Here’s the third part of this discussion. I talked previously about setting up all students for success. Let’s get back to it...
Scaffolding, multiple approaches, and an iterative cycle of attempts and feedback is making use of the state of brain development my students are presently at. A “one-and-done” approach to grades ignores brain development completely and is really in-humane. For that reason, after I determine what will be taken for a grade after I have put together a body of learning that should be appropriate for every single learner in my room to master the material that is necessary for future success after the year is over. Every single one of these learning activities are critical. There is nothing there that can be skipped. Seriously. If it is fine for a learner to skip it and “just take a zero”, then why in the world am I wasting class time on it? Everything gets completed to the minimum acceptable standard. We stay at it till it’s done. I make it abundantly clear, that I the work is necessary and I won’t budge. They will do it and do it well. We are in it together and I am going to be there with them until they get it done. It’s my job to support them in their learning and help them be successful. Making every learner complete everything requires me to be very particular in the things I assign and the timing of the assignment. Not everything is for a grade, but everything is critical and leads to the grade. My goal is that by the time we get to the “graded” assignment, the grade is usually a non-issue. We have been working at all of the lead with so much depth and feedback that mastery has been accomplished. That’s the goal. It’s not always the outcome. There are times that we still need to work on it. A clarification: there is a monumental difference between not mastering content according to an arbitrary deadline and willful disobedience. Interestingly enough, they are both directly related to brain development, but come from different circumstances. On that note, if a student struggles to master a concept in time and gets punished for it (getting a zero, etc), will quite possible end up being a behavior problem in class. It all goes back to brain development and the amygdala. I will keep working with my learners until they master the content. Even with all of the supports and planning, there are times that learners need extra time. Fine. I give both of us that breathing room. First of all, I don’t take many grades. It goes back to how I use grades. It’s a measure of mastery, not compliance. If you don’t allow learners to retry the work after giving quality feedback, then you need a ton of grades to make sure you reduce the impact of outliers. A good student who misses one assignment should fail. But you also have to be honest with yourself. It also means that the “slacker” can’t raise their grade by suddenly turning something in on time. In this case, grades are about compliance and punishment. I don’t subscribe to that philosophy. The grade is the goal we are working toward. I am going to do everything I can to support each learner in achieving the learning and earning the grade. If I have a bunch of grades, then the work we do in class never gets beyond surface level work. Depth of learning takes time and iterations. Additionally, I don’t have graded assignments scheduled for the last week of the grading period. I want to give time for everyone to achieve mastery. I usually don’t have more than a couple of students who need this leeway. What’s cool is that this process self-creates small-learning groups that I can easily identify and support. If a lot of learners need this time, then I messed up in my planning and need to adjust accordingly. The fault is not with the learner. The fault is with me. This brings me back to feedback. A number or letter grade is not quality feedback. At best it’s blunt tool to metaphorically hit kids over the head with. Again, it goes back to brain development. If you get a zero, then you don’t know this material, so what chance do you have in learning the next material, so why bother doing anything else at this point? Quality feedback points out the things the learner did well on, the things they missed, and points them in the right direction toward fixing the mistakes. I’m going to go back to Rick Wormeli, “The one who edits is the one who learns.” The learner needs to do the work, but they need to know where the did well and where they need improvement. This feedback takes time. There is no way you can do it if you are grading several assignments a week. This is why I love quality projects. First of all, I can break the learning down into small pieces that lead to inevitable learning success. Second, while the feedback I give takes time, I don’t have to do a lot of it every day for every learner. It gets spread out. I have time for those that need me the most. Third, learners start to develop an intrinsic motivation to learn. They develop a true learner’s mindset because they have choice, voice, and ownership. Now, grades are a statement of mastery.
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Continuing my discussion of grades... I’m not in the business of being a gatekeeper of knowledge and learning.
Last spring, everyone’s focus had been on the things that are most important for students to learn right now. That concept doesn’t have to change. I’m not advocating to get rid of grades. There must be some measure of progress that is clear and understandable. No one would play a game for long if we didn’t keep some kind of score. In little league, they don’t keep an official score, but everyone on the sidelines knows the score. So do the kids. Human beings are naturally goal driven. When things get tough, we give ourselves small little goals to reach to keep us “in the game”. In schools, like it or not, grades fill that role. A few parameters first. My school has some requirements for grades. We have specific categories and a minimum number that must be taken. We also use a 100 point system for reporting grades to the school and parents. Those are external requirements that I can’t do anything about. We all have them. Anything else that I do in regards to grading is of my own volition. The number of grades above the school minimum is a choice. The timing of the assignment is a choice. The rubrics I use are a choice. The way I apply the grade is also a choice. Since these are all choices that I make, I make them last. I start by building out my learning environment first. In short, I determine what my learners must master this year and I structure everything around making sure that the least capable learner in my room has all of the supports and resources necessary to be successful. I am not going to set up my class with the idea that some percentage of my students are not going to pass. It’s my job to do everything I possibly can to support them in mastering the content. To that end, I have to take into account brain development, social-emotional well-being, pedagogy, along with a good measure of humanity and respect. In short, I don’t want to be a “gate-keeper” determining who gets knowledge and who doesn’t. That means that I have to do more than just “present” a lesson. There is scaffolding, there are multiple, varied approaches provided for learners to acquire the content, and there is a steady and on-going supply of feedback for learners to use to retry and correct mistakes. If we want our learners to be actively engaged, then they have to truly believe they can be successful and they have to truly believe that we want them to succeed. They must know that we will do whatever it takes to help them reach their goals. I will get more into this in my next post...
The important thing for teachers and administrators is to be very honest with ourselves about why we are giving a grade for an assignment. Is the grade a measure of mastery of content, is it a tool to keep students compliant, is it a ranking system, or is a carrot/stick reward system?
For me, it is a measure of mastery. I know that I hear that same sentiment from teachers and administrators everywhere. Since I use grades as a measure of a learner’s mastery of the skills and knowledge I need them to acquire to be successful after my class is over, I must be intentional about how I use them. Using grades for mastery is tricky. It is too easy for grading to slip into being a punishment system or a crude sorting method. I won’t delve into it here. Check out Rick Wormeli’s video on that here (link). He does a great job of laying it out. Grades being a reflection of mastery goes back to my philosophy of learning (see post here). I have to be very careful and intentional about how I use and apply grades. If it starts becoming a carrot/stick or compliance tool, then I will squash any hope of developing a growth mindset in my learners. Learning must come from within. As I get ready for the year, I have to be careful to nurture the learner’s mindset within my students and allow them room to grow. I will get more into this in my next post... |
About me & this blogThis blog is for things related to my class, PL, coaching, or just teaching in general. You can follow me on Twitter @myakSTEM Archives
June 2021
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