Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā  When thinking about what I learned throughout grades K-12, it saddens me to think about how much learning has been lost in my memory. Throughout my life, I think I have learned more from life experiences outside of a classroom; this had made me question and think about how I, myself, as a teacher, can create more learning for my students inside of the classroom. I know that I am more motivated to learn when I can wholeheartedly relate to what I am being taught on a personal level. I have noticed how I was able to retain more information and learn more during my University years working on my English degree. Because of the fact that I got to focus on what I love and could get creative with my essays (i.e. I could pick a topic that I could relate to or that I was passionate about), I was able to learn about the world and myself in ways that would positively impact me for the rest of my life.

This insight reminds me of what April Mcknight talks about in her Tedtalk, as she explains that learning must be fun and personalized. Mcknight explains that she allows her students to pick their own projects when assessing and that she is open to allowing her students to do anything they want (2019); this is the kind of teacher that I aspire to be. I can understand and see how individuals are more motivated to learn when they feel love, passion, and connection towards what they are learning. When allowing students the freedom to choose what they will do when assessing, even the subjects that students are less interested in can become something that they find passion for. I therefore think that feelings of freedom and open-mindedness when assessing is something that will really facilitate learning that will be retained and remembered.

In terms of grading, I really resonate with what Alfie Kohn has said about how grades waste time that could be spent on learning and that grades encourage cheating (1999). I remember times in my elementary school where students would have no problem with cheating off of each other during quizzes as well as would give each other the answers for assignments (I was guilty of this back then, too) all because of the fact that they were focused on passing the classes rather than learning within the classes. My teachers would obviously get mad at students for willing to cheat off of each other, but from the studentsā€™ perspective, our intentions were not malicious, and cheating was not a way to take advantage of students who knew how to always get an A. Students simply wanted to help each other get through the class and pass. Instead of getting angry at cheating, maybe we should be asking ourselves why cheating is happening in the first place. I therefore do agree with Alfie Kohn that grades play a huge roll in why students cheat.

However, I think that a lack of grading can cause just as much stress as grading does because when grades are not being provided, students may feel worried about whether they are meeting the expectations that are required of them. Maybe looking at grading with a whole new perspective is what needs to be done instead of taking away grades completely. For example, Rita Pierson shares a story in her Tedtalk explaining that when a student got 2/20 on a test, she put a smiley face on his test and explained that he was ā€œon a rollā€ (2013). The student was confused, but Pierson then explains that by focusing on what the student did well (i.e. he answered two questions that were correct and didnā€™t get all of them wrong), the student did not feel stressed or down upon himself, but rather he felt eager and confident to do better for next time (2013). A shift in perspective might be the key to creating an environment of excitement to learn as opposed to an environment of worrying about passing. If students place their mental energy on their potential and the strength to do better as opposed to placing their mental energy on where they went wrong, then students will be focused on the learning instead of the grading even when grades are still involved in the assessment. This realization has been a huge learning experience for myself, as this is the kind of mindset that I will aim to bring within my classrooms.

Feeling grateful that I got to make connections between the Tedtalks, the articles, and my own personal experiences the past couple of weeks, as I feel like I have learned a lot.

References

Kohn, A. (1999). From degrading to de-grading. High School Magazine. Retrieved October 24, 2020, from https://www.alfiekohn.org/article/degrading-de-grading/

TED. (2013, May 3). Every kid needs a champion | Rita pierson [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw&vl=zh

TEDx Talks. (2019, June 7). Learning should be fun | April mcknight | TEDxlangleyEDĀ [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQ0mSZuxugo