Alfie Kohn on de-grading ...
You can tell a lot about a teacher’s values and personality
just by asking how he or she feels about giving grades. Some defend the
practice, claiming that grades are necessary to“motivate”students. Many of
these teachers actually seem to enjoy keeping intricate records of
students’marks. Such teachers periodically warn students that they’re“going to
have to know this for the test”as a way of compelling them to pay attention or
do the assigned readings—and they may even use surprise quizzes for that
purpose, keeping their gradebooks at the ready.
Frankly, we ought to be worried
for these teachers’students. In my experience, the most impressive teachers are
those who despise the whole process of giving grades. Their aversion, as it turns
out, is supported by solid evidence that raises questions about the very idea
of traditional grading.
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