November 2, 2010 Raising Questions and Finding Answers in Our Grading Policies

Outcomes Examine our beliefs about the purpose of grading Revisit Fixes #1 and #2 Investigate what factors should determine a student’s grade Explore research based findings on motivation

Reflection Jot down the questions and insights you have about grading.

Discussion What “fix” did you discuss with your peers or try to implement since we last we met? Use the Reflecting on Grading Practices document to guide your conversation.

Grading Fieldwork Lakeview Middle School San Lorenzo Valley High School

Tim Brown’s “Five Essential Questions” 1. Should grading practices be left up to the discretion of individual teachers? 2. What factors should determine a student’s grade? 3. What grading guidelines can schools adopt? 4. What helpful resources exist? 5. What steps or strategies would move grading guidelines forward?

5 Essential Questions Activity Sit in cross-school teams Discuss the following question: What factors should determine a student’s grade?

Scenario Activity In the same cross-school teams, play out the following scenario. What’s in a “B”?

Hearing from our Peers…

Lunchtime!!!

What’s in a “B”? Revisited Back in your school teams review the columns from the activity, What’s in a “B”?. What things listed in the two columns bother you and why?

What in this video clip is relevant to our conversation around the purpose of grading and motivating students? Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us By: Daniel Pink

Motivation the ancient drive to survive Motivation rewarding good work with pay / benefits / promotions

Carrots and sticks can… 1)extinguish motivation 2)diminish performance 3)crush creativity 4)crowd out good behavior 5)encourage cheating, shortcuts and unethical behavior 6)become addictive 7)foster short-term thinking The “Seven Deadly Flaws” of Motivation 2.0

Autonomy Mastery Purpose The Keys To Motivation 3.0

Intrinsic Motivation “Intrinsically motivated people usually achieve more than their reward –seeking counterparts. Alas, that is not always true in the short term. An intense focus on extrinsