While both article present novel and new ideas, they also share certain similarities in terms of allowing students to create their own meaning and understanding of concepts and the world around us. As can easily be argued, each student learns differently, and if we consider that the average elementary class is composed of twenty-six students, the diversity of needs in one classroom is immense, therefore, it is important to integrate all types of learning strategies. As maintained in both articles, art is an effective, and well-received method used by students to create meaning. The first article by authors Trent and Riley, entitled: Re-Placing the Arts in Elementary School Curricula: An Interdisciplinary, Collaborative Action Research Plan, speaks about how an art-integrate curriculum can have a positive impact on student success in the classroom. As I read this article, I could not help but to think of my grade 3 and 4 class at Pinecrest Public School, and the importance that a vast majority of the students accord to art, and the ability to be creative. In my experience, in elementary school, every week, we would have two lessons dedicated to art, however, as maintained in the article, children in urban schools are “receiving less instruction in the arts and have fewer opportunities to engage arts and humanities curricula, socio-economically lower children receive less arts content than their wealthier peers, and when they do receive art infused curricula, poor children receive lower quality forms of art integrated education” (14). For the students at Pinecrest, art lessons take place at art club, during the second nutrition break, as a substitute for recess. Because space and time is limited, and being creative can be messy, only a limited amount of children are allowed to participate in art club. As mentioned in the article, however, art-integrate curricula is not limited to craft-making or drawing. As opposed to common beliefs, art-integrated curricula can be as simple as allowing children to use white boards and dry-erase markers to solve a math problem, or using clay to make different types of rocks such as sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. As in the math example, dry-erase boards and markers are very cost effective, and easily accessible by teacher, and by having a visual representation of a problem “allows students to construct their own unique understanding” (15). Furthermore, as exemplified in the article, and subsequently in the article title: From Tourist to Storyteller: Reading and Writing Science, personal journals can also be an effective way to integrate art-related curricula in the classroom. As per claimed by authors Dawn Abt-Perkins, and Gian Pagnucci, through the use of personal journals during their time at the Summer Science institute, students were able to create a narrative that eased their understanding of certain scientific text. As mentioned in the article, and according to Bruner, who is cited in the article, “we acquire and grow in our ability to communicate our experience in language through applying narrative structure” (100). Often, through the privacy of their own journal, students feel comfortable to create their own meaning or understanding of a text or work. As exemplified in this article, some students read the scientific text as a narrative or story, other personally identified with the main characters, and other posed questions about the text. Either way, weather it was right or wrong, students were learning and creating an understanding that appealed to their strengths and weaknesses. Briefly, journals are a great tool for teacher to utilize in the classroom because not only is it an interesting learning tool, it is also fun for students, and it can also act as an assessment of/for leaning. Additionally, art-integrated curricula, as per seen in the second article by Abt-Perkins and Pagnucci, can be integrated in numerous subjects. The second article, speaks about the use of personal journals to understand science. As can be understood from the article, students, by using art and literacy, were able to create a new meaning and subsequently understand a perhaps difficult piece of work. As previously maintained, art includes but is not limited to arts and crafts. In this context, it can be argued that art-integrated curricula can be integrated across a variety of subjects such as language arts, as per seen the article. Teachers can use art in geography, math, literacy and science, however, the ideas of imposing art and creative learning strategies can seem daunting for some teachers. But, in my opinion, everyone is artistic in their own individual ways, and children, especially in elementary school, are extremely resilient and strive on new experiences. By allowing students, to focus on a subject area that requires imagination and creativity, students’ self-confidence may rise, as a result, and furthermore teachers may see a rise in the classroom atmosphere as well as the overall success of the students. If we consider the benefits of art-integrated curricula, it has been noted “Arts integration uses teaching practices that have been shown in brain-based research to improve comprehension and long-term retention” (Nabori, n.p.). In the same vein, it can be argued that art-integrated curricula can be beneficial for English Language Learners because it would help students express themselves in a way that is universally understood. Overall, both articles, while different, were similar in terms of creative approach. We can conclude that art reinforces student’s interests, and allows students to make personal connections.
