Entrance slip- Sarte and Hughes

On my Tuesday school visit, I was told that more than 80% of their students were doing well with their homework and were successful in their exams, but there were not really interested in what they were doing. This indicates that schools are not successful in their main task, that is, inspiring students’ learning.

In our educational system, grades are identified as a main motivator for studying and doing assignments and assessing students’ learning. However, many studies show that grades are not only unnecessary but also harmful. Alfie Kohn points out that “kids who are graded – and have been encouraged to try to improve their grades – tend to lose interest in the learning itself, avoid challenging tasks whenever possible (in order to maximize the chance of getting an A), and think less deeply than kids who aren’t graded. The problem isn’t with how we grade, nor is it limited to students who do especially well or poorly in school; it’s inherent to grading.”  It seems that the problem is not how we grade, but using grades for accountability. Also Sarte et al study indicates that teachers, by avoiding using grades as an extrinsic motivator and focusing on engaging the students in learning, can increase intrinsic motivation in students and improve their feeling of success in their learning.

What teachers need is a method of evaluation that enable them to see how well their students meet measurable objectives – a method that improves instruction for each individual student and that allows students more ways to demonstrate that they have learned the materials.