Are badges an alternative for grading? When I share with others that I abolished grading from my classroom years ago, I often get two reactions.
The first looks something like stunned bewilderment; for these people, they can't even begin to conceive how school could function without grading. They might even go so far as to feel that I am not doing my job. The second reaction is one of interest, followed quickly by uncertainty for what would act as an alternative to grading. Since I started blogging almost two years ago, I have received numerous e-mails from teachers asking me what I do in place of grading. Some teachers e-mail me asking me for my opinion on the alternatives they have derived. Before we can properly assess whether something is a worthy alternative of grading, we must first be crystal clear why grading is so harmful.
Here's a short list:Learners of any age can only ever experience grades as a reward and punishment. I see a move from grades to badges as like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Eprints.qut.edu.au/14441/1/14441.pdf. Abolishing Grading. I have had a number of people ask me to share a 'table-of-contents' for my blog posts on why and how we should abolish grading.
Here is a list of blog posts that should help you gain insight into this whole abolishing grading topic. I will add more as I write them. The Problem with Percentages - we might think we know what percentages mean but they are arbitrary and imaginary. Who will pack your parachute - the objectivity of grades and percentages is an illusion. Ungraded students - here's what it can look like. I will not let an exam result decide my fate - awesome video The Trouble with Grading - my article on how to abolish grading in science class. An A+ student regrets his grades - here's a letter from an honours student who regrets his strict pursuit of high testsandgrades. From a culture of performance to a culture of learning - here's an 18 minute interview with Alfie Kohn on the importance of school culture.
Stop marking! The Case Against Grades. To grade or not to grade? EdmodoCon → If you read this blog you may already know just how much I love using Edmodo in my classroom.
Well on Thursday morning at 10.00 am (Sydney time). Or Wednesday […] Rich discussions in Edmodo → It is a Sunday afternoon and as I regularly do I have just checked into my Edmodo literacy group to view some of my students weekly homework. A Year of Firsts → As my school year draws closer to the end, I have been reflecting on what an amazing year of firsts it has been for me. 2011-11-07_1959.png (956×1076) Digital Media and Learning Competition - About the DML Competition. Connected Learning Connected Learning is a set of principles designed to nurture the kind of students that can thrive in the 21st century.
By the time today’s first graders graduate high school, there will be whole new industries we can’t even imagine today. Connected Learning fosters the adaptive, lifelong learners that can flourish in a world of rapid technological change. More... Project:Connect - Hack for a Better Web Hackathon to create a more equitable, social, and participatory internet. Badges: Questions and Themes. During our first live, interactive Badges 101 webinar, we received over 100 questions through email, Twitter, comments, and the webinar chat box.
We invited our Badges for Lifelong Learning team to jump in and answer your questions, and will continue posting the remaining questions throughout the week. Many questions are open-ended and thought-provoking, so jump in to share your own responses. Flickr photo via Veronica Debord Will 'complexity' reduce the value of badges in the eyes of potential employers because they don't have the time to unravel that complexity? It depends on the employer.
Can badges provide a mechanism for employers to better identify and recruit suitable employees (and vice versa)? Absolutely -- if employers wish to devise and use such a system. People who earn digital badges signify to employers what their skills and knowledge are regardless of whether or not they possess a degree. Badges are not degrees. Badges 101 Webinar Follow-up. Last Thursday I presented on a Badges 101 webinar run by HASTAC.
The goal was to give some foundational information and answer questions about badges in general. It was well attended - over 200 attended and more weighed in with questions. You can see the recording here: We were only able to address a handful of questions during the webinar since time was running out, but we are all currently weighing in on the great questions that came in and will be continually posting our responses via the HASTAC Badges forums. There were a few that caught my attention and I wanted to answer here as well: Isn’t grade just another form of a badge I can post A,B,C,D, F on fridge, The internet just makes fridge bigger?