ok...about the boards

I'm really addressing the E3H-ers and E2H-ers here, as the CW-ers have been using the blog only in spots and will continue to do so, but I wonder if I might take a moment to address a few things that might be misconceptions or misapprehensions. I would be delighted to start a conversation and listen to your feedback. As we've taken tons of class time on nuts and bolts issues already, though, would you mind terribly if we do it here? Just respond to this post as a comment if you'd like, and we can open things for discussion.

(Parents, if you wish to add something, go right ahead. It's everyone's forum.)

First of all, I'm pretty impressed with they way that a lot of you are taking to the board discussions. However, that is not, of course, universal. As you can easily note from both the posts themselves and your grades for the first sessions, not everyone is as focused as perhaps I'd like them to be I tried to address that in class, but let me do so again and extend what I said before.

First of all, I gave you the option of mitgating weak initial efforts. No one needed to be stuck with a poor first grade; I did not want that. I simply wanted to open up the concept of the boards, which we will be using on many occasions in many ways this year, and get you used to them. In E2H, I offered a full-class redo. In E3H, where the issue was less severe, I offered extra credit if you asked for it. And I was, I think, outrageously nice about that too: those who sought amelioration were told to write a two page analytical essay on the poem that they had already prepped with their group for discussion tomorrow. It wouldn't be the full grade, but it would definitely help a lot.

(Yes, before you even ask: go ahead. Do it. Even if you didn't seek me out. But do it tonight. And know that I'm not likely to be this nice again.)

So anyway...

I have tried to explain this before, but let me try again in case you do not fully understand: what are we doing these boards for?

First, I think you need to appreciate that the boards are not a replacement for in-class discussion. They are intended to be a supplement to it, a springboard to further discussion, an opportunity for those who did not get their say to express opinions, a way to probe each other's brains for ideas and bounce ideas off of each other, and a very informal exercise in group analytical writing.

They are also not supposed to consume half of your night (unless I suppose you are Christian or Bonamico). If I ask you to post, I am cognizant of that fact and I do not also give other HW due the same day. Posting involves some reading--though not as much as some of you seem to think. (There is no reason to believe that you need to be involved in every single thread that is out there. If you can, more power to you, but that is above and beyond the call.) Become involved in those threads that you find most interesting, just as in Writing Workshop you don't try to edit everyone's piece in the entire room.

There is no reason why a night's posting assignment should take longer than 30-45 minutes, an hour at most, unless you get involved in things and allow it to, which is of course your choice.

Besides, it is very rare that I ever give a posting assignment over a single night, or even two nights. Usually there is at least a weekend, and that almost always means an automatic five days because of workshop extensions. An hour of posting a couple of times over that kind of period really doesn't seem like much.

But...

Maybe it does to some of you. Goodness knows that I was frustrated when I saw all those folks with four posts in two weeks. I didn't expect everyone to have 120, but 4? I don't think you have really given it a fair try. But once you do, maybe you will find that it is not your best assessment tool or discussion tool. But the reality is that you almost definitely will be using this kind of board in college, and getting used to it now is a good opportunity to get ahead. Still, there will likely be with some sort of alternative later on.

The boards are not the only means we have of assessment. They are not even the most important, though they are of course significant. In the unit we are currently in, for instance, the Poetry Unity, we have had one board grade (posted) and one essay (to be posted). There will be another (lesser) board grade attached to what you are now doing and an essay based on some Sound and Sense poems and concepts. And then there will be a creative project. There might be other things, but that is at least five grades, only two of which are boards, and those will only account for maybe 20-25% of the unit grade.

I understand that a few of you are frustrated because the boards seem so important. But they are only a part of things: something has to be the first grade, and the boards just happen to be what I scored first. When all is said and done, they are just one of many different kinds of tools we use.

Does that help answer questions? Do you have others? Should we continue this discussion? Just comment and add you thoughts. It's open forum time.

J: short! Music: Short People--Randy Newman