From reading this article by John Sarte and Sherri Hughes, my "student bird" thought was that assigning percentages or letter grades may mean that I have to do extra well and put extra effort in achieving high percentages or letter grades. To me, as a student, these grades indicate a successful completion in passing a course or judging on how well or poorly I have done. However, it may not necessarily indicate an interest in the course that I am being assessed or marked on. It just simply means that I did the work, passed the course, and now moving on to something else. In some cases, a student with a poor grade does not mean that he/she is not interested in the course materials. Similarly, a high grade does not necessarily mean that the student is interested in the course. As often is happened to me when I was a student in secondary and post-secondary schools.
As a "teacher bird", the percentages and letter grades tell me how well a student is doing in the class. I assume that higher the grades, the higher level of understanding and/or competency a student has. I would also assume a higher interest in the course because the student is excelling. However, as argued above when I was a student, what is on the surface may not be accurately perceived. As a teacher, I believe that grades should be arrived by how well the students are doing throughout the course of learning and teaching a particular subject or topic even. Assessing their understanding on a certain day, as in most cases (i.e. unit test or exams on a certain day of the week) may not be an accurate prediction that determines the ultimate result of students' learning, as many factors can affect students' learning and thinking abilities. I believe this is the negative aspect of giving grades. The positive aspect of giving grade, however, is for teachers to keep track of where students are standing academically in a grade and subject. It also informs teachers what and how they should do to help students achieve. That being said, teachers should not disregard the stronger students just because they are excelling more than the weaker students. Teachers should give equal opportunities and promote interest among all students.
An unintended side effect of grading is that students may get pressured into thinking that just because they are being graded lower than their peers, they may feel not as motivated to learning concepts or push themselves to work harder. They may also not feel interested in the course because the grades are lower than wished or expected. This discouragement could affect students' competency and thinking abilities. That being said, grades and marks could also form a social relation in that they students can keep track of their skills and levels among their peers. It tells them which area they need help or improve, and which area they are really good at that they can help others. Motivating each other with their peers are important in establishing social relations in classrooms and higher institutions.
It may be quite difficult to not give grades to students who are learning math and/or physics, but I think that as long as teachers and the students themselves know where they stand academically, and which area they need improvement or excelling, then grades may not be very important. It is a good habit, in my opinion, if the students develop some sort of work ethics so that they are encouraged to learn and try new things without having an authority figure telling them what to do. Once they internalize this interest for learning and that they are always pushing themselves for higher knowledge, grades should not matter.
I can compare this analogy to my co-op placements at various companies during my undergraduate work terms. I had a few co-op placements in the past where it was not necessary for co-op advisors to report the school on our mid-term performances (evaluating and marking how well we do on the job). Even though my co-op advisors did not visit us during our co-op terms, that did not stop me from doing well on the job. Often times, weekly or bi-weekly, my managers would speak to me and my team (individually or as a group) on our performances, and what we should do more or less of, and what we should focus on. Their "mini-evaluations" just by speaking to us gave me a professional outlook on work that lasted me for a long time - still do even now. Their comments and suggestions have pushed me to work harder and better on the job, regardless of which profession I will be pursuing in the future. In this case, I have developed good working ethics from my employers and my team of co-workers, which I am very thankful for. In the teaching aspect, I think that if teachers can set students good examples for the students to model after, then that skill set and attitudes are definitely worth having and are more important than grades.
No comments:
Post a Comment