FIAE+B2+Chapter+10

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Abstract
This chapter helps to give advice on when it is appropriate to allow students to redo their work. Doing so allows the students to assess themselves and their understandings in order to improve their work. Redo work should be done at the teacher's discretion, says Wormeli. Wormeli also says that averaging the two grades or giving partial credit is something to avoid. The students should be treated like adults and it is even suggested that a contract is created.

[|Synthesis Cara]
Giving students [|failing grades] for assignments gives the impression that it is okay to fail. It is important to have realistic and straight forward [|late work policies] from day one if the classroom so that the students and the teacher both understand what is to be expected. A lot of us seemed to both love and hate the idea of giving full credit to work that has been redone. It's true that it seemed a little unfair to the students that earn an 'A' the first time, but remember that the title of the book is "Fair //__**Isn't**__// Always Equal". Just because a greyhound can run a mile in two minutes or less does not mean that a basset hound is any less of a dog because it takes him a little longer to get there. As teachers, it is important that we adhere to the needs of our students and have reasonable expectations when it comes to allow them to redo their work or turn in work late.

Kirsten
This chapter gives a quick overview of how and when you should let students redo work. Having been used to the idea that students can redo work for partial credit, it really excites me that students can go ahead and redo work (with some conditions and parameters) for full credit. I think that makes a lot more sense than just partial. I also appreciated the guidelines Wormeli put in place, because then the redos feel less like a free-for-all. The idea of having students' parents sign the original work and request a redo is a neat concept, because I'm always trying to keep note of ideas to keep parents involved in their kids school life.

Jordan
It is impossible to have a differentiated classroom that does not allow students to redo work and assessments. It is impossible because it is unreasonable: if a student is unable to go back and learn from their mistakes, they are not learning at all. Instead, teachers need to stop being so wary about the concept of redoing work and allow it at the teacher’s discretion. As teachers, it is responsible and fair to let students redo work: anyone is grateful when they are allowed a redo in real life, so why wouldn’t teacher provide the same opportunities for students? Wormeli strongly suggest that teachers reserve the right to have parents sign the original task (in order to request a redo assignment for the student) or to change the format of the redo assignment, but teachers also need to have realistic expectations. Also, it is important to let students redo assignments for full credit: it is unfair for students to work for mastery of content and only be able to achieve a “B” on the assignment. It is unfair and disrespectful for the student’s efforts. Wormeli reminds us that the real world is full of redos and if we are preparing our students for real life, we need to prepare them correctly. As a student, I hated the idea of students having the option of redoing a test because I felt that students that did not work hard the first time around were able to have a second shot at receiving the same grade as me; however, I never saw a redo as a way to demonstrate mastery. I saw it as a way for students to earn the same grade as me after being exposed to the material once. As a teacher, I am going to be open to redoing work, but I am going to do it in a way that makes the student work with concepts in a different way.

Ryan Snowman
This chapter discusses a number of stipulations that teachers should keep in mind when allowing students to redo work. All redone work is done at the teacher’s discretion. I included this in my syllabus because it gives the teacher leeway in what can and cannot be redone. Another stipulation that I included in my syllabus was that I ask students to attach the revised copy to the original copy when the hand in the assignment that was redone. It makes it easier for the teacher to see what the student made for revisions. One stipulation that I did not think of and it makes perfect sense is to not allow any students to make up work during the final week of the grading period. Teachers are only human, and they need plenty of time to put grades in the books.

Mykayla
I am slightly confused about how to grade work that students redo. Wormeli says that averaging two test scores or giving back half credit for every question is not right. Students should be able to receive full credit for everything that they redo. I feel two totally different emotions with this; the teacher emotion and the student emotion. As a student who studied and received an A the first time I took a test, I feel as though students who get to redo a test and receive full credit is a little wrong. I don’t get anything for getting an A the first time, but those who didn’t get to catch up. However, as a teacher I want all my students to learn and do the best that they can do. How can I make sure my students get to learn the information for mastery, but still not slight those students who do well the first time?

Leah
The second I saw this title a create deal of dread was stifled in me because I had so many questions regarding editing and redoing work from the previous two chapters, and I have to admit I judge Wormeli a little. I was concerned about the amount of time it would take me to go back and regrade projects and offer needed feedback, or being unfair to students who put the effort in and not being able to tell the difference between lack of effort and lack of mastery. I think it is a brilliant idea to draw up a contract about redoing work and that way have a basis of reference to go back to if there is any dispute about what can and cannout be redone. Having a time frame of redoing the work is also helpful. It can insure that students have time to actually master the skill, and that they are not just procrastinating or wasting time focusing on less important tasks. I had already planned to make students justify their new answers and explain their miss conceptions.

Ryan
Chapter ten discusses the possibility to allow students to redo work and make it up to full credit. I believe that students should have the option to make up work that wasn’t up to par because it allows students master the subject and make sure they know what they did. This chapter though gives great ideas on how to incorporate making grades up and allowing for improvement. One idea I really like was stapling the original document to the new document. This seems to make a lot of since. However, I feel when I am teaching I will want to incorporate some ideas from the book and then incorporate some of my own ideas. I feel the book gives helpful ideas and is a helpful guide, but sometimes I disagree with it.

