Lights, camera, social action! I hope your movies are coming along well. You have today and tomorrow to work on them. It might even be the case that you can work on them through the week (unless you are in my 364 class). I will be helping everyone polish their projects and finish the iMovie proficiencies!
Assignments: Don't forget the spreadsheet assignment, the EdTechProfile post test, and Taskstream. . .I gave feedback to everyone who submitted the narrative for NETS-1. It was due last Friday and a few didn't get it in :-(
On Wed, we will be participating in a Video Conference on how to use GarageBand. We will be meeting in Markstein Hall, room 104. If you have a Mac laptop, please bring it to class with you!!
This week's question: Last week we discussed the competency model versus the competitive model in grading. This week, I wonder if we need grades at all? In a standards-based system, who are the grades really for? Would you be less motivated to do well in class if all you received was a Pass/Fail? If so, what does that say about the source of your motivation? Is extrinsic motivation a good thing?
28 comments:
Grades are a way of placing students in the class and to let them know how well they're grasping the materials presented to them. If everything was pass/fail students wouldn't be as motivated to do their work because all they have to do is the bare minimum to pass. Where as if you get a grade they will try harder to complete their work. But it all depends on the students, if they are hard working then they will more than likely work hard to pass as well... good question.
The grades will remain as long as we keep the standard based system because they serve as a way to measure the product.
I don't think people (including myself) measure their motivation based on a pass/fail system. I believe people work based on their level of integrity and appreciation for the knowledge they are gaining.
Obviously the state standards are for the state and is all about funding etc. I think that some assignments need to have A,B,C, letter grades, but some could be pass or fail. The problem with pass or fail only is when students do the bare minimum to just "pass" instead of stand out or achieve to do better.
I believe that grades allow students to know how well they are doing in the class and are important for measuring progress. However, after that point, grades are about competition, basically competition within themselves and with other students. Because our society is so focused on competition the grade system will probably never be changed to a pass/fail system. Other than the recognition of honor rolls and the such, grades have no purpose after graduation anyhow and a pass/fail system would serve the same purpose.
Grades are really important in class it lets the student and the teacher know where the student is. It tells how ell the student grasp the class material. If it was Pass/Fail, i think that students wouldn't care about the class as much as if it was based on Letter grades.
grades show how well a student knows the material. The student migth have a C on the class which would be passing, but shows the student can improve in the class, and if the student received an A on the class that means he/she is doing very well. Yes, grades motivates students on improving in the course.
As much as I don't like grades, they are a necessary component to the child’s educational future. Now, grades are not a be-all-end-all for the students life. But, they are vital to the student to see their progress academically speaking.
I have different opinions about grades. I believe if grades go just by pass/fail, there will be less motivation to excel or go above and beyond the particular assignment(s). However, going by the traditional A,B,C,D,F letter grades there are both ups and downs. If a student recieves anything below a B, the student may start having less motivation and/or compare themselves with other students' intelligence (recieving an A or B means your smart, C means you're o.k., and anything below means your dumb).
I have done a bit of research on intrinsic vs. extrinsic reward systems and motivations. Some educators argue that extrinsic rewards and incentive are what our society is based upon so why not integrate that form of management into our classrooms? I feel that intrinsic rewards and motives work better in the classroom because they help build students self esteem, confidence and independent thinking. That said I think that as an adult I would be less motivated to do my best in a class if it were pass/fail, I have been programmed to work hard for a high grade not the personal satisfaction of learning something new… sad.
I do think grades motivate a lot of students. Personally, pass/fail would probably lead to me not doing work of as high a quality. I think it's a lot like communism--sounds good, but in practice . . . I do think grades could be based on a wider criteria than we currently use; maybe that would help address some of the inequities in our current system, especially in regards to "non-mainstream" students.
Often time I wonder just who benifit form the grading policies today. (schools, district or politicians) Students are less motivated to do well or on the toher hand be willing to compete for a better grade next time (fear of failure. The source of motivation should be positive motivation and not a bribe which leads the child to the reward and not his/her actions. (take the bribe away then you have no action) Is extrinsic motivation a good thing? It depends on the person. For me Extrinsic motivation is when I am motivated by external factors, as opposed to the internal drives of intrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation drives me to do things for pressure rather than for the fun of it.
Grades are a good marker but just like the standardized test thay are more for the schools benefit then the students. How would colleges choose which students to acccept and how would a future boss judge who put more effort into an assignment or turned it in on time. Since there is not world peace one could even bring this to a world scale were certian nations are in competition with other nations whether economics or an arms race. The nations would like a way to judge how their education system is working and a measurement of the quality of the future generations is still relevant. In a perfect world there would be no needs for grades but this is far from a perfect world.
Hmm...from past experience I have not tried as hard when taking classes pass/fail and i have to say when i receive a pass, it does not mean as much as an A, but that could be because of the conditioning of my school experience. If we were to enter a system where a pass/fail was the standard it might not be that way. I think it is good to have the grade motivating you, but with a pass/fail system there would be more emphasis put onto the creative aspects and allowing students to better develop their own intersts and understanding of the curriculum.
