Each year I poll them, hoping they will tell me to cut back on my comments, but they never do. Of course, any method for giving student feedback has its own pros and cons, but I always come back to this method because my students consistently tell me it works. Yet, my list is a good place for you to start. You will inevitably make your own set of comments that fits your needs. Also, I have amassed my own comments over the years, and I make slight changes all the time. Over the course of the school year (and my teaching career), this system saves me more time the more I use the macro comments. Yet, I save so much time on the “back end” with this method. In other words, when I get a new computer, I go through the process of adding all these comments to the Auto Text memory. How to create Auto Text entires using a PCĪdmittedly, creating this master list of comments takes more time on the “front end,” as I do have to think carefully about my phrasing and add each macro to the computer. Add your personalized code in the Auto Text Entry field (making sure it’s a sequence of key strokes not likely to occur in your everyday typing) and then click on “Add.” Select “Auto Correct.” Then choose the “Auto Text” tab. On a Mac, highlight the text and pull down the “Tools” menu. Creating these macros is straightforward. Using Macros in Microsoft Word I create a database of comments I seem to write over and over again. I do NOT write any additional comments, as the students will not revise this draft, and I am not a glutton for punishment (even though this post may make you think that!) Because I made a photocopy of the scoring guide before handing back the essays, I simply look through the revision history on the computer and make changes to the photocopied scoring guide (another time-saver). The revision history in Google Docs feature shows me when and where changes were made. I require a revision of every major essay, and I use the electronic copy in Google Docs to track the changes. I give students at least one week to revise based on my feedback.When finished, I photocopy the completed scoring rubric (which I will use during the revision process), print the one page of typed comments, and then staple the typed comments, the marked essay, and the scoring guide into one packet.I always limit myself to one page of typed comments per essay. I use macros (more on this step below) for common comments, but I also individualize feedback. I type longer comments that I later print and attach to the essay.I also use a set of symbols to speed this marking process along. The two to five minutes I save on each essay quickly add up. I write more quickly on a piece of paper than I can highlight on a computer screen (I have timed each activity), so I go “old school” and leave marks on the page.Students turn in two copies of an essay, one printed and one electronic copy via Google Docs.Here’s my basic structure for working through a stack of essays: This method doesn’t help me grade more quickly, but it does ensure that I maximize my time. I have experimented with many methods of feedback, but when I need to leave a healthy dose of ink, I use a hybrid approach of handwritten feedback and computer editing tools known as macros. No matter how I try, I can’t seem to write comments on an essay in less than fifteen minutes. Of course, I find many moments of joy, but the bone-weary reality of the life of an English teacher is that it takes considerable time and significant effort to create meaningful feedback. After fifteen years of dedicating obscene chunks of personal time to the task, I wish I could reveal some cure-all that makes grading fast and euphoric. Here is the skeleton in every writing teacher’s closet: grading essays is soul sucking, mind-breaking work.
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