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In his concluding chapter entitled, Implementing Change, Cooper speaks about the need for change, but also lists a variety of strategies for implementing change in relation to teachers, students and parents. In my opinion, the education system has drastically changed since my time in elementary school. In my experience, the teacher was always an authoritative figure in the classroom, now it seems the teacher’s role has moved into the realms of facilitator. In this final chapter, Cooper, on page 243, expands on the use of the pronoun “we”, claiming, “teacher and students working collaboratively are equally responsible for a positive learning environment” (243). Of course, numerous schools across Ontario have attempted to restructure, and update their curriculum with the idea of Assessment for Learning at the forefront, yet such initiative often experience the “implementation dip” as per mentioned on page 242, which leads to the initiative faltering. In such cases, it can easily be argued that teachers, principals, and administrative staff were unaware that change often requires modification. In this final chapter, Cooper explains that successful change is a long-term goal, and provides the guidelines to achieve successful change.
First, in the sub-section titled: Teacher-Initiated Assessment Reform, Cooper explores the idea of support and maintains “planning together, perhaps observing each other teach a class, debriefing what worked and what problems occurred, and them problem solving to refine the strategy are all opportunities for teachers to learn from each other” (242). This easily relates to the third point raised by Cooper. The idea of collaboration is essential, and as mentioned in the text, a high school setting is often appropriate to begin discussing change because teachers from a same department may want to group together to develop a curriculum that promotes student engagement. Of course, this does not mean you have to shy away from the advice of other teachers from different departments. On the other hand, this can be quite beneficial because the different ideas and perspectives might provide further insight, and in addition, might increase the level of success. In my opinion, teachers need to collaborate in order to have a successful classroom. Collaboration is key at Pinecrest and this idea is apparent throughout the school. It is clear that the teachers, and administrative staff all work together to achieve a common goal, student success. Although this example might seem quite mundane compared to other visible acts of collaboration, during our math lesson, Ms. Bergquist collaborates with another math teacher to create a lesson that is both stimulating and educational for the students. This method proves to be quite effective since this is a split grade 3 and 4 class. During their prep. period, they both take the time to talk about the lesson, and start planning a lessons for the next day's class. Often, however, you may encounter teachers and other professionals who are for a lack of better words, resistant to change. As per claimed by Jessica Bohn, “veteran teachers are likely to resist change because they believe that traditional methods are best. These teachers are not simply trying to be difficult; they've most likely had success with their tried-and-true lessons and strategies, and so change may seem unnecessary or overwhelming” (2014). In such case, it is important to stress the fourth point raised by Cooper, which is staying the course. Experienced professionals may not be able to see the immediate benefits of change because they are used to working alone, but it is important to remember that collaboration is essential for school-wide improvement. Briefly, while this article speaks about implementing change, it is not limited to collaboration. In this final chapter, Cooper explores proper implementation and how teachers, the school, and the administration all have a role to play in this initiative. Citation: Bohn, J. (2014, February 13). Turning Resistant Teachers into Resilient Teachers. Retrieved October 22, 2015, from http://www.ascd.org/ascd-express/vol9/910-bohn.aspx Assessment and Grading for students. What stood out to me upon reading Cooper’s Chapter 9 was the idea that grading
Early in the semester, I commented on the importance students accord to grades. For most students, a grade is considered far more important than what they have learned throughout the school year of a specific term. But, what goes into grading, and how do educators reach these grade? Of course a grade is far more than a numerical value given to a piece of work. A grade reflects a student’s achievement level or lack thereof. In chapter 9, Cooper provides some useful insight in regards to grading and reporting. While many schools have “attempted to move towards are more standard-based curriculum, grading practices and techniques have by and large remained unchanged” (2). As per claimed by Thomas R. Guskey and Jane M. Bailey authors of Developing Standard-Based Report Cards, “a standards-based report card breaks down each subject area into specific elements of learning to offer parents and educators a more thorough description of each child’s progress towards proficiency” (2). In other words, the grade, or more specifically, the report card should communicate “essential learning targets or achievement categories” (Cooper, 195). Traditionally, a grade is given to a student based on an assessment methods whether a quiz or test. After the student submits their test, quiz or project, one grade entry is given to the student. This grade is usually attributed to the student based on criteria present in a grading rubric, however, it is important to remain aware that rubrics “emphasize structure and conventions” (185). As explained by Cooper, “the scores that a student receives on the set of assessments comprising the grade may not fully or accurately represent what that student actually has learned about the learning targets in question” (202). In this