I think that somewhere else in the flurry of responses that were exchanged
was a post that suggested finding alternative assignments to ones that were
beyond the reach of a particular student. Adaptations and accomodations are
part of the teaching vernacular these days so there should be some
additional strategy for helping a student to succeed and not feel penalized
when there is the drive and desire to be successful and put in the work.
Kevan
-----Original Message-----
From: marcia [mailto:marciadotcom@yahoo.com]
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 5:53 PM
To: ArtsEdNet Talk
Subject: RE: Kids Should NOT Fail Art......
You have to understand that grading a student down for something that is
out of the student's ability (craftsmanship for example: some kids just can
NOT color as carefully as you want, no matter how hard they try.. it is a
motor skill problem) can really turn a child off from art. My brother LOVED
his ceramics class in high school, until he got C's and B's. He was an A
student in all his other classes. The class gave him a creative outlet and
enjoyment until it lowered his GPA. Well, he never took another art class
in high school because of it. I think I'd rather keep a child interested in
art than discourage him by a letter grade because his art is not as good as
Suzy's.
in the class although effort alone is not enough to secure an 'A' as a
grade. It should, however, be enough of a measurable commodity that it will
give the student at least some feedback in the form of a passing grade that
provides recognition for having successfully fulfilled a portion of what was
required. On the other hand, students who come into a classroom and have
already achieved recognition for having displayed artistic ability in other
classes or outside of class but do little or nothing in the class that they
are currently enrolled in, and thereby show no discernaible progress, may,
in fact, not pass.
The establishment of a rubric that truly displays the level of not only
the effort but also comprehension and growth over the course of the class,
would be helpful in determining the grade that ultimately is given. Stating
from the get go that a student should not fail art implies that it is
because it is not a class that has measurable goals in it that may be
achieved through application and concentration. As long as a student is in
any class, those whould be considerations that are important irrespective of
the specific curriculum being taught. Art cannot be looked at as not being
able to be a teachable subject if is going to truly be a core art of a
comprehensive curriculum.
While is it arguable that talent alone may not be a teachable commodity,
certainly proficiency can be taught and achieved. That should hold true as
much for art as it does for any other academic area.
Kevan
[Kevan Nitzberg] -----Original Message-----
From: Occasm@aol.com [mailto:Occasm@aol.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 30, 2005 7:52 PM
To: ArtsEdNet Talk
Subject: Re: Kids Should NOT Fail Art......
I am still struggling with these things myself. My principal is
pushing for less subjective grading criteria and I personally think this
might be a good thing as it helps explain things to parents.
What do we think? On grading the end product.....
You have a student who says he's tried his hardest (as noted on his
self-assessment rubric), but still creates a poorly crafted and designed
piece. He was shown and explained the assignment's objectives and demos were
done both personally and as a group.
Another student produces a better designed and crafted piece, but
it still doesn't represent the super high-end work that is possible from
maybe a few in class.
Do both students get A's?
Personally, If they do,. I think I have a problem with that.
mike sacco
p.j. gelinas jhs
setauket, ny ---
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