Comments on: Are You Helpful or Nitpicking?

By: Janice Campbell

Janice Campbell — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:04:59 +0000

In reply to Nadene. I'm glad you stopped by to comment! I definitely believe in using rubrics or a mark scheme. It makes everything clear, and is such an encouraging way to measure progress. I also like the idea of using pencil. Your youngest is a wise girl!

By: Nadene

Nadene — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:31:30 +0000

I really love your blog – just found it recently and already find myself quoting you!
When I was a public school teacher, I would focus mainly on the objectives for the lesson and only nitpick 1 paragraph for grammar or language use and spelling.
Using a mark scheme also helps. I attached a small block of paper to the front page of every assignment with the mark allocations. This way the students could easily identify areas of weaknesses or strengths.
Now that I hoemschool, my youngest insists that I only mark in pencil. She hates seing her mistakes! She corrects everything and then I may mark in pen. Isn’t that actually what we want to achieve?

By: Jimmie

Jimmie — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 12:55:31 +0000

"Always evaluate the ideas and concepts of any paper in any subject before considering the mechanics. If the student can’t communicate ideas adequately, it doesn’t matter whether or not his sentences are perfectly spelled and punctuated– they won’t be worth reading. Writing is about communication, not about dotting i’s and crossing t’s. Keep priorities straight!" AMEN! I totally agree with this. And I've found that if I DO stick with the communication issues (rather than mechanics), my daughter will spy many of the errors later on her own as she continues to work with the paper. That gives her a much greater feeling of accomplishment than my pointing them out. I am new to your blog. I came from a link at Practical Pages.

By: Mom ~ The Narration Scribe « Practical Pages

Mom ~ The Narration Scribe « Practical Pages — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:39:27 +0000

[…] Janice Campbell asks in her article Are you helpful or nitpicking? […]

By: Kim @ In Our Write Minds

Kim @ In Our Write Minds — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:37:15 +0000

Such great advice, Janice. I agree with all your ideas, but I especially appreciate the advice to direct comments at the paper, not at the child.

In all my years of teaching writing, I’ve learned that children (well, all of us, really) hold their writing with clenched fist. They view each piece as an extension of themselves, believing “if you criticize my writing, you criticize me.”

So don’t just go on a red-pen rampage, searching out every error. Instead, identify things your child did well, and praise his efforts. That goes a long way toward sweetening any suggestions he may otherwise perceive as criticism.

By: » You’re Not Nitpicking, Are You? Taking Time for Things That Matter

» You’re Not Nitpicking, Are You? Taking Time for Things That Matter — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:52:17 +0000

[…] Be sensitive to each student’s abilities and don’t overwhelm a struggling student with too much negative feedback at once. Focus on the most important thing for the moment. There will be other days to fix other things. Read more…. […]

By: uberVU - social comments

uberVU - social comments — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 01:12:44 +0000

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This post was mentioned on Twitter by everydayedu: Homeschool moms: When you evaluate your student’s work, are you helpful or nitpicking? Here are a few thoughts: http://ow.ly/1amT1…