Giving feedback on oral reports: I have everyone grade everyone and collect all the feedback. Then I read through the complete stack for a student and share to them 1) what their peers liked/found useful, 2) what they were curious about afterwards, and 3) how this ties to things we'll be doing later in the semester.
They're talking about grade inflation at the Ivies again. And OK, fair. Everyone gets an A. But can we also talk about educator inflation? Educator inflation is a good thing! By educator inflation I mean: the typical educator at a top tier university today, is miles better at educating, than the typical educator at that same institution 50 years ago.
The field of education is not static. There are constant advances in how material is presented, and how students are supported.
You are absolutely right; the incentives of grades are so, so broken.
I'm actually pro grade inflation. Inflate away this terrible metric so teachers and students can put more focus on learning the skills that society values.
I just read the introduction to this new book "Human-Centered Programming Languages" by Rose Bohrer (<5 min read, and I read pretty slowly), and I love it!
This line in Barbara Baig's writing book triggered a memory: "most adults are very self-conscious about learning anything new."
Years ago I took an ink painting class at my local arts center. A middle-aged woman cried because she wasn't immediately good at it. To me this is a convincing case for #ungrading.
I didn't use ungrading in my most recent summer class and this is one of my biggest regrets. The stress around grades, even a minute grade drop or poor performance on a single assignment, was ridiculous.
I can draw a clear line between these students and the middle-aged woman crying about her performance in an art class she was supposed to be taking for fun.
I think (and hope) that #ungrading teaches students to view feedback as an aid for their learning, not a condemnation.
"Simply, students can’t learn to make effective change in their world from within an educational system they are discouraged from interrogating and powerless to change. Drawing students into critical conversation about assessment, then, is a way of helping them become readers of their world, but also, readers of their own education."
Jesse Stommel shares an excerpt from his new book, "Undoing the Grade: Why We Grade, and How to Stop."
Vandaag een lang gesprek gehad over #ungrading met één van de collega’s. Meer focus op feedback, en geen ‘punten’ meer geven op werk van studenten gedurende het semester. Ik heb hem overtuigd ;-) #kuleuven#hogeronderwijs#universiteit
I've spent much of the past week in portfolio meetings with all the students in my classes (grad and undergrad numerical computation). This is exhausting, but rewarding. It's fun to learn of the creative directions students take the class, of recovery from major setbacks, of excitement and confidence, of positive life habits. Many students expressed thanks for the version of #ungrading that I use, but the one that made me blush was the student who cited Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Thank you, all.