Having the 2 teachers come and discuss rubrics along with their project based learning showed me just how important the rubrics are. I was previously thinking they were much more work than they are worth, but I now see it is a way to be fair to everyone, along with keeping the grading consistent.
Their first-hand experience with both the PBL and rubrics were very eye-opening. It is extremely helpful to see the strategies we are learning put to use in a real-life classroom.
I definitely plan to use PBL in my classroom, and will be sure to use a rubric in order to keep it fair for all students. I wonder what the difference is when you do not use a rubric? What are the guidelines for grading? Is the teacher just being subjective? I don’t remember ever having rubrics presented to me while growing up. I wonder how my teachers measured what grade I earned?
Kelly, I love that you wondered “how did my teachers measure what grade I earned?” Chances are, they did not use a rubric. Their evaluation of your work was a subjective measurement based upon their their unwritten expectations. The biggest take-away I get from what you noticed is that rubrics provide a way to “keep it fair for all students.” Mic drop.
Thank you for your reflection.