context, according to the standard-based grading system, a grade is accorded to a student “based on learning goals and performance standards.” In most cases, the problem that presents itself with traditional grading techniques lies in the fact that it fails to communicate to parents, as well as the student, what they understand or have learned from the course. When considering a student’s achievement or failure in a class, numerous variable come into play. For example, perhaps a student did poorly on a test or failed to submit an assignment because he or she is suffering from emotional difficulties or stressors such as bullying or problems at home that are preventing the child from achieving success in the classroom. In order to deal with incomplete assignments, Cooper urges teachers to create a plan to insure work is completed. He claims, “the plan should include home contact, a completion contract, and should temporarily deprive the student of free time by assigning him or her to a supervisor study area during lunch or after school” (207). The Ministry Document titled: Growing Success, provides an extensive list of preventions methods that can be used by teachers to diminish the amount of late or missed assignments. These preventions methods aim at assuring that students are held responsible for their failure to submit their work, but also ensure that the work is completed in a given time. In elementary school, the last period of every Friday would be a free-play period. During these free-play periods, students would be able to do anything besides school work. However, if a student failed to submit their homework or failed to hand-in an assignment, the student would be prohibited from participating in free-play. Rather, the student would be sent to an empty classroom, where he or she would have to complete their unaccomplished work, under the supervision of a supply teacher. This also pertains to argument raised in Growing Success, which claims “that student must understand that there will be consequences for not completing assignment for evaluation or for submitting those late assignment” (43). This teaches the students that they must complete their work when necessary in order to get a reward, such as free-play on Friday afternoons. I would also argue, however, that if a student fails to complete work as a result of emotional or physical stressors, other measures should be put in place in order for the student to properly address the problems that may be preventing them from completing said work. In any case, as claimed by both Cooper and in Growing Success, a late or missed should not be given a grade of zero rather, an “incomplete” should be written on the report card. It has been argued that “success is the best way to breed success” (46) yet, these extreme measures may only serve to further discourage the student(s), and prevent them from completing the required tasks. At last, in the final pages of this chapter, Cooper present seven guiding principles for determining grades. As per claimed in Growing Success, in order to ensure the most accurate grade possible, “evidence of student achievement must be collected over time from three different sources, observation, conversation, and student products” (39). I would also argue that a student’s recent achievements and ability to improve should be taken into consideration when grading or providing feedback for a report card. In my opinion, a student’s ability to learn and as a result improve their skill if far more important than a grade that might discourage the student. Assessing Student with Special Needs, tools, and technology. What stood out to me upon reading Cooper’s chapters 7 and 8 was the idea that educators must identify students with special needs, and plan their curriculum accordingly.
As opposed to the last readings, where I struggled to personally identify with the concepts presented, in both these chapters, in particular chapter 7, I found myself relating to the content presented because, I have had the opportunity to work with a student with special needs. For the purpose of this blog, we’ll call the student in question, Andy. Andy was a grade 4 student with a severe learning disability, he was also diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, therefore, it was quite difficult for him to remain attentive for the duration of the school day. Because, as per claimed by Cooper, “these students are at risk on a “one-sized-fits-all” classroom; they will not be successful unless the teacher makes specific adjustments to the curriculum, instruction, and or assessment that have been planned for the majority of the students in class”(122). After speaking with Andy and observing him during free-play, his teacher identified that Andy had a particular passion for building things out of repurposed materials. She noticed that he would dig through the recycling bin and take empty juice boxes, and apple sauce cups to make something refined and realistic. The teacher was truly impressed with his ability to create something new out of ordinary materials, but also how passionate and proud he was of his art work. Although the teacher did try to integrate Andy into classroom activities, such as knowledge building circles, and other activities, he had a great difficulty interacting with other students are preferred to be secluded from the other children. In order to properly accommodate Andy, the teacher decided to place his desk away from the children in a more secluded area, where his creative abilities would be fostered. While this method is not appropriate for most classroom, Cooper does maintain that “it has become necessary that all teachers differentiate their classroom strategies to meet the diverse needs of their students” (126). On a different occasion, the teacher walked into the classroom, and placed a new tube of tin foil on Andy’s desk. I asked the teacher with whom I was working with why she purchased the foil for him. She told me: “because he asked for it yesterday, and I know how it feels when a teacher does not know how to deal with a student with a severe learning disability.” Furthermore, she often allowed Andy to go help the Kindergarten children during arts and crafts. This allowed Andy to feel a sense of independence, but also this made him feel like he was apart of something bigger in schools. Every time I worked with him, he always seemed quite happy and eager to start a new project. The method employed by the teacher I worked with did raised some concerns. As aforementioned, Andy would spend a vast majority of the day making art projects, therefore, I often questioned the teacher ability to properly assess and subsequently grade Andy’s work. Fortunately, Cooper provides, in chapter 7, a section titled: Grading and Reporting for Students with Special Needs. In this section, Cooper identifies three principles:
