Hi Rafael,
Great clarity is added when visuals are shared.
Patricia Scales
Because they will have a better comprehension of a group of topics, skills, and goals, including along the course.
Hi Deborah,
If you begin to keep old graded projects/assignments with students names marked out these things can serve as visual examples. Visual examples add great clarity.
Patricia Scales
I post student work on the walls of the class room to show new students the type and complexity of the projects I expect. It allows students whom have moved on in the coursework pride in their work and new students an example of the kind of work expected of them.
I belive it shows them your expectations and helps with reducing stress or concerns. It gives them a heads up and allows them to research and feel less intimidated.
I can tell them about course work that is upcoming and tell them alittle about the textbook itself and give the requirements/suggestions. But don't see how I can give examples unless you are talking about verbal examples.
Hi Nitsa,
You are on point! I can tell you do everything you can to help your students succeed. When you show and explain examples to students there is no room for misunderstanding.
Patricia Scales
Hi Nicholas,
Absolutely! Examples add great clarity, thus the student have a better understanding of the assignment.
Patricia Scales
Hi Phyllis,
Students understand better when they can see a visual as to what is expected of them.
Patricia Scales
Dear Patricia,
I have been teaching undergraduate psychology for four years now, and started offering examples of work for students almost immediately. Aside from remembering how useful examples were to my own academic career, I noticed early on that there was a tendency to interpret the directions of an assignment differently, based upon one's previous academic experience. For instance, the assignment of writing an outline for a research paper. While the specific assignment may call for a more developed outline (i.e., including an introduction, fully developed sentences with points referring back to the thesis, a conclusion, and list of references), I found that students tended to submit a "structural" outline consisting of one word ideas that they planned to develop later. I began offering more information on how to write an outline, including examples and an outline template, and was happy to see that most students enthusiastically followed the lead. As an instructor, I feel it is my duty to empower students; offering examples of work is one way to do this. It helps students reach their fullest potential (academic and otherwise) and feel capable of succeeding.
Sincerely,
Nitsa
By showing students examples of finished work, they then have clarity of the expectations, and they can monitor there own progress.
Hi Cynthia,
Great clarity is provided by using visuals!
Patricia Scales
Hi Robert,
I concur! Examples really prove to students that they can do it! I persoanlly think showing examples at various grade levels is a good idea. The student gets the full spectrum of failing work to excellent work.
Patricia Scales
Hi Stelian,
Students are not big fans of surprises. They like knowing up front exactly what is expected of them.
Patricia Scales
Hi Lennox,
Visual promotes a better understanding of clarity.
Patricia Scales
I think it is important to show them examples of the owrk - because it is concrete vs just talking about some nebulous assignment.
It clarifies what is expected from the students
Showing these examples doesn't just give students a clear understanding of what is expected of them; it also can inspire them and even reassure them that they ARE capable of producing quality work because they see that students just like them have produced quality work.
Additionally, I don't just provide examples of good/great student work (in my writing classes). Early in a course, I also show examples from the full range, from low-quality to high-quality. We do this in order to correlate the work with the assessment rubrics that I will be using throughout the course. That way they can see with concrete examples exactly what "C-level writing" looks like, or what "F-level writing" looks like. Without that correlation right in front of them, the rubric itself can seem vague and mysterious. I tell students that I want them to understand how I will use the rubric and what those individual criteria (like "vivid, specific details" or "few ineffective fragments") really refer to in their assignments.
Surprises are usually good, usuaslly!!
When it comes to student work, there is no such thing as a good surprise. Telling and showing a student job responsibilities sooner then later, will only help the student be effective, efficiant and productive.
It is important because it keep them engage and allow them to see what is expected of them.
