Todd Narrol

Teaching Accountability

Accountability was the theme I established for my classroom. Students were required to calculate an updated grade each time they got an assignment, quiz, or test back. I even went as far as to check their calculations against my spreadsheet to ensure that they were doing this; credit was given for doing so accurately. Students quickly learned that they were not given a grade in my class, rather they earned exactly what they deserved. I am also including some documentation of my Create a Country Project as a sample of how I used Project Based Instruction to aid in the process of holding all students accountable for their own learning.

I spent nine years teaching and really enjoyed the experience. I continue to use the lessons learned on a daily basis. My basic philosophy included two key components, accountability and modifying the learning experience to meet a wide variety of ability levels and learning styles. To hold students accountable, I required that they keep track of their own grade and be aware of it at all times. I checked their grade trackers every two weeks and assigned a score for their accuracy or lack thereof.

In order to help students learn at their own pace I would often use projects which facilitated the accentuation of individual learning styles and abilities. One of my favorites was was the Create a Country project. After teaching students about various styles of governments and economies, I had students apply their knowledge by creating their own country. They chose the style of government and economy along with the many other cultural aspects that define a nation. The students loved it and could create a country that reflected their own abilities and learning style. After creating their countries, the students took great pride in presenting it to the rest of the class.

Todd Narrol

Teaching

Teaching Accountability

Your browser is out-of-date!