Student Teaching Diaries: Is This For a Grade?

When students enter preschool and kindergarten they are excited by learning.  They explore and engage in activities for the sake of what is happening.  Teachers set up experiences and lessons that develop skills and provide learning for students.  As students progress through elementary school, however, they begin to see the association of work for "a grade!"  When does learning change from the process and act to "the grade"?

Mentor Teacher: Lori Rice--I have an Early Childhood and Elementary degree.  I understand the importance of play in learning and the focus in my classroom is helping students push themselves as learners.  In my classroom I develop lessons that move students from where they are to the next developmental level.  To do this I set clear objectives and have clear criteria for measuring these objectives.  Our focus is on the learning process, effort and creating work we are proud of that shows best effort.  We don't focus on grades.  It has taken a process of building a community to get students to break this habit of operating under the idea, "This is for a grade".

Student Intern:  Lauren Laudan-- Early on in my semester I noticed that whenever a task was assigned the first thing students would ask was “Is this for a grade?” Unfortunately, the is often so much emphasis put on the final grade, students often slack off if an activity or assignment is for “practice” or  "formative assessment”.  These activities are an important part of the learning process aimed to help the teacher form instruction and know how students are doing. I needed skills to switch this learned response, "Is this for a grade?" to seeing the learning in our classroom.

Lori taught me to respond to this question by saying, “Does it matter? Shouldn't you always be doing your best?” While it is important for students to take pride in their grades, I want them to focus on the learning. This response showed me the importance of setting a purpose (with clear objectives), making connections to the world and sharing those things openly with students. They need to see the bigger picture. For example, many students struggle to see how decimals relate to their lives; as soon as we started relating decimals to gas prices, buying items at a store, comparing them to prices we see, students began to realize just how important decimals really are.  This showed them a bigger picture beyond grades.

Using differentiation and Bloom's Taxonomy I am able to help students in their learning and moving beyond the grade mentality.  By having students apply their knowledge, create and synthesize they are exposed to high expectations and therefore challenged. However, I am also there to scaffold students who need support and who struggle with concept(s). I believe in the importance of varying methods of instruction and I always strive to accomplish that with my students this semester. Whether it is engaging students in a video about different angles, doing a brain break to show different angles with their bodies, or looking around the room during an angle scavenger hunt, I never want them just sitting and listening to me lecture. This particular class had a lot of kinesthetic learners who benefited from those hands-on experiences and movement.

Technology is another great tool in learning.  I have students actively use the Smart Board (something they love) when solving problems in DPP (daily practice problems) or correcting sentences during DLI (daily language instruction). Allowing students the opportunity to write on the board encourages student engagement and participation.  This enables me to guide class discussion and move the students from "the grade" to the learning.  

When I plan lessons they are focused on objectives, not grades.  One lesson that particularly stands out as being successful is my sound energy lesson. For this lesson, students were given five straws and asked to create a pan flute. They were given very few directions to follow; I wanted to see their creativity and application of what they had learned previously about sound waves and vibrations. Students were given a clear objective and criteria.  They did not ask, "Is this for a grade?"  The engagement and excitement was truly amazing. I also noticed that because the students were so interested, behavioral issues and disruptions were kept to the bare minimum and the classroom management came much easier.  In the end students displayed their instrument on their desk and took a museum walk around the room.  They quietly viewed each others instruments.  Then, instead of a grade, they gave feedback to one classmate using a sticky note.  They had to use one or more words (vibration, waves, sound, pitch, frequency) and this demonstrated the learning.  

Learning is a process. In the classroom it is the job of educators to help students learning is fun.  The process and journey in learning is as important as the end.  It is about the path taken and the path not taken.  It is about the triumph and the failure.  It is about understanding and questioning.  We have a final responsibility to report learning as grades.  But push your students, your families, and yourself to see beyond the grade.  It's about finding something new.