Tong Zhang
Assignments & Activities Archive
Activity Description
Rubrics, often perceived as scoring devices, are pivotal in assessing students’ writing proficiency. Effectively utilizing rubrics can improve grading efficiency and consistency, guiding students in reflecting on their learning and comprehending the teacher’s feedback. Although rubrics are commonly used in writing classrooms, students may find them unclear as they are typically constructed solely by teachers or other evaluators. Consequently, students may struggle with understanding the content of a rubric and rarely have opportunities to share their input in constructing it, which undermines the potential of using rubrics as teaching and learning tools. Can any approach improve the transparency of the rubric while also including student voice in its creation? My answer is yes: implementing teacher-student rubric co-construction as a formative assessment activity can address these concerns. This approach enhances the clarity of learning expectations by involving students in the creation of criteria through communication and negotiation with teachers.