I am capivated by the notion of change. No matter where or in what context change happens, there is always reluctance to embrace it. Trust makes change easier, but it is usually confident in backing up the mistakes that will occur. Education is one field where change is a constant.
A new school year is upon us. The concept of change envelopes staffing, curriculum, students, families, technology, and schedules. Change personally challenges our long-held beliefs. We have followed a prescribed pattern of behaviors over time and the curve to embrace something new is a challenge. This change in school impacts a "Mindset" that is seldom a given in our learning environments. It happens on such a regular basis that we should applaud the school cultures that can navigate it without too much drama.
It takes courage to make a change.
So how much does it take to make change happen - and make it stick? The recent edition of an ASCD book, Grading Smarter, Not Harder by Myron Dueck has caused us to ponder on current homework and grading practices that we always held so dear. This falls after reading our May staff feedback forms that complained about too much grading and the time it takes to get it done.
Some challenges to our traditionally held practices:
- Punitive grading by taking points away for late work...
- Zeros for incomplete work and their effect on motivation and grades
- Drastic Differences between 100 pt. scales to 5 or 10 pt. scales...
- Home being busy work at the expense of authentic learning and inflated grades.
- Value of in class quizzes vs uniform homework that all do the same
- The need to provide in-school support for struggling students
- Deciding the best methods to measure understanding
I am interested in giving the staff some time to reflect on current practices and their effectiveness on classroom instruction. Change may come slowly or it may revolutionize how teachers view the age old practice of what and how they grade. Let the conversation begin!
