Today’s class primarily focused on two parts: questioning the accuracy of grades and a debate on competition/cooperation. Both are based on some thoughts made by Alfie Kohn, who is quite an extreme individual. This is a unique trait of his and it was interesting to see someone very fervent in these topics to express them out boldly. To begin with whether grades are accurate or not, I think it’s impossible to completely evaluate a student’s learning based on external assessments. Only the individual would know whether they know something or not once prompted with a question. I think grades give a general idea of how well students are doing, but there are so many other factors that should be taken into account that aren’t present within a numbered percentage. One can say someone who got 100% on an exam generally understands and mastered the concepts better than someone who scored 70%. However, what about two students who scored 70% vs. 71%, is the 71% student necessarily a bit more mastered than the 70% student? Sometimes there will be students who don't try and others who just have complications in life that hinder them from studying well. What were those 30% gaps that were missing? So we began to discuss proficiency scales, which is something I’ve never seen used in math growing up (it looks like a rubric for essays and presentations for English/social studies classes). Proficiency scales are helpful in that they can help identify areas students know and where they can work on. I think it’s quite interesting to implement in Alberta. I hear that this is used in junior high grades (7-9) in this province, and in high school they start using percentages (maybe along with proficiency scales). This method might be good since it allows students at younger ages to focus less on grades and more on improvement and developing skills to master them. Once high school hits, those who do plan on advancing onwards to post secondary may need some percentages for applications. Allowing them to also know their strengths and weaknesses in certain concepts will help them continue to develop good studying habits and metacognitive skills. Now, regarding Alfie Kohn’s comments on the negatives of competition, he has some good and true points, but are very generalized. Some people may find competition as a huge motivating factor to improve themselves in this world and how they can better themselves after seeing the improvement of other people. Cooperation helps build team/net work skills and allows one to figure out how to work with someone they don’t necessarily prefer to work with. This in turn can cause strife amongst the team and individuals blaming each other (lose-lose situation). But it's nice to weigh the pros and cons of each type and see where they can be implemented.
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