A Unilateral Grading Contract to Improve Learning and Teaching [co-written with Jane Danielewicz]

Regular grading is a problem for many reasons--but most of all because it so often harms the climate for teaching and learning. In this essay we describe and explain a contract grading system that we have found extremely beneficial to teaching and learning. It\u27s a hybrid system. Students are guaranteed a B if they do all the things laid out in the contract. The teacher gives evaluative feedback as usual, but no teacher judgment can endanger the guaranteed grade. Grades higher than B, however, depend on teacher judgments of writing quality. The central leverage lies in designing a set of activities that--if engaged in over fourteen weeks--will get all students to improve enough to deserve a B

POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES: LESSONS FROM BABAN RAFI, NIGER

This paper is divided into six chapters. The first introduces the central issue under investigation: the hypothesized relation between devolution of authority over natural resources and the sustainable exploitation of those resources. This chapter also provides a discussion of the research methodology employed in the course of the investigation. Chapters 2 and 3 constitute a unit compiling a broad composite of social and (to a lesser degree) physical traits relevant to locally prevailing resource exploitation practices and patterns. Thus chapter 2 consists of a detailed physical and social profile of the site of Baban Rafi, while chapter 3 focuses on past and present resource use and tenure systems. Chapters 4 and 5 address the broad institutional issues that, it is argued, will substantially determine the potential for success of policies based on devolution of forest resource use and management rights. Such issues include present and past legislation and policy, the nature and strength of state structures, state-civil society relations, social structures and organization, intercultural relations, and markets. Chapter 4 describes the institutional and policy environment from a national perspective, while chapter 5 investigates the composition and impact of institutions at the site of Baban Rafi. Chapter 6 summarizes the findings and states the conclusions of the study. This chapter comments especially on policy issues and warns of the potential dangers inherent in the uncritical translation of theory into policy.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Tension band wiring for simple olecranon fractures: evaluation of surgical technique

Abstract Background In some settings, specific techniques for open reduction and internal fixation are preferred based on the eminence of a surgeon or professional organization. An emphasis on technical aspects of surgery that are not proved superior and vary substantially from surgeon to surgeon can be confusing for trainees. This study applied a numerical grading of the technical aspects of tension band wire (TBW) fixation for olecranon fracture; assessed the interobserver agreement of each criterion; and measured the correlation of the technical grading and objective and subjective long-term outcomes. Materials and methods Forty observers were invited to rate the technical aspects of TBW fixation of the olecranon on 26 post-operative radiographs. The interobserver reliability of the rating was measured using the intra-class correlation coefficient. The correlation between the rating and motion, Mayo elbow performance index, and disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand score was tested with the Spearman’s rank correlation test. Results None of the figure-of-eight TBW constructs were considered perfect according to the numerical grading: the majority of observers found three deviations per fixation. The interobserver agreement was only fair for the total number of deviations and no correlation between the number of deviations and long-term objective and subjective outcome was found. Conclusions A rating of the technical aspects of TBW for olecranon fractures was unreliable and did not correlate with subjective and objective outcomes. Emphasis on specific technical aspects of fixation might be confusing for trainees and could distract them from the principles of effective treatment. Level of evidence Level IV diagnostic study

Navigating 'the pit of doom': Affective responses to teaching 'grammar'

publication-status: Publishedtypes: ArticleThis article presents the outcomes of a study investigating current secondary English teachers' beliefs about grammar teaching, and illustrates the salience of teachers' emotional response to the issue. Interviews with 31 teachers reveal two discourses which frame the ways in which teachers express their feelings: a dominant discourse of grammar as threatening, reactionary and dull, and an oppositional discourse which positions grammar as inspiring, fascinating, and empowering. The influence of these discourses on practice is explored, along with examples of how attitudes can change as a result of participation in a research project. © 2012 National Association for the Teaching of English

Locating the Social and Political in Secondary School Literacy

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/88064/1/RRQ.33.1.6.pd

A Unilateral Grading Contract to Improve Learning and Teaching

Contract grading has achieved some prominence in our field as a practice associated with critical pedagogy. In this context we describe a hybrid grading contract where students earn a course grade of B based not on our evaluation of their writing quality but solely on their completion of the specified activities. The contract lists activities we've found most reliable in producing B-quality writing over fourteen weeks. Higher grades are awarded to students who produce exemplary portfolios. Thus we freely give students lots of evaluative feedback on their writing, but students can count on a course grade of B if they do all the required activities--no matter our feedback. Our goal in using contracts is to enable teachers and students to give as much attention as possible to writing and as little as possible to grades. (Contains 17 notes.

Canadian Orthopaedic Residents Perception of Their Needs in Elbow Surgery Teaching

Introduction: The aim of this paper is to guide training program and review course curriculum planning in elbow disorders. To this end, a nationwide email survey was administered to residents’ in orthopaedic surgery training programs.Material and Methods: The survey had 12 items that examined learning needs in several domains: assessment of acute and chronic elbow disorders, treatment of elbow disorders and the perceived effectiveness of various practical skills simulation sessions. A rank order list of learning needs was created. Results: Eighty-eight of 351 residents completed the survey (25%). Ninety percent of respondents thought that a one-day course would be helpful. The majority of residents felt comfortable evaluating acute traumatic elbow disorders.  Their level of comfort was lower in treatment of elective disorders, with only 4% of residents comfortable managing posterior interosseous nerve and 5% comfortable managing chronic elbow instability. Only 24% of residents were comfortable treating terrible triad injuries.Conclusions: Residents reported a need for additional education in elbow surgery; especially for elective disorders. Educational needs were clustered in several areas including surgical approaches, ligament repair, and surgical management of fracture dislocations

Looking Again at Clarity in Philosophy: Writing as a Shaper and Sharpener of Thought

Bryan Magee's recent paper ‘Clarity in Philosophy’ argues that instead of focusing on clarity at the sentence level, writers should emphasize formulating their ideas clearly before any writing takes place. In part using text-analysis of three well-known philosophers, I will uphold Magee's assertion that clear writing is not necessary in order to be considered a great philosopher. On the other hand, I will challenge his ideas regarding the relationship between language and cognition by reflecting on ways in which writing aids the development of ideas