Richard Braddock in "Research in Written Composition" presents his essay about the do's and don'ts of researching student compositions in the format of an actual report. He starts the essay by saying, "Reading a report, like driving over a bridge, is an act of faith- faith that the other fellow has done his job well" (193). But, after reading the article it seems that the readers of composition reports are approaching a rickety bridge visibly hanging from its last rusted nail.
There are so many variables and subjective areas in composition that it seems nearly impossible to write a report on any aspect of it. Which brings up another issue of grading, and the endless debate of how to grade art. Braddock lists seven assumptions a person should have when evaluating grades from one professor, and in this list he describes the extent of grading subjectivity. He states: "But a student's course grade may have been lowered for failure to do assignments, for cutting class, for poor work in the reading aspect of the course, for failure to take part in enough class discussion, for being personally obnoxious, for being in the class of a severe grader, etc." (208). Of course, no one expects every professor to grade the same way, but the issue is one teacher grading students differently based on the "obnoxiousness" or brown nosing of a student. And then professors wonder why students try to give them what they want instead of using their own creativity and rules in their writing.
Another variable that is as equally important to the attitude of the investigator is the type of student. How does lack of sensitivity to diverse students not only affect their desire to try, but attitude towards the professor. Maybe the obnoxious student is purposely acting out because they don't relate to anything the teacher is saying, and in turn doesn't think the professor cares about their ideas or culture. We addressed this topic briefly in class, and Braddock also mentions it as part of his assignment variable. He states: "Finally, investigators should be mindful of a possible motivational factor in the topic assigned. How many students will write their best when asked to deal with hackeyed topics like 'My Vacation' or 'My Autobiography'?" (198) He goes on to say it's probably not a good idea to have students write about whatever they want, because their is no restrictions to base the grading on and no way to grade the essays against each other. In class we discussed a composition class for only African-Americans. Then you get into issues like: Who is classified as "African-American" Why do they need a class of their own? Are you suggesting they learn differently or that they need special attention? Didn't we outlaw "separate but equal" a long time ago? Should they be graded on a different scale than other students? All in all, most teachers will agree grading art is a tricky line to cross, yet in the end it has to be done.
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It's so true; grading writing is one of the most maddeningly subjective parts of teaching English. As hard as I try to not let other factors affect me when I grade (the student's behavior in class, my mood at the time, etc.), it's definitely not like grading multiple choice tests!
ReplyDeleteGrading written compositions is difficult and hopefully the race, behavior, etc. of the student would not play a part. I remember in an education class last year here at the university a discussion of whether a good essay should be graded down because the student did not go though the pre-writing, revising and editing steps required in the rubric. I did not feel then nor do I now that a student should be graded down in this event. Some people vehemently disagreed. The instructor was on the fence. To me it is kind of like giving a student an F who gets all math problems right without showing the steps. We might want the student to be able to do these things to ensure the very best effor and reflection but people produce their work differently from one another. Doesn't the end result count? Rubrics for composition writing I thought were often way to exacting and made it very difficult to grade within a reasonable time period. Much broader more open minded rubrics that encourage art in writing are needed in our schools. Otherwise the teacher is drowning in correcting conventions and a formulaic approach to writing that is also very discouring to the innovative writer.
ReplyDeleteI agree that grading writing is a frustrating ordeal. To make sure I am as fair to a student as possible I will not look at the name on essays until after I have given the piece a grade. If I grade too many papers at once, I will notice that I begin to grade harder or more lenient depending on my mood. Grading art is very difficult and everyone has their own preference. I almost think it unfair that one essay should be subjected to the preferences of one grader. At least students should be able to benefit from experiencing a broader range of writing instructors.
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