Moreover, chapter 8 provided some useful insight in regards to rubrics and grading schemes. In my experience, when a teacher or professor introduced a new assignment, the first question posed by students always seemed to be: “Is there a grading rubric attached to this assignment?” In this context, it is clear that students want to know the criteria, as well as how they will be graded. In Teaching with Rubrics, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, author Heidi Goodrich Andrade claims, “I use rubrics before, during, and after I deliver instruction, and the benefits are numerous” (27). In my opinion, as held by Goodrich, students achieve greater success in the classroom when the teacher’s expectation are clearly communicated to the students in advance. In order words, the language used in the grading rubrics must be clear and concise, rather than vague. I would also argue that a qualitative rubrics, which refers to the quality of the phenomenon is a better way to communicate the student’s weak and strong points. Goodrich points out, “such descriptions tend to be quite informative for students, thereby helping them think, learn and produce high quality work” (27). Although informative, when using rubrics it is important to remain aware of the potential shortcomings. As explained by Goodrich, grading rubrics are “not entirely self-explanatory, and do not replace good instruction”(29). While validity, reliability, and fairness are concerns addressed by the author, as future educators, it is important to, in addition to the rubric, pay attention to our own judgement and reasoning. Talk About Assessment,
In all honesty, I found myself quite lost in both these chapters, unable to personally identify or connect with the assessment methods presented by Cooper. In chapter 5, a vast majority of the content was dedicated to Nadine, and her assessment methods, and while I cannot personally speak for my past teachers and professors, I do not recall ever being subjected to assessment methods such as reciprocal teacher, surveys and interviews or the cloze procedures. While I have not been subjected to these methods, I do acknowledge the benefits of implementing them in the classroom. In fact, after reading chapter 5, I’ve realized how the practice of reciprocal teaching can have a profound effect on students’ ability to achieve success within the classroom. As per claimed by Cooper, students who are experiencing difficulty grasping new material can meet with their peers to discuss the content in a non threatening way. In University, and High School, in particular, I always felt intimidated speaking to my teachers and professors. In fact, I felt intimidated when others read my work. I always felt that my work was not satisfactory or lacking. For the reason mentioned above, I would often rely on my classmates to help me with my work. In my experience, classmates are often ready and willing to help, and they can also teach you alternative ways of completing work. In chapter 6, Cooper identifies the three problems with questioning techniques. In problem 1, titled: Lack of Participation, Cooper identifies four types of students:
While it can be argued that this part of the chapter does not contain the bulk of the information, these four types of students can easily be identified within the classroom. As of my first day at Pinecrest Public School, I was able to recognize these four types of students. As per claimed by Cooper, “the problem with this situation is that very few students are thinking about what they learned” (Cooper 107). In this situation, students are, in most cases, thinking of something else, which in most cases does not pertain to the question or topic at hand. If I had to categorize myself according to these four types of students, I would label myself as a “I hope she doesn't pick me.” In my experience, if a teacher or professor posed a question, I was always afraid of saying the wrong answer, although in some cases I did know the answer, I always felt a little insecure about my abilities. So, in that case, what Cooper says is quite true. When a teacher or professor poses a question to the class, often the students are not focusing on answering the question, but rather focusing on blending in the back ground in hopes of not being called upon. While some student do want to answer the question, a vast majority want to simply slide by hoping that the teacher distributes the day’s assignment. Instructional Strategies. While this text is quite strenuous, it does provide a great deal of information, and useful insight into instructional strategies, as per claimed by the title. Firstly, the importance of morning activities such as bell ringers seemed curious. Every morning in Ms. Bergquist's grade 3 and 4 class, she does an activity called “eye-openers.” The activity is simple, take your composition book, and answer the question written on the board. The eye-opener of the day: In three sentences, write three things about our class that everyone should know. This short 15 minute activity allows for students to settle down in their seats, and prepare themselves for the day. It also allows the students to calm down after being outside for a short while. From what I could tell, the students really enjoyed sharing