Rubrics Part 2: Is it the discussion rather than the rubric that helps?
I've been thinking about the comments I've got to my last post on 'The search for meaning: can a rubric help?
Maybe it's less a case of Does a rubric help? and more a question of Does having a community discuss a rubric help?!
My colleague Karen LaBonte suggests that, no matter how collaboratively contructed, "all rubrics are a way we deceive ourselves and our students about everything from issues of power in the classroom and who doesn't have it (hello, Foucault) to the myth that objective assessment is possible".
Karen has suggested to me that it's more honest to acknowledge that it's the teacher who (no matter how experienced and knowledgeable) is making a subjective judgement, and that this should be reflected in the rubric.
I like this point and have had a go at amending the rubric as follows:
