Marking and Moderation - Should Come Hand in Hand

Having a Senior class is a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. If a teacher has never taught an NCEA or SACE class, they often cannot comprehend the hours that go into giving feedback and marking assignments. To give detailed feedback and have 1:1 meetings with the kids on top of general teaching and learning takes a lot of time, energy and effort. Thankfully I actually enjoy this part of my role (I just wish it didn't send me to bed late or force me to get up at stupid o'clock sometimes). 

One of the pieces of feedback that I received last semester (and continue to receive) is that I "mark too harshly". This is something I take really seriously, because I genuinely try my best to mark directly against the marking criteria, to leave justified feedback to support my grades and I compare my grades and justifications against exemplars. The final stage, which I always find valuable, is the moderation process. Throughout the year Cass (the other Y12 teacher) and I have met several times to moderate each other's classes. We would send 3-4 assignments from our classes to each other, mark them independently and then have a chat together with what grade we gave and why. I like the rich discussion that we have and how this can encourage us to read/view things from another perspective, or to see the variety of examples or pieces of evidence that can be used in support of different criteria.

Because final SACE grades are due to be submitted in a couple of weeks, Cass and I were released from our afternoon classes to spend a few hours together this afternoon. It was interesting that we agreed on a majority of grades but there was one specific criterion which we viewed vastly differently. What I thought evidence for this criterion may look like differed quite a bit from Cass. This meant that our expectations differed and so did our grades. Surprisingly though, it wasn't like Cass gave A's and for the same I gave C's - they varied a lot. We asked for feedback from another Health teacher in another school, to eliminate the possibility of bias of the students and they were also blind to which grades Cass and I gave. She came back basically with a mixture of thoughts of what Cass and I had discussed! So, we could reevaluate and slightly alter our feedback and justifications, and change grades if needed. This really highlighted the importance of moderating - something that needs to happen more often, in my opinion.

I have created the alongside with some of the many positive reasons for moderating. While creating the infographic, I referred to this resource, which has a lot more information about why we should moderate and what should be moderated. 

Prejudice & Misconceptions

"We've got to stop trying to fix our kids, because our kids are not what's broken. We have a very broken system."

These words from Dr Michelle Johansson really left me thinking during (and following on from) her webinar last month (hosted by PENZ) - 'What will it take to change the world for Young Brown Scholars?' As I pondered some of her key messages, our staff also had the opportunity for Anton Blank to present to us about Racism, Bias and Wellbeing.

There were many crossovers within these presentations, but they both highlighted the prejudice and misconceptions many have about Māori people. The unfortunate stereotype in society is that our brown faces are poor and dumb. And because they are 'poor and dumb', society treats them this way. It is appalling that we have created this prejudice, but horrific that this has become normalised and accepted by many. 

As teachers, we have a significant role and opportunity to challenge these preconceived ideas. To defy them. To interrupt the ongoing cycle. 

But to start, Anton suggested we are aware of our unconscious bias. When you think something, do you consider where that idea has come from? Do you challenge the idea? Do you critically break down where/how/why that idea even existed in your mind? Over the last week or so, I have been trying to answer these questions, to challenge my own thinking and bias.

I was surprised by some of the findings that Anton discussed, related to the disconnect between teachers and students. Even though there wasn't supposed to be this disconnect, and many of the teachers believed they were inclusive of all learners, the students commented that their teachers often asked Asian and Pākeha students to answer questions. This has encouraged me to more intentionally consider who I am asking to demonstrate learning or to give examples.

Some additional strategies that were recommended included; breaking up the 'in' groups (those who may not be considered as a minority), ensuring Māori students are all around the room (not just at the back), and educate about prejudice and misconceptions to encourage students to think about their own bias!