Over the last few weeks, I’ve been honing my alternative grading methods course and now have a total of forty different approaches to traditional grading.
But the good news … I’ll be writing a textbook based upon these methods this summer and into the fall months.
I’m beyond stoked to have this opportunity.
Grading essays is the bane of an English teacher’s existence. But there’s a better way that not only accelerates the process - there’s a way that enables students to grow and mature as writers.
This past weekend, I finished up an alternative grading workshop with an English department in Ohio. Together, we aligned their curriculum, equipped them with my templates, and situated them with a heavy arsenal of alternative methods.
Here are a few words with regards to the department’s experience with the alternative grading portion of the workshop.
[Samantha Bailer] “At first, I thought Kristian was in left-field … like way out there! His approach is so untraditional it kind of threw me for a loop. But it so makes sense. Put the onus on the student. Have them do the heavy lifting. It’s their learning after all. My putting gobs of comments on their papers does absolutely nothing. It’s a complete waste of time. I couldn’t believe that we graded a class set of 26 papers in an hour. Unreal. And the feedback was better and the students actually learned a lot more about writing doing it this way.”
Samantha’s colleague, Brad Faller, had a similar experience.
“This is my second year teaching, and it’s not getting any easier. I’m swamped all the time and barely staying afloat. The templates are unbelievable. The Masterclass Library is a life-saver. And the alternative grading practices are heaven sent. I honestly think that I’ll have a life next year. I’m looking forward to implementing these things right from day one next year. I’m actually looking forward to it.”
I love hearing testimonials like this. This is the whole reason why I do what I do. There is an easier softer way. We don’t need to drive ourselves mad with the demands of planning and grading.
Life is waiting for us to rejoin her!
If you’d like to learn more about my courses, please reach out to me. I’d be more than happy to give you a quick overview.
For now, happy teaching and happy writing!
Kristian
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