“Not just in this case, but in most cases, grades say little about the work done” (Zander & Zander, 2000).
While reading the Zanders’ book and the chapter titled “Giving an A,” I was reminded of what I did for my students last year.
It was the end of the year, and I was teaching 8th graders whose only focus was the finish line, graduation, summer, and on to high school. As if dealing with hormone issues wasn’t enough, I was exposed to a whole new gamut of emotion. I remembered what one of my FSO professors mentioned about assignments that would earn an A as long as we followed the directions. I decided to do the same for my students. As they stated in their book, I was extremely surprised at the results. My students created their best work, they took the time to accomplish their goals, and they actually listened to, and followed, the directions.
Grades actually did nothing but create an air of competitiveness that actually stressed my students out. Removing that stressor released their creativity and they were actually more engaged in the lesson. Before reading The Art of Possibility, I had already planned on utilizing that same approach at the start of the year with my classes. I am going to build on concepts learned in MLT and GSM to incorporate in my syllabus, which, hopefully, will allow my students to achieve.
I plan to follow Zander’s example and have my students write a letter to themselves about why they deserve the “A.” I’m hoping that becomes a motivator. Since I will be teaching middle school students, I think that the best course of action will be to have them write one letter per semester so they won’t just write something and forget it.
While this concept may bother some people who live for the grade and strive for extrinsic motivation as the source of value for their own self-worth, I’m hoping to prove otherwise and believe that I may have just stumbled upon another facet for my ongoing AR.
Zander, R.S., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
I also teach 8th grade Joe. I had a similar experience. After taking the principle in filmmaking class, I started offering my students AAA (Absolute A Assignments). They really stepped up and did some great work, many of them put more effort into it than they usually did when it was going to be measured.
ReplyDelete~Larry
Joe,
ReplyDeleteI know you are loving this book as much as I am, and I positively love the way you respond when you are inspired. You never let the moment of change and inspiration pass you by and that is one of the things I really respect about you. I do feel that FSO has done a great job of practicing many of the concepts in the chapter "Giving an A." And because some of our course directors have done a fabulous job modeling many of the concepts, I plan on incorporating the "risk free" or "AAA" assignments into my class. I believe it will take an immense amount of pressure off of my struggling students, and they just might surprise themselves. Regardless, your students are lucky to have a teacher who will go out on a limb and attempt to reach them in new ways.
Joe, I like the idea of trying to get your students to eliminate the thought of being assessed by grades only so that they're better able to maximize their potential academically. Instead of competing against one another or even themselves, they are now free to strive to be the best they can be! In other words, they are free to produce better work because they are working "outside the box". I'm sure you're students have made tremendous under your teaching.
ReplyDeleteThe last line was to correctly read: I'm sure your students have made tremendous strides under your teaching. (Please excuse and accept as corrected).
ReplyDeleteI completely agree Joe. I think that I am definitely going to use the letter idea in my next classroom. Since the concept of being an A student has been imprinted on students brains since they are in preschool, I found that many of my middle school students didn't even care about grades. They just want to move on to the next grade. In Beth's class I was introduced to risk free assignments for the first time in my entire scholastic career. I think that is too late to experience such a great concept. Great post Joe.
ReplyDelete-Quinn
@ Joe
ReplyDeleteI think having a letter per semester is a perfect tweak to the Zander idea. It is great to hear that you could see how much stress was lifted off of your students and that the products they produced were so much better. I have a feeling your AR project is going to be one that you continue to modify and I look forward to keeping up with your progress.
Competition was what drove me through school, but also what finally broke me while I was studying piano at a school of music. The four years of extreme comparison and extreme competition stole the joy of making music from me. I am so glad the author of this book uses the example of music in find authenticity in your own performance as well as in students.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear about how those letters work out. I think it is a great idea for your students and I think their responses will be overwhelming. I totally agree with you when you said that grades caused competition. Imagine a classroom without that competition... It should be an enjoyable school year for you and your students :)
ReplyDelete