Week 13: Accountability and Evaluation.
The first reading by Alfie Kohn highlighted the accountability of grading and why they are not necessary part of schooling. He splits his argument into 4 main parts: effects of grading, why they are problematic, improving grades and deleting grades.
To sum up the effects of grading, the main claim is that grades cause student's interest in subject matter to decline, creates "goal" orientated work, in which student's pick the easiest possible route, and finally grades reduce the quality of students thinking .
According to Kohn, grades are problematic because they create extrinsic motivation compared to intrinsic motivation. Grades also cause curriculum to be aligned to one skill or standard, leaving little flexibility to outside thinking and creativity.
Kohn also states a problem grades is the task to improve them. "If grades are based on state standards, there's particular reason to be concerned because those standards are often too specific, age-inappropriate, superficial, and standardized by definition." How do we go about improving the grading scale while also meeting Common Core Standards?
Kohn notes that one way to replace grades is by holding student-teacher conferences and narrative assessments. Another way to delete teacher grading is by having students grade themselves.
Personally, I think that grades are important for both teachers and students. I think it keeps students accountable for their work and effort. I support Kohn's idea that students could grade themselves, but how do you instill in all students to be truthful. What kid is going to say "Oh yeah, I did not turn in any homework, thus I believe I deserve a D."
To sum up the effects of grading, the main claim is that grades cause student's interest in subject matter to decline, creates "goal" orientated work, in which student's pick the easiest possible route, and finally grades reduce the quality of students thinking .
According to Kohn, grades are problematic because they create extrinsic motivation compared to intrinsic motivation. Grades also cause curriculum to be aligned to one skill or standard, leaving little flexibility to outside thinking and creativity.
Kohn also states a problem grades is the task to improve them. "If grades are based on state standards, there's particular reason to be concerned because those standards are often too specific, age-inappropriate, superficial, and standardized by definition." How do we go about improving the grading scale while also meeting Common Core Standards?
Kohn notes that one way to replace grades is by holding student-teacher conferences and narrative assessments. Another way to delete teacher grading is by having students grade themselves.
Personally, I think that grades are important for both teachers and students. I think it keeps students accountable for their work and effort. I support Kohn's idea that students could grade themselves, but how do you instill in all students to be truthful. What kid is going to say "Oh yeah, I did not turn in any homework, thus I believe I deserve a D."
Thank you for your sharing. I think that for students, test scores are certainly an important indicator of students'learning in school, but they are by no means the only indicator. Students should develop in an all-round way. Teachers should be cautious in their attitude towards students'examination results. If the score is regarded as the only criterion to measure the quality of students, the good results will cover up all the ugliness, and will lead the students'eyes to the score, while ignoring the comprehensive quality training. So that students pay too much attention to their own test results, ignoring the learning process, learning methods and learning attitudes, but also ignoring other pleasures in life. In a person's life, examination results are only one aspect, and there are more important things to learn and cultivate than results.
ReplyDelete1. Thanks for sharing. I’m totally agree with you that grades are important for both teachers and students. On the one hand, grades are the evaluation of students’ efforts. Students can find out what they lack of and what they should focus on. On the other hand, grades can help teachers to assess students. Teachers can help students to do more efforts on their shortcomings. Grades can show parents how the students do in school as well. But I don’t think grade is the only way to know a student’s effort. Some of the students are just slow learner. If teachers can give them more time, they can do better.
ReplyDeleteHi Marisa and thank you for your post. I am someone who really dislikes the concept of grading students because I think they inadvertently send mixed messages of how a student understands his/her/their worth and creates hierarchies among students, but I understand the need for it to measure growth.Personally I feel like students should be graded, but that a very small percentage should be based on homework or tests. Like Kohn, I also think that standards are too specific, age inappropriate and superficial and on top of that formulated with a very specific type of student in mind. I like the idea of grading or evaluating student growth taking place solely in the classroom, through student activities and class conversations. In terms of standerdized tests, I think the problem is how they are issued. I think students should have weeks to complete them with breaks in between. The current way students are graded and evaluated don't reflect real life or prepare them for real life situations. There are times when in real life we are faced with challenging issues, yet we are not forced to stay in a room under pressure for 45 minutes to decide on a solution. Sometimes we need time to gradually make a decision that is best for us.
ReplyDeleteHi Steve, Thanks for sharing. I loved your post! There are so many elements that go into curriculum and teaching and this class touched base on so much--from the climate and conditions of the classroom to the political climate of education in the United States. The most important take away for me was like you mentioned, having the opportunity to be in a classroom of educators that are passionate and have strong opinions and truly care about the well being of their students. I mentioned this in another blog this semester but I am not an educator and am fairly new to the field; I found it incredibly insightful to hear all of your stories and struggles and after getting to know everyone this semester, I feel confident that despite all of the bureaucracy, the kids of Chicago are in good hands :)
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