Through researching and creating a digital resource on grading

participation, some of the key things that I have learned about assessment
are the positive aspects associated with grading participation and learning,
as well as, the potential issues associated with it. I also perceived a parallel
in many of the points related to this issue to the new paradigm of teaching
and learning. Participation is defined as the act of taking part in something
or being involved and effort is putting in hard work. One of the main insights
I have gained from this research is that both of these attributes reflect active
learning. To actively learn you must be involved and put forth effort. This is
one reason that it is important to encourage and assess those attributes,
because it not only teaches the importance of those attributes but also
strengthens the learning that is happening with content and knowledge. The
new paradigm also supports the use of multiple forms of assessment. Using
both objective and subjective grading methods can act as checks and
balances for each other, creating a more fair assessment and stressing the
importance of both knowledge, as well as, skills and attributes. Stitt and
Pula (2014) outlined steps for appropriately implementing subjective grades,
such as that for participation and effort, in their article supporting the use of
both objective and subjective grading in the classroom. These steps were
very basic, but outlined a few key points to take into consideration.
Participation marks should only be implemented into suitable places, such as
group work, and should be inserted into current trends and routines in the
classroom. Additionally, participation marks should be used as a formative
tool to assess participation and learning, or as a minority of the total
summative marks. One possible method of appropriate implementation
could be a formative peer or self-assessment of participation over the course
of a specific project. However, awarding minor summative grades for
participation may further promote students to take part. The issue of
grading participation also challenges the old paradigm in that it
demonstrates a value in the attributes associated with learning, not just
knowledge and content itself.

There are aspects of the research I completed for this project that both
challenge and affirm my understandings about assessment, including the
balance of objective and subjective grading and the relationship to fair, valid,
and reliable assessment. As a beginning practicum student, my personal
philosophy will continue to grow and develop with the new knowledge and
understanding I gain, and will likely continue to change throughout the
beginning of my teaching career; therefore gaining new understanding
through projects such as this help me to shape my own teaching philosophy.
Before beginning my research, I previously believed in grading attributes
such as participation and effort because I believe in rewarding hard work.
The research I have done has affirmed these understandings and beliefs. I
believe in marking participation because I believe in teaching not only
content, but skills. I also believe that grading these attributes brings a level
of authenticity to the classroom because these are things that will help
students to be successful both inside and outside of the classroom. Prior to
my research, I was also aware of some potential issues with marking
participation and effort, but through my research I have learned many new
issues that challenge my beliefs- but do not change them. I have become
aware of new things to take into consideration if implementing subjective
grading. Some of these issues include student personality, competition,
relevancy, and evidence. However, I do believe that giving minor grades for
participation and effort can act to increase fairness in grading if done with
these issues in mind. For example, a student who tries their hardest but
cannot seem to grasp the content should be rewarded for their hard work to
encourage that effort and hopefully work towards grasping the content,
rather than penalizing them for not understanding the content and
discouraging them from working hard in other areas. Encouraging effort and
participation not only enforces valuable skills, but these skills will also
positively impact knowledge, as well. These understandings are also linked
to valid and reliable assessment.

Some of the potential issues outlined previously must also be

considered in the light of validity and reliability. Teachers must be careful
when awarding subjective grades to only consider factors relevant to
learning. Likewise, teachers must not mark based on external factors such
as participation in another class or SES, but only mark what is meant to be
evaluated to control construct validity. The main potential issue relating to
reliability is evidence, or lack thereof. Grading attributes such as
participation and effort can be hard to prove and reliable evidence is difficult
to provide for support or dispute of grades. Peer or self-assessment of these
attributes may also bring up the issue of reliability because students may
falsely grade a peer based on external factors, such as whether or not they
are friends or competition for grades. Because of this, it is a good idea to
only use peer or self-assessment as formative tools.
The value of this learning for the ongoing development of my personal
theory of teaching and learning is that through my research I have affirmed
my beliefs of the positive outcomes of grading participation and effort, but
have also become aware of issues to consider. I will teach students both
content knowledge, as well as, attributes such as participation, effort, etc. I
find authentic value in teaching a well-rounded spectrum of what is needed
in the real world. Students will learn the value of participation and effort
through group work and projects along with knowledge. I will assess
students on knowledge, skills and attributes with potential issues of validity,
reliability, and fairness in mind. That being said, I believe assessing
students knowledge, as well as, effort a more balanced and fair approach to
encourage and reward effort for more substantial learning.
One thing about this assignment you should know is that I found it to
be very applicable knowledge that we will use when going out into
practicum. I think the resources that we now have from sharing our digital
resources with the class will be valuable tools when in practicum.