Although I wasn’t able to be in class for the conversation regarding the access of grades I still feel it is an important topic that I have, at least in the slightest, an opinion on. While grades, for students, seem to be very important to track it is not always the best way to determine the amount of learning done in a classroom. Obsessively pouring over ICON, or any other online grading tracker, can be a deterrent to the act of learning. To me, it seems like grades, especially in young learners, can affect the way students see the classroom. The classroom turns into a place of work instead of enjoyable learning and activity. As the old saying goes, “pay someone for an activity they enjoy and it will turn into work”. While keeping track of grades is a great way to monitor progress, it should not be the first step in assessing a student’s strengths and weaknesses in the classroom.
I agree with your post entirely. In my ideal world grades would be the last step in assessing students' strengths and weaknesses, a completely worthless little score. But we do have to live with them and it will be interesting balancing the use of grades with a deemphasis on them
ReplyDelete-Alex Rummelhart
I love the quote you use about payment turns enjoyment to work- so true in most cases.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with our society is that people want to measure success, and in order to do that you have to put people up against one another and measure what they know. I have always hated the idea of standardized tests being the entrance into a post-undergrad program. It does not measure your passion for the topic you want to study!
I've often thought about grades. While it seems that assessment will inevitably be a part of our education system, I don't feel completely right quantifying a student's work and effort in a letter grade (especially in a subject as abstract as English). I think your paying and work quotation is especially true. Furthermore, many students tie their identities into their grades and assigning a student a low score can be devastating. I suppose it's a problem that we will never completely resolve as teachers!
ReplyDelete-Mackenzie
I'm conflicted. I agree with you that grades aren't always the best measure of learning, just as standardized tests don't always reflect progress. I can think of countless times when I've thrown something together and gotten an "A" or when I've poured myself into a project or essay and gotten a grade less than what I thought I deserved. However, do some students need to have the grade, that tangible assessment, in order to feel that they did a job well done? I don't know but it is something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with what you said about grades turning school into a job. It took me a good 3 sememsters to get over ICON and only look at it when I needed to download a PDF. I was so obsessed with how I was doing in my classes, I didn't appreciate the actual content. I think it's easier just to do your best and wait for the end result.
ReplyDeleteGrades are definitely insufficient tools for measuring progress, especially when you consider biased teachers- but hey, it's really all we've got, and at the end of the day, it's a simple way to convey the fact. Perhaps we need better ways to calculate the grades or something.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this. I remember in high school, teachers would make copies of blank grade sheets so that students could track every grade they received and know exactly where they stood. I think that's absolutely nutty! It drove me crazy in high school! Can't even quarter grades be enough?
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