PUSHBACK is to be expected when you try something new and ask others to adjust. The No Grades policy is a success... with room for improvement. Parents
Halfway through the fall semester parents are suddenly aware our LMS (Aeries) doesn't "play well" with my gradeless system. It's an "easy" problem to resolve and only requires a means of educating the parents about where to look to see assignments and grades. The new Google Classroom Guardian Email feature simplifies it. Mass emails reminding them of the Gradeless policy and how it works has also eased concerns. That they're cropping up at this point means I've further work to do in when and how I communicate with the parents. Students We spent time at the beginning of the semester working with the standards, issues regarding grades, and the logic behind the gradeless plan. They loved the idea of "no grades" and the chance to take feedback and improve their work. The system, along with Google Classroom works well. Some students though, complain the work is "hard" and "can we just go back to lectures"? Yes, thinking-and-doing is more work than passively siting there and listening to (tuning out) the teacher. "The one doing the work is the one doing the learning" and that requires making an effort. While there are times direct instruction is still the best mode of delivering information, I try to limit lectures to 10 minute or less "lecturettes", total, per period. The remainder of the time, students are using our Chrome Books to read, research, and respond or create. Lots of time to collaborate too. The pushback here is simply that it's different than what they're used to. They have spent 10 school years told to sit quietly and fill in the blanks or follow the format. Having to "show what you know" is scary; how to do it without a worksheet or specific "form" the work must be in much harder than step-by-step or answer-the-questions. Still, the majority like being allowed to make a short recording (verbal or screencast) of their explanation rather than writing, or creating an original short story/comic strip/poem/etc.. Of course, more traditional essay responses are ok too! In spite of some resistance, it's wonderful to overhear students discussing their work with others students with pride and specific insight into how well they are meeting (or working toward) standards. ME! I need to keep out of my own way! Too many great ideas on the Net and not nearly enough time to do them all and keep the quality of the content in the curriculum. "Ooh! That's looks fun!" is not a reason to jump into something without thinking through how well this will fit what's already planned. Throwing too many options at students who are still adjusting to a new way of thinking and doing overwhelms them. I'm woking on keeping myself in line. Then too, there are times I regret having "soft" due dates. You need more time to produce quality work? Fine! No rush on the re-do..... Then I"m swamped at report time and cannot give the quality feedback the students need. Going forward, I'll have to find a balance between due dates and time for students to try, fail, try another way and enjoy the process. The negativity, the challenges sometimes have me longing to go back to the way I did things for years. The routine is familiar. The class was quiet. Everything ran like clockwork..... And while it was "good", I really do believe (and research backs me up) this is "better"-- for the students and for my professional growth too. It's not just the students doing the learning! I'll keep moving forward, adjusting and fine tuning the "how to". My students deserve it!
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