Correcting papers with red ink .

[XD40SC]

I agree with not keeping score in the elementry levels of sports. It's all about fun and keeping the children interested. I think the no score thing came from European soccer but I'm not sure. Once the kids get older than score keeping is an important thing but for 5 to 10 year olds, I don't think it's very important.

[drdougrx]

I must be in trouble now....over the last 2 weeks I've corrected and edited three masters theses using red pen (each about 100 pages).  Two of my three grad students said nothing.  My US born grad student wanted to know why I didn't use the track change function in Microsoft Word.  This is a function that allows you correct text by automatically typing in corrections while still showing the incorrect or edited text with a strike through line.  What this also allows is an auto accept of all corrections with a click of the mouse.

I told her, "If I spend the time correcting and editing your work...you'd better damn well read it and fix your copy."  She then said...."But it's just easier for me if YOU correct it and then all I have to do is click accept corrections!"  I said, "Exactly....."

[XD40SC]

I must be in trouble now....over the last 2 weeks I've corrected and edited three masters theses using red pen (each about 100 pages).  Two of my three grad students said nothing.  My US born grad student wanted to know why I didn't use the track change function in Microsoft Word.  This is a function that allows you correct text by automatically typing in corrections while still showing the incorrect or edited text with a strike through line.  What this also allows is an auto accept of all corrections with a click of the mouse.

I told her, "If I spend the time correcting and editing your work...you'd better damn well read it and fix your copy."  She then said...."But it's just easier for me if YOU correct it and then all I have to do is click accept corrections!"  I said, "Exactly....."

Yep- that's the difference between US and foreign students. At that level the know better- just lazy
My friend teaches Greek Literature at F&M university. He still gets papers done on multicolored paper with spelling errors.

[Conan The Librarian]

The important point is that they are still grading papers. I thought they quit doing that long ago because it is more important to record what the student feels about a test rather than how he performs.

[Matt3357]

They are still pretty good at putting red ink all over my tests, at least in mechanical engineering school.  They don't ask how I feel about it either, nor do they even listen if I try to tell them. 

Matt

[SHOOTALL]

They are still pretty good at putting red ink all over my tests, at least in mechanical engineering school.  They don't ask how I feel about it either, nor do they even listen if I try to tell them. 

Matt

you must be getting a good education the old fashion way 

[SHOOTALL]

The important point is that they are still grading papers. I thought they quit doing that long ago because it is more important to record what the student feels about a test rather than how he performs.

In some places they can't fail a student . I know because i was a teacher under these rules.

[gypsyman]

I remember back in the late 70's, we had a high school teacher work for us at our store part time. He taught in an inner city school in Toledo. Even though they graded papers and flunked a student if he didn't make the grade back then, he told us there were teachers that would on purpose, pass students, just to get them out of their class. Just got tired of seeing the same student after 2 years. Wouldn't matter if they used red ink or not. Without parental help, some kids are just unteachable. Well, I shouldn't say it quite like that. It's just that with the overwelming number of kids in that situation, a teacher doesn't stand a chance to help all of them. gypsyman

[Pat/Rick]

Wouldn't want to lower anybodies self esteem  . On to the next lesson.........."Billy has two mommies"......................

Or my favorite from when my kids were in middle school. The math teacher told me that the new way from california was "not if the problem has the right answer, but if the student can show you how he/she arrived at the answer". That did not last long after other parents got involved.

[Brett]

They are still pretty good at putting red ink all over my tests, at least in mechanical engineering school.  They don't ask how I feel about it either, nor do they even listen if I try to tell them. 

Matt

Yeah, but think how much better you would feel about yourself if the teachers marked up your papers with lavender ink.   

[SHOOTALL]

I agree with not keeping score in the elementry levels of sports. It's all about fun and keeping the children interested. I think the no score thing came from European soccer but I'm not sure. Once the kids get older than score keeping is an important thing but for 5 to 10 year olds, I don't think it's very important.

I disagree kids should learn that you get out of something what you put into it. They should learn they compete in life . That does not mean that every kid on a team cannot play each position and equal time . It means they need to see themselves in a real time mannor as compared to others not in a story book way. At a young age kids are soaking up all they see and hear , if they see BS thats what they learn. Better to understand where they are in the pecking order than to have it slammed in their face on the first job they get out of school.
 Or its better to cry and get over it at 9 than to fall apart at 20 and not be able to deal with it . IMHO .

[Mikey]

drdougrx - way to go buddy.  I like that response. 

[SHOOTALL]

I told her, "If I spend the time correcting and editing your work...you'd better damn well read it and fix your copy."  She then said...."But it's just easier for me if YOU correct it and then all I have to do is click accept corrections!"  I said, "Exactly....."
[/quote]

Hope she realized she just got some extra education for free !

[Eltweed]

My former department chair got into one of those "no red ink" ruts several yeras ago and quite buying red pens for the department.  Sam's Club was right next door and had lots of red pens for sale.  I kept a very good supply of them and never used anything else. 

I always was guided by the assumption that the students were there to try to learn something.   I gave them my best to help them do so.  Part of that was showing them where their mistakes were so they could learn from those mistakes.  They could build self esteem by working hard enough to get the answers right. 

Several old hands at the game gave me some advice early on by telling me that I would be doing the students no favors by passing them when they had failed or by rewarding them in any way for doing poor work.  All the students had an equal shot at passing as well as an equal shot at failing.  It was doing the students a great disservice to pass them when they had actually failed.

I did see a whole program fall to pieces when a new head came in and lowered the admission standards.  Graduates found that they were no longer doing well on certification tests.  Students started going to other schools for that program.

I taught several years in private high schools and generally had a bunch of parents complain about my demanding policies early in the year but thank me when graduation time came.  They were amazed and pleased that many of their children were not as stupid as they thought they were.  It also amazed and pleased the children.

   

[XD40SC]

It has been proven may times- a student/ person will rise to the level expected of them. Lower your standards and they lower theirs. Just ask someone in the military how it works.

[Sourdough]

XD40SC:  Yep, that's right.