-> SK> If you would care to, I would be interested to hear SK> some of
-> the specific SK> "Deming" practices that you are using in your SK>
-> classroom and the results SK> which you have observed and interpret
-> as "moderate success". While I
-> One Deming practice is team work, I have used teamwork on projects to
-> help students work together for each others' benefit.

If I am understanding you correctly, the term "teamwork" which you are
using is a synonym for "cooperative learning" which requires group
interdependence? If I'm not correct on that, please elaborate on the
difference.
-> Generally, I don't accept papers under a "B" unless the student
-> absolutely refuses my help or is suspended.
This is a great idea that I have heard of before. Unfortunately, I can't
realistically implement an idea like this one in my classroom with the
number of students that I have. Besides which, I've recently become
aware that this is something our admin might not approve of! (I was
surprised, since I thought that they would always be in favor of kids
getting good grades.) I heard one teacher talking at the lunch table
about how she allows her math students to "re-test" and our asst.
principal in charge of academics, who was also eating with us at the
table, raised her eyebrows and questioned what the teacher meant by
that. I could tell that in general she didn't approve of the re-test
idea. (I'm sure any objection she has to it goes back to "fairness"
issues and parents or students complaining that one teacher does this
type of thing while another does not.) Comes out that re-testing is a
privelege earned in this teacher's class by coming in for tutoring
outside of class and learning the problems that one missed on the test.
Then one is allowed to retest. Since she only teaches basic courses like
Pre-Algebra and Algebra I, this is probably fine. I know that many of
her kids don't take advantage of this opportunity that she offers. This
is her way of offering "extra credit" and is the only form of "extra
credit" that she offers.
For myself, I couldn't keep up with the correcting work. As it is, I
have a pile of papers across the room I should be working on right now.
(I've managed to avoid them so far this vacation, but I'm going to have
to get down to it today.)
I'm curious, even though you accept no work lower than a B, do you ever
have students who refuse to do the work? What grade do you give them? A
zero?
-> I like to build pride in work done (a Deming principle) and to
-> encourage students to aim high in their work.  This builds real
-> self-esteem, based on actual work accomplished.
I like to do this, too. Although I probably don't go about it the way
you do. I don't have too many good ideas on how to do this other than
some of the lectures I give, and praise for good work.
Sheila
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