Blow up the Grade Book!

  

Blow up the grade book. I agree with it. However, I find myself sharing similar traits and personal connections to the idea behind the concept. If I asked an instructor to theoretically blow up their grade book  I feel the push back would eventually leave me with a box of my office goods in hand; looking for a new position. So I asked myself after watching this video, how can you spread this idea? Is this  a generational idea? Meaning, will it inspire only a select generation or personality of teachers who are comfortable using new approaches in the classroom? In my opinion, there are far less teachers willing to try new approaches than those who fight to hold on to historical learning practices. I also feel there are some who have mentally checked out of the game completely. These are my concerns, these are what I fear an incredible idea like blowing up the grade book is up against. This is an idea that needs to be championed by change agents.  I am not trying to be negative, I am a reflection of the frustration I see in my local districts. Those thoughts are by far not a full world view of education as a whole, only other educators can tell me if they face similar issues within their  industry. The goal to spread blowing up the grade book starts by creating an honest dialogue among fellow educators.  Dr. Haskell does a great job of starting this discussion. Below, I want to share some thoughts and continue the dialogue.

What are the issues of fairness/equity in curricular design?  According to the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, equity in education has two dimensions.

 "The first is fairness, which basically means making sure that personal and social circumstances-for example gender, socio-economic status or ethnic origin-should not be an obstacle to achieving educational potential.The second is inclusion, in other words ensuring a basic minimum standard of education for all- for example that everyone should be able to read, write and do simple arithmetic"(Field, P.2 2007).

So what has the quick fix been in the past to ensure educational equity? Well, if you are familiar with “tracking” some institutions incorporated a way to divide students by ability. The only problem with that is it's a perceived ability or inability in some cases. As Dr. Haskell points out present schemas  are frustrating the attempts to overcome those perceptions. They're very existence is the problem. Pam Fisher who is quoted in NASSP’s(National Association of Secondary Principals) article referring to equity in educations  states “ We’ve grown up in a system that urges us to believe that some kids are smarter than others and that somehow we can accurately sort this out.”(Fisher, P.1 2004). This in its essence is a problem with the system. It is a breakdown in the rules of the game. You see, Dr. Haskell spent time stating that students view the classroom as a game. He is right. The winning condition is an "A" or passing the class, and students know this. They proceed to play the game regardless if it is a game they are good at, enjoy, or loathe.  I suspect teachers play the “game” as well. The rules of our game are no different. The winning condition could be stay under budget, raise standardized test scores, leave no child behind. Again, much like the students, this is a game we must play, but feel helpless in. In the theme of games I see educators as game characters trapped in a level they cannot get out of, a glitch in the system. A glitch in the code that is suppose to make the game work for everyone.  What happens when the rules of the game are being broken on the student side as well as the teacher side? Well what we have is an idea like “tracking” and grouping the students with an outcome that does little to help the original problem.  Studies show that it is not possible to place students into ability-grouped tracks, that when tracked with other low performing students, they have lower self-esteem; and the tracking produces no positive results. It actually polarized students into pro-and anti-school camps, creating a “caste system” of elite and struggling students. This encourages segregation and stereotyping. Teachers that are in the classrooms for the lower level track also have lower expectations sets. (Field, 2007).  

What is the cheat code to this unfair game being played against the ability to produce a fair and equitable classroom? Quest based learning and differentiated instruction is the cheat code. Differentiated instruction engages all types of learners. Differentiated instruction can be produced seamlessly with a blown up grade book and quest-based learning. The core of Dr. Haskell's idea, is student choice and empowerment to drive learning experiences. This type of learning will have students asking “Did you finish the Planned Economy monopoly game quest? It's crazy to think one entity can control an entire economy” instead of the “What did you get on Mr. Marconi’s economics exam? I’m sure I bombed it, I have terrible test anxiety”.  If the goal is truly student learning I would prefer the students quoting or discussing information gathered rather than exam grades received.  What about due dates for assignments? Get rid of them. The social and cultural contexts of our students have changed. Students may need to spend their time working after school in order to support a family with their additional income. Dr. Haskell points this out by stating that it is unfair to assume every student has the same after school lifestyle that can benefit from drill and practice and other homework structures. Let us not be ignorant to the fact some students work part-time as head of household or enter into a post school day environment that is neither conducive for homework learning or set up for success with what is intended by the homework.  

With diversity among learners in our schools at levels that are higher than ever, many teachers continue to assign the same homework to all students in the class and continue to disproportionately fail students from lower-income households for not doing homework, in essence punishing them for lack of an adequate environment in which to do homework. At a time when demand for accountability has reached a new high in its intensity, research fails to prove that all that homework is worth all that trouble.(Vettertot, 2009)

 How big of a problem is homework? Big enough to have rows and rows of books at your local bookstore dedicated to parents titled "How to Get Kids To Do Their Homework". Again, I point out is that the goal;  how-to books on building incentives in order to ensure children complete their homework. The completion should never be more important than the journey.  Being dropped off on the top of Mount Everest, is NOT the same as climbing Mount Everest. A student centered, student empowered, quest based learning environment will allow students to dictate how they learn. After all,  they are the players and characters in this game, why not let them choose how they achieve their own victory and perhaps the game educators play will change its winning conditions because of it.

 whether some feel blowing up the grade book is right or wrong, I couldn’t help but think of the famous Steve Jobs commercial for Apple “The crazy ones”.Blowing up the grade book, I think fits this mold perfectly. In the words of Steve Jobs;  “Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do”. The crazy ones in education would call for the demolishing of the grade book and everything it represents that is wrong with the industry, but remember if you might think they are truly crazy, those misfits, rebels, and troublemakers, might just be crazy enough to make it work. 

“Do not confine your children to your own learning, for they born in a different time" -Chinese proverb

References

Dimartino, J., & Miles, S. (2004, December 1). Equity in the Classroom. National Association of Secondary Principals. Retrieved September 10, 2014, from http://www.nassp.org/Portals/0/Content/48814.pdf

Field, S., Kuczera, M., & Pont, B. (2007). No more failures: ten steps to equity in education. Paris: OECD.

Vatterott, C. (2009). Rethinking homework best practices that support diverse needs. Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.