Listed below are summaries of workshop presentations I have been involved in recently.  Please contact me if you would like to discuss the topics or want additional information.

Creating a Manageable and Purposeful Classroom Assessment System, or, How to Stop Grading Papers and Improve Student Achievement

New England Association of Teachers of English Annual Conference, October 23, 2010

Taking a chapter (literally – Chapter 4) from my book, I invited participants to explore the perennial problem of classroom assessment.  In addition to sharing strategies for managing the paper load, we discussed the importance of developing an assessment philosophy and shared insights on the promises and perils of writing folders, portfolios, rubrics, tests, and other assessment tools.  A key point of the session was that  that teachers can accomplish more by grading less, focusing on feedback rather than judgment, improvement rather than error. Download the session agenda.

Rethinking Rubrics: A Professional Literature Discussion (with Cathy Nicastro)

New England Association of Teachers of English Annual Conference, October 24, 2009

This session was a discussion of the provocative ideas Maja Wilson raises in Rethinking Rubrics in Writing Assessment. Participants commented on the pluses and minuses of assessing writing with rubrics and shared their own experiences.  Download a summary of Maja Wilson’s book.

The American Novel (with others)

National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, November 21, 2009

This session was sponsored by the Assembly on American Literature, and I was one over several panelists presenting approaches to teaching major American novels.  My focus was Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man.  Download a handout on approaches to teaching the novel.

Differentiating without Dividing: Making Challenging Content Accessible to All through Affirming Instruction and Assessment (with Kristen Iverson)

National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention, November 21, 2009

This session was based on Chapter 10 of my book and focused on strategies for teaching high-level content in heterogeneous classes without segregating students by ability or creating impossible demands on oneself.  Download the session agenda.