Corinne
Wormeli advises that teachers allow students to re-do work and assignments for full credit. This allows students to build mastery on the content and skills, if they did not understand it the first time around. Wormeli stresses that teachers need to have compassion for the student and their circumstances, and that as adults in life we get extra times or re-do's as well. However, the offer to do re-do's on assignments should not be granted if students don't try the first time or wait till the last minute and come out with a product that does not show their full capability. When a student does this with the mindset that they can blow it off because they can always re-do it when they feel like it, then a re-do should not be an option. If students or a particular student show effort but constantly need to utilize the opportunity for re-dos, it can be an indicator to the teacher that the method they are using needs to be modified or the assignment is too challenging. I fully believe that students should have the ability to re-do an assignment. Firstly because students can have bad days or bad weeks that affect the quality of their work, or they may not have learned the content or built the skills at the same rate as other students based on their learning needs.

Brittany
Since grades in differentiation reflect students’ learning, it is important that students take to heart the actual process of learning. Many different opportunities can be open for each student to boost his or her grade by simply showing an increased knowledge base on the subject than before. Chapter 10 of Fair Isn’t Always Equal talks about multiple ideas that explain different ways teachers can work with students to help exhibit their learning. Many of the suggestions, like having the students create a calendar of learning that will allow them to have better results, require collaboration between the teacher and the student. Through processes such as this, the teacher can see first and the steps that the student is taking in increasing their knowledge of the subject. These processes are important to incorporate into the classroom because not all students learn at the same rate. When the exam is administered, some students may still be in the process of learning that material. By allowing retakes and other like opportunities, students will feel more accomplished and their grade will reflect that.

Jennie
Chapter 10 is a good chapter to have. Replacing work for a redone piece has to be done just right. Wormeli talks about how to do it. For example teachers will decided depending on the assignment, "students will create a calender of completion," have students give you the original piece also, and to assess the original grade with the redone grade to make sure that it makes sense. He gives some helpful advice too. Make sure all redone work is turned in before the last week of the grading period. If it doesn't the teacher will have a hard time, which is probably putting it mildly. I want to make sure that I give students the opportunity to make up work and to make sure that they actually understand the material.

Rachel
When students are given the option of redoing their work, they should be able to do it for full credit. As I mentioned before, students learn at different rates and some really need to receive feedback. At the same time, students can’t assume that this is the norm and not put as much work into the first draft as a result. Asking the parents to sign a redo request or having the student write out a calendar of completion to keep them focused are both good strategies to employ when letting students redo work. I can see why some teachers are against allowing students to redo their work because it might give them the idea that they don’t need to work as hard the first time, but I know firsthand that it is also a great learning technique.

Tim
This chapter provided us with a quick look at when and how to let students redo work. I found it interesting how deep Wormeli looked into allowing students redo work. In his first section, he talks about students who ask to redo work more than twice a grading period maybe having a problem outside of the classroom. It could be the teacher himself, who just needs to better his instruction, but it could also be the student struggling with an emotional problem or who has a tough out of school schedule. I also liked Wormeli’s idea to have a parent or guardian sign the student’s original assessment. This seems to be a good way to remain in a parent’s good graces, while still keeping them aware of how their child is doing in school. I also like Wormeli’s idea to staple the student’s original work to the re-done piece of work. This would be a good way to help further evaluate a student’s progress in a class. This chapter was pretty much just a refresher to me for all the redo ideas. Most of Wormeli’s ideas were implemented against me as I went through school. Some of the ideas are better than others, but I definitely do plan on integrating some of the redo ideas into my own grading procedures.

Sarah
I find that more and more my reflections begin to stray from the actual chapter. However, I feel that this is a good thing because the chapters bring up so much for me to reflect upon that is external to it's own print (a sign of a darn good book if you ask me). This chapter warmed me up to the concept of redoing work. In the past, I have always thought that if someone did not complete a task on time, they got the grade they deserved. But I see now how this goes hand in hand with the prior chapters to create a more rounded chance for students to actually achieve mastery. I do plan on integrating some of this method into my own classroom. However, I still find myself torn between the students who managed to do their work on time (and do it well) getting the same grade as someone who turned in a project one week late and also received a good grade.  This is definitely something I feel that I need to examine closer before making a final decision.

Cara
Students should be allowed to make up their work for full credit. By only giving partial credit, some students may feel that there is no point in making up the work. I want my students to realize that I give work for a reason and that it is important. If I give zeros or partial credit, it tells the student that the work is not important. If a student does an assignment incorrectly or poorly, they should be given a chance to redo their work, too. This way, I and the student will feel more confident about their understanding of the material. As a teacher, I also need to try to figure out why a student is having or asking to redo or make up their work often. There may be a problem outside of the classroom.

Scott
The topic of this chapter is redoing work for full credit. We should basically trust our discretion when deciding if work will be allowed to be redone because students should not take the ability to redo assignments for granted. Take into account outside factors that may have played a role in the quality of a students work, listen to them and try to put yourself in their shoes and think about how you would want to be treated if you were in the same situation. Wormeli suggests having parent sign an agreement about make up work policies. You should change the work that is being made up so that students cannot simply memorize something. The two sections that I found most important were not allowing students to make up grades near the end of a ranking period because at this point students are only thinking about the grade and to have students attach previous work so we can see progress. Basically use you best judgement and discretion.

Drew
This chapter covers the painful topic of redo's. In life we all look for them once in a while. Such is the same in school. Students fail a test or an essay and one of the first things they ask is, "can I have a second chance?" This is something that a teacher should be the judge of because the teacher knows the curriculum and knows how the puzzle pieces will fit together as the semester closes. As was discussed in the last chapter, you should avoid averaging two grades together or giving a new maximum possible grade unless it is full credit. One must also consider if the grade the student recieved is an outlier in comparison to the rest of their grades. Sometimes outside elements will reflect on a students grade in a negative manner. I personally will take this all into consideration as a teacher. I will be open to redo's under some stipulations that I still have to draft up.