I prefer to write comments and questions on work before I hand it back. I've done this with a few longer assignments. I usually ask a question about something the student wrote or make a comment about how it connects to me. I also try to comment on the neatness and effort I see in the work. Our students also have reading logs they are supposed to write in a few days a week during writing time. My favorite thing to do is walk around a read their short entries and write a comment or question right in front of them.
Finally, yesterday I gave a student a "shout out" in front of the whole class because I was so impressed by the effort I saw in her work. Effort is something we are working very hard on in our classroom, as we have a few students who prefer to spend approximately zero time on their assignments. But, this student had taken the time to neatly and completely answer each question with complete, thoughtful sentences. I asked her permission to show her work under the document camera to highlight the parts I thought were so impressive.
One thing I take away from your reflection is that you distinguish between skills and content--that's a good thing. Students are less likely to takes risks with their thinking (and writing) if they equate success with great penmanship, accurate spelling, and spot on mechanics. While those last three features of writing are important, they are by no means a priority with homework or in-class work (at least, they shouldn't be). Writing questions in response to students' work is an effective way to show that what they completed made you think, or wonder about something. Those "marginal dialogues" (conversation on the margins of a piece of paper) can move kids' thinking forward. Consider how you would evaluate whether or not kids are attending to the questions you ask, or the comments you make.
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