Sean Arteaga

Importance of using a rubric to foster communication.

When creating a rubric, I would share my expectations for quality work in the area of content when giving assignments by sharing the rubric with my students from the beginning of class. I would also post any rubrics that are going to be needed in the class the day before the class starts. I would encourage students to ask any questions that they have regarding the assignment and the rubric before starting their assignment.

Disclosure of expectations benefits me and my students because it gives my students the ability to know what I am looking for in the content of their paper and how I am going to judge that particular area of their paper. Reviewing the content of the paper is where the facilitator of the course is given the chance to ensure that the student is meeting the learning goals of the course. When grading the content of the paper, a facilitator is able to use the content of the paper as proof of whether or not the student has completed the reading assignments. By checking for exceptional work in the content area, the facilitator is able to ensure that their students are able to demonstrate their knowledge of the subject matter.

If the content is deemed to be satisfactory, I would let him know exactly why I graded each part of his paper and scored it the way that I did. I would let the student know what they should have done in order to receive a higher score on each part of the paper. I would also suggest that the student re-read the assignments.
If the content falls under the category of "Needs Improvement", then it is the responsibility of the facilitator to reinforce the need for students to read the assignments. This helps promote the learning team purpose of building team competence. The facilitator needs to reinforce learning in the content area in order to ensure that the student will be a successful team member.

I would respond to a student who questions the purpose of a given assignment by reminding them of the connection between the assignment, what they have read, and how the knowledge gained from the assignment will help them in their work place. In my experience, and according to basic theory regarding andragogy, adult students are more motivated to learn if the learning task is going to be of some use to them in their work or home.

I could avoid that situation by creating a "learner-centered environment" from day one of the class. I would do this by establishing the proper adult-to-adult rapport from the beginning of the class. In my experience, this would help gain trust between me and my students. This trust would help me create a "participatory environment" where the students would become self-motivated to complete a given assignment. Another method that I would use in order to avoid that situation is to provide background information in order to help link the assignment to a real world situation that they may face at their place of employment. I would also make sure that the objectives of the assignment are clearly written out for the student in the course syllabus.