Helping students succeed

There were a lot of comments on the post from last week about helping students become more independent and less reactive when it came to their grades.  Some people commented publicly on the blog and others e-mailed me privately.  Everyone had interesting opinions.

There was one camp who suggested that I not accept late work and that accepting it only encourages more late work.  Logically this argument makes sense, but we don't always live in a logical world.  Most of my students (who, frankly, don't know how to be students and don't really care to) would just plain give up.  I know because I tried that method.  I tried ever single facet of that method - I accept NO late work, I accept work during the week it was assigned ONLY, etc., etc.  I got the same results.  Some students just stopped doing work altogether and became behavior problems.  Many students have very defeatest attitudes.  Sometimes it seems like they look for reasons to throw in the towel.  I can't have that.

I began this year accepting late work because I wanted to show students that if they do their work they will get a good grade.  So often, I think they believe that someone is or is not intelligent, and therefore is going to get the grade they get no matter what they do.  I need to change that in them - I need to show them that if you do work and try, you can succeed.  So, I accept late work, because I want them to connect working hard with success.

But, how do I accept late work, but at the same time encourage them to do it?  How do I get them to take matters into their own hands and not wait until they get a 55 to start doing their work?  I believe they want to succeed, so it must be true that they don't know how to succeed.  Perhaps?

The other camp of commenters suggested coming up with a system so that students kept track of their grade and/or the work completed.  This interested me because it helps students take their grades under their control.  I implemented such a system this week.  When I give back work, I go over what work students should be receiving back and they write it down in a log.  When they get the work back they check it off as complete.  They then look at what they have done and what they have not.  In order to celebrate success (versus punishing failure), when then acknowledge those students who completed all their work.  I also pointed out that the sheet would give them some indication about what their grade was in the class: if they had more than a few assignments not done, they were probably failing.

Immediately students were abuzz about which assignments they had to do or what they had done but did not given in.  I also implemented the policy that they were no longer to come to me to (1) find out what work they were missing - since it was right there in their folders telling them, and (2) to explain what an assignment is.  I told them that they needed to start helping each other and that I was certain that in each class there was at least 1 person who knew what was what.  I told them to count on each other.

So far, so good.  The first day we did this I got a bunch of assignments from them.  They were asking each other for help and actually helping each other.  (They knew who in the class to ask.) I'm hopeful that this will help some (hopefully many) take their grade under their own control and that I will have less students hounding me for what work they are missing or what they can do or ... whatever.

I will keep reporting back about how this procedure is going.  Thanks to all for your input.

Comments

[Rob]

It sounds like you've hit on a good policy (although I'm not an educator and perhaps have no right to an opinon), but I have to wonder: what the hell has changed so much in the last 20-30 years?

I went through elementary school in the late 1960's and high school in the early 1970's. In those days, no teacher accepted late work. Once in a while, you might wheedle a teacher - if you had a really good excuse - but they usually knocked a grade or two off for your tardiness. If it was something important, like a term paper, then forget it.

I distinctly remember turning in a book report a day late in fifth grade. Mr McFadden refused to accept it. "They don't call it a deadline for nothing," he said.

What has changed?

Also, when those kids eventually get to the cold, cruel world, no one is going hold their hand when it comes to their "assignments". Will they have the tools they need?

Understand, I'm not criticizing. You have to deal with the kids you're handed, not the ones you wish you had. I just worry about a future where kids who can't manage to keep up with classroom assignments are running things.

[Pigs]

Sounds good! Good luck with the new system!

[Dawn]

What I have found to be helpful for me is the following late work policy:

LATE WORK: Late work is defined as work handed in at least one day past the due date of the assignment without the permission of the teacher. This includes group and individual presentations, papers, and portfolio checks. Late work will be scored for up to 50% of the original point value for the assignment up to the designated dates.

For the dates of October 15 - 1st trimester midterm, you may turn in work from August 28- October 12
For the dates of November 16 - 1st trimester final, you may turn in work from October 13-November 15

For the dates of January 16 – 2nd trimester midterm, you may turn in work from November 16-January 15
For the dates of February 27 – 2nd trimester final, you may turn in work from January 15-February 26

For the dates of April 23 – 3rd trimester midterm, you may turn in work from March 5-April 22
For the dates of June 2 – 3rd trimester final,you may turn in work from April 23- May 30

The dates are given out at the beginning of the year and the students are given reminders closer to the due date. Plus, the work stays relevant.

I also give them one "get out of jail free" pass- if they have a printer or computer problem, or simply cannot get something done and don't want to be penalized, then they have to give me their coupon (they get one a trimester, and the coupons are not replaceable if lost), and then they get an extra day to do it without being penalized.