In case you missed it, this post is the second installment in a series called “SBG Hacks”. The purpose of this series is to share with you some of the small things I do in my classroom to make my standards-based grading system run smoothly.
In late 2012, a group of prominent researchers gathered in the mountains of Colorado for a momentous summit on science education (see image 1). Sequestered away for 5 days, these researchers debated one of the most critical facets of teacher knowledge.
I was thinking about what I do as a chemistry teacher that is unique and other teachers might be interested in and it usually comes back to standards-based grading (SBG).
I want to share a strategy that I have implemented in my classes this year and has been very helpful in establishing relevance to topics taught and in making connections between topics taught within a unit.
A few years ago, the faculty in our department at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania decided to switch to an atoms first approach to the General Chemistry course.
I think that most people can recall someone whom we considered to be a great teacher. The kind of person who inspired us and motivated us to learn. As I started my career, I remember wondering what kind of teacher my students thought I was. I wondered if I was a great teacher.
It is often said that writing is a window into a person’s thinking. As teachers, we must know what our students are thinking in regards to the concepts we teach.