I think the grades are really for the students and their parents. The teacher can also use the grades to see how well the students are getting the material but I think it is more for the students. If there wasn't any grades students would only do the bare minimum. I think grades help with motivation.
I think grades are as much for the teacher as for the students. Grades allow both sides to evaluate the progress being made and areas that need improvement.
I think there would be less motivation to strive to be the best if it wa just pass/fail, especially if average was all that was needed. In today's society, people are consumed with getting a lot done in a little time. This can lead to a decrease in quality, because the idea is as long as it gets done and is good enough to pass. Of course, this doesn't apply to everyone and pass/fail would be great for some.
I think grades help to get the students motivated. If we only would receive a pass/fail we would only work as hard as to get the "passing" even if that was on the border line. By having letter grades or percentage, students can make that extra effort everytime in order to do better and obtain a higher letter grade.
I personally feel that grades are helpful in a more advanced educational setting. I know personally that I don't like striving for an A when a C would show up as the same in a pass/fail grading scale. I think for younger children though that grades are too competitive and do not encourage educational growth. I think it is fine to tell children that they are doing a great job, they need to try a little harder, or they need to work on things to help them feel that grades are personal and not just a competition with their peers.
I am split on my feelings about grades. If they were simply pass or fail, then the quality of the work may be less to standard then normally done by students. The fact there there is a range of grades gives the opportunity to allow students to put forth the effort they want to receive a grade. The down side to this is that some students try super hard for a good grade and some are try much less hard, and yet sometimes the one who tries gets a worse grade then the one who didn't. Therefore, I am quite unsure of my stance on grades...
Aaagh! Brain hurt!
I have thought about this one quite a lot and I know that personally I uuuusually assert myself the same in a pass/fail setting than otherwise, but I sometimes feel that there has to be a measure beyond pass and fail. It really is too bad that we (meaning as an educational society) need the security and trust that standard, measured assessments bring. I do think that there is a better way, but that we aren't ready for it yet.
Hey, have you read "The Dispossessed" by Ursula LeGuin??
A,B,C,D,and F Grades are important because they allow students, parents, and all involved to asses students motivation and level of knowledge. Standards help to insure teachers are addressing key areas for student’s grade level. I don't think pass fail offers any consequence for either good or poor efforts.
An idea I thought might be even better that A,B, C, etc... Would be to maintain as system relative to their future, where students would hold positions, such as doctor, lawyer, manager, down to lowest level jobs, based on a need for academic discipline. Students would receive privilege relative to their position, so they could experience social status all through their education. They would know in advance the true reward for effort in any endeavor.
I would for sure be less motivated if I just got a pass or fail. The only thing with grades is you know how close you are to passing or failing. Without grades you could just fail and not even know that you were close to it.
I feel grades to serve as a great motivation tool. It would be nice to deal with only a pass/fail system but honestly I think students would be more likely to take the easy way on assignments. Grades give students a reason to try harder and do better. I used grades as a motivator all the time.
I believe that grades are necessary because it documents how well students are understanding the statestandards and also it measures their progress. I think that pass/fail policies do not work because some students would only try to do enough work to pass the class instead of putting more effort in getting better grades. I know that when I have been enrolled in classes that involved pass/fail, I slacked off. I think that most people want to see their progress reflected by the grades that they receive.
grades show your level of hard work, an A is like a reward for your work. If we only had pass/fail students would probally be more inclined to just do average
I think that grades mean nothing!!! I had many friends in high school with very poor grades, but very high intelligences. I also had friends (and myself), who always got A's, and didn't retain any of the information or even do well on testing. They were just cautious of what they turned in and always completed assignments to the fullest. I think that if the instructor is doing a good job teaching, then a pass fail is fine because the students should be learning based off of wanting to learn new things. I also think that if a teacher communicates well enough with their students, then the students will strive to do their best.
I definitely would be less motivated to perform at my top ability if the class was graded on a pass or fail system. For myself and my parents, my grades are a way to show my competency and effort towards earning a valuable education. The better my grades are the more I'm rewarded ;) My parents promised me a trip to New York this summer if I get at least a 3.5. but that's besides the point. I don't work; i'm just a full time student so my grades are the only way to measure how effective all my time and effort is really benefitting me. Plus, out in the competitive world of getting a job, grade point averages play an important role as well, right?
I think some sort of evaluation is necessary for student accountability. I just think that students can get too caught up on the grade and not worried about learning the material. The focus should be on comprehesion not letters!
That’s a tough question. Many students in the upper grades are motivated by wanting to be accepted to a good college so they strive for good grades. I guess we could use the SAT or the other one (ACT?) as the sole qualifier, but then that would be an awful lot of pressure on that test! In the lower grades it might be a worthy idea to experiment with doing without grades.
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