their ideas ideas with the class. Although the answer were simple such as, “listen to the teach,” and “we are room 49,” the student actively engaged and participated to the greatest of their abilities. The “eye-opener” activity was also a great segue into the the lesson of the day, which was literacy. Furthermore, anchor and sponge activities are also an important part of Ms. Bergquist's lesson plan. At Pinecrest, anchor and sponge activities are used when students finish their work before the rest of the class. These activities are performed individually, and students are permitted to use Chromebooks to do math games online. The students really seemed to enjoy using and working with the computers because it allowed them to access a variety of learning tool, but also helped them acquire digital literacy skills that are quite pertinent nowadays. Moreover, the recall and rehearsal theory as coined by Doyle and Strauss explains that “we give people to much gum to chew (content) and not enough time to chew it (process)” (130) Although Doyle and Strauss explain this theory is simple terms, it is quite true. In my opinion, students are given a lot of material, and are given a short amount of time to process this new content. In high school, students are taught a subject, and subsequently tested on their knowledge a few weeks or even days later. In order to recall the most information during the examination, as a study method, I would sit at my desk and try to memorize the most information possible. The day of the test, I would blurt out everything I remembered on a piece of paper. Was this effective? I would argue that this method is not effective because days and even moment after the test, I would only remember a little of what I had actually studied. So, perhaps it is more beneficial if students are made to rehearse the material covered until it becomes clear. When I study for a test, I could easily memorize ten pages of notes, another ten pages of reading notes, and anything I remembered from the class, but this is my opinion, is not a proper way to process new content because I did not necessarily understand the information, I was just memorizing it. In University, I have had numerous courses, in which the students were evaluated according to three multiple choice examination. Of course, the weight attributed to each test was different. But, as claimed in Growing Success, teachers are not assessing their students properly because they are not obtaining information through a variety of means, and more importantly, this method does not promote learning. Briefly, while the text did provide far more information than what I touched upon, the ideas mentioned above, stood out to me because they particularly pertained to my CLS experience, but also my academic experience, as a whole. The backwards model for assessing students. What stood out to me upon reading chapters 3 and 4 was the idea that teachers should create their curriculum with the end goal in mind. In this context, teachers’ identify what must be learned by the end of the course. Firstly, in chapter 3, Cooper presents the idea of “INTU’s” or I Need to understand. This idea stood out to me because, as claimed by Cooper, “students become far more engaged in the research process if, instead of being assigned questions, they have to formulate their own” (29-30). During my academic career, I have had numerous teachers and professors who have followed this model. Of course, for each of these classes, the professor had to be informed and approve the question before beginning the research process. In each case, the specific professor was great at providing informal feedback to help us formulate a specific question. As I sit here, writing this post, my mind wanders back to three professors who truly abide by INTU questions. My first experience with INTU was in Cegep, in a history class entitled: Twentieth Century History. For our final project, Professor Corless allowed us to formulate a question regarding twentieth century history that sparked a particular interest with us, and subsequently write a formal essay. It can easily be argued that twentieth century history is quite vague and the ideas and topics our endless, but because the student was allowed to choose a specific area of interest, we were, as claimed by Cooper able “to make more critical and thoughtful decisions” (30). If you are curious, my final project explored homosexuality in Nazi Germany. In the same vein, in University, I encountered numerous professors, but two stand out to me as write this post, Professor McCutcheon and Professor Staines. Both these professors allowed us to choose areas of their specific subject that sparked an interest with us. Professor Staines, who teaches Canadian Literature at the University allowed the class to study “INTU’s” for the final project. While his list of required reading was quite strenuous, for our final essay, he gave our class the opportunity to write about any book or novel that we studied throughout the course. Once again, if you are interested, I did an expose of Margaret Atwood’s The Journals of Susanna Moodie, in which I argued that Susanna Moodie’s lack of awareness and understanding of herself upon her arrival in Canada, leads to a moment of transcendence when she is forced to bury son, and subsequently becomes one with the country. I’ve attached to this post a picture of all the novel we read in case anyone was curious. At last, I strongly believe that Professor McCutcheon plans her course with the end result in mind. All the assignments that she plans for the class require a great deal of reflection, but also provide a great deal of insight for the final take home exam, in which students are asked to demonstrate a summative understanding of assignments, workshops and reading seminars. I also wanted to note that for each assignment, it is the students who decides what they want to look at and present. Often, in Professor McCutcheon’s course requirements and evaluations, you will read: “students will select,” which clearly pertains to the