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...
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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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