Handouts are available below

Big Idea

Strength based comments take a lot of time to write. Recently, it took me 7 hours to enter the comments for each of my students in 6 science classes. It takes this long for a number of reasons: it’s difficult to find comments that match the strength based comments format from traditional comment banks; and, most teachers don’t think about comments until the end of the term or school year – and, as a result, we’re left scrambling to remember what students are strong and weak in. After my 7-hour experience with comments this time, I figured out that I had it all backwards when it comes to comments – and that I can potentially produce strength based comments for my students by starting with comments first (ie. at the beginning of the year/term).

Episode Notes

• Strength Based comments emphasize a student’s capabilities and aptitudes. Comments about a student will be individualized, specific, and may include the student’s own voice.

• One framework for Strength Based comments has teachers write comments for the following 3 categories for each student: (1) Strengths, (2) Areas for Further Development, and (3) Ways to Support Learning at Home.

• Using a template of prompts from the Yukon ministry of education to come up with a range of comments for each category, I write a list of comments that speaks to the skills and concepts we covered and practiced this term. Then, I copy and paste the full of comments for each student. And, as I go through each student’s report card, I delete the comments that do not apply to that particular student.

• To save time next reporting period, work backwards and come up with the range of comments at the beginning of the term. This will not only help focus my teaching but will also help focus what I’ll be looking for in each student. Then, at the end of term, it will be faster to delete all those that don’t apply.

Thanks for watching, and let’s talk science education again soon.

Resources

Handout(s): Ep61 Handouts – Save Time Writing Strength Based Comments By Starting Them in September

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