really good." I am greeted with responses of "Not mine." "What do you mean?" "You wrote all over it." "What is the last comment I made across the bottom of the last page?" "'This looks like a really good start.'" They act like they have never seen teacher feedback on papers before. And I wonder, have they? The first time this happened I was rather shocked. The assignment is named "draft," I thought that implied there would be corrections to be made before the assignment named "final version" was due. Now I take entertainment value from their consternation (let's face it, I teach research, I have to be a little bit sadistic), and try to explain to them that the purpose of a draft is to improve their writing with feedback from others.
This does make me wonder if I am not providing enough formative assessment in my other classes. But then I wonder how small a class and how few number of courses I would need before I would be satisfied that I am providing the type of just-in-time instruction, formative feedback, and hands on attention that I want to be.
Ask Paul Fessler sometime about the email I sent my sister after I wrote my first draft of my History 280 paper for him. I don't remember much of what it said, but apparently I was not thrilled with his comments.
ReplyDeleteThe hardest thing is to get students to revise--to substantively revise. It must be built into the way we write all along--that if I can bring myself to write something, anything, then I've arrived, then I get a pat on the back and a free pass.
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