For years, I thought that I was a kind and generous teacher, allowing students to correct tests and raise their grades. However, the work of Rick Wormeli in his book, Fair Isn't Always Equal (Stenhouse Publishers, 2006) rocked my world, especially when I participated in a Skype call with Mr. Wormeli and our Shared-Decision-Making Team. He very bluntly cited evidence that informed me that test corrections have little impact on learning, on acquiring skills and content. He passionately shared his philosophy for test re-takes. Despite my trepidation about creating a management nightmare, I began to offer re-takes last year in my 8th grade foreign language classes. This year, I have begun to promote that idea with students, hoping that they would develop a desire to improve their learning and demonstration of skills. This summer, as I tweaked that philosophy, I thought to myself, "Am I dreaming? Will they really care enough to re-take? Will I have to require? Contact parents?"
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What happened this past week amazed me. My goal was to get students who did not pass to re-take. Instead, numerous students requested re-takes. My requirement was evidence that they practiced outside of class or that they see me for help. My students flooded my email and my desk with their evidence. All week long, students came in at different times to re-take the test to improve scores, many of them not originally failing. Friday afternoon, instead of going to our PM homeroom recess, students filled my room with their desire to re-take the assessment (on-line in Conjuguemos.com) because I had announced that it was the last day to do so. We had moved on to the next unit and it was time to tie it up. I was overwhelmed by the interest to do so!
What I witnessed and wished that I could have captured in images beyond those etched in my mind forever was students celebrating their success. (The Conjuguemos app grades the test and shows students the correct answers immediately upon submission.) Some students improved 10 points, some 40. Some went from failing to passing, others to mastery, as that was THEIR GOAL. I received high fives, observed big smiles and fist pumps. After a long, exhausting week personally and professionally, there was no better high on which to end than the vision of my self-directed learners learning at their own pace, achieving their individual learning goals
Did everyone achieve the goal of improving? No. I am struck by 2 students who approached me at the end of the period. "I know that you said today was the last day. But, I had no time to do extra practice this week. Is there any chance I could work at it this weekend and try again?" HOW COULD I DECLINE? The second student, "I just do not do well at the computer testing. Can I do a paper test instead?" HOW COULD I DECLINE??? Of course, I agreed to both requests.
I am not sure exactly how I arrived at the great moments of re-takes this week (too many great individual stories to share here). This weekend, I celebrate that I have learned how to allow students to learn at their own pace, WHEN THEY ARE READY. Many were not ready - YET! But, they chose to go back and work harder, to take CONTROL OF THEIR OWN learning, and mastered content that, in my previous years of teaching, would not have happened.
I have to remind myself that students learn at different rates, in different ways. If they feel respected, valued and ENCOURAGED to work hard, MOST or ALL WILL.
So inspired by my students...I might even share this blog with them.
Believe in the NOT YET...and you might be surprised what you get!!!
