The Rise of the Helicopter Teacher

By Steven Conn. A week before the first paper was due, a young woman in my class raised her hand and asked where the rubric was. Shamefaced and stuttering, I had to admit that I had no idea what a rubric was. She helpfully explained that this was a set of guidelines explaining what I expected them to write, how I expected them to write it, and how each aspect of the paper would be evaluated. A set of boxes that students could check off to guarantee that they had met my expectations. For all intents and purposes, in other words, an outline for the paper. More...