INTU’s model. I also believe that the triangulation of data was an important part of Professor McCutcheon’s lesson plan because she provided students with numerous opportunities to achieve success in her course. By combining workshops, reading seminars, projects, and a final take home exam, Professor McCutcheon recognized “the importance in maximizing the reliability of our assessment” (57). Briefly, as explained in Growing Success, “every student is unique and each must have the opportunity to achieve success according to his own interests, abilities, and goals” (1). Therefore, it is important for teachers and future educators to recognize that all students are different and everyone has a unique learning style. But, in my opinion, it is also important for students to step out of their comfort zone and try something new. In elementary school, I was extremely shy, quiet, and never raised my hand. I tried to blend into the background as much as possible. One day, our teacher, Madame Julie, assigned a science experiment, which we would present to the class. As a child, I would watch this children show called “Zoom.” This show would play every evening on PBS kids at 4:00pm. This show was centered around a group of kids who would perform plays, experiments, and would on occasion make healthy snacks. My dream, although I was shy, was to be apart of the cast. (I had big dreams as a child!!) As presentation day approach, I was nervous, but decided to channel my inner Zoom cast member. Turns out, I did great! The teacher was so impressed, she wrote a note to my mother expressing how shocked she was that I was able to do such a good job public speaking. So, although I understand the importance of adapting lessons plans, I also understand the importance of allowing students to step out of their comfort zone to try something new. Hey! they might end up doing great !! The Mishra and Koehler article titled “Too Cool for School? No way!” reminded me of a similar situation I encountered upon entering University. As I entered my first class with my laptop in hand eager to learn, I was stopped when the professor told us that all laptop computers were forbidden in the class and that all notes would be taken by hand with a pen and paper. Several professors explained to us that students retained more information when notes were taken the “old-fashion” way, and that is why they enforced the pen and paper rule. It is also important to note that cell phones were also forbidden in these classrooms. For the first year of my undergraduate degree most notes I took were by hand, but things did change in my second year of school when I encountered a professor that not only encouraged laptops and cellphones in class, but also taught her course using Lecture Tools. Lecture Tools is a great alternative to traditional teaching methods because it allows students to follow along, take notes, ask questions, and flag certain slides that are considered important. And, yes this is all done online! Professor McCutcheon taught our class the importance of technology in the classroom and also encouraged us to search any ideas that seemed foreign to us during her lesson. As claimed in the Mishra and Koehler, it is important to repurpose these technological devises because they are such a huge part of our everyday life. Of course, it is also important to note that technology in the classroom does not imply spending an hour and thirty minutes on Facebook or following the what’s tending tab on Twitter. Repurposing technological devises means using computers as a way of learning that stimulates students by using something that is familiar to them. By using computers in the classroom, I noticed that students were more prone to engage in meaningful conversation because they were able search and find information that pertained to the discussions. This text also reminded me of Principle Walker from Rideau High School. Principle Walker along with his teaching staff encouraged students to use their cellphones as a classroom aid rather than a forbidden object. These professors and teachers acknowledged the importance of technology in the classroom and use it as leaning tool that provides students with more learning opportunities.
In the same vein, Damian Cooper author of “Talk about Assessment: High school Strategies and Tools,” besides introducing the eight big ides of assessment, talks about grading in the digital era and how the word “grade should be used exclusively to denote the summary score on a report card” (9).This idea stood out to me, and reminded of my high school days, which now seem so long ago. I remember anxiously awaiting my name to be called to pick up my test with the grade on it. I would nervously walk up to the teacher’s desk, take my test, and sneak a quick peak at the grade marked at the top, circled in red ink. Most of the students in my class would do the same thing, just look at the grade and see whether it was a pass or fail. In this context, no one would ever take the time to review their test or ask the teacher for clarifications. We would breath a sigh or relief if we passed, and feel upset or uneasy if we had failed. That number on the top of that page signified so much for us, it was a determining factor of our abilities and our intelligence. That number decided whether we understood the course material or did not. As maintained by Cooper, “feedback is an important factor in assessing children” (9), and in most cases students do not take the time to read the feedback because they are so preoccupied with the grade. It can also be easily argued that grades sets up competitiveness in the classroom. Often, if a teacher or professor asks the class: Who is the smartest? The same names would show up time and time again. The students in question may have stronger personalities, may be singled out by the teacher to answer question or may often raise their hand to answer questions. In my opinion, grades can often create a fixed mindset in which students have trouble to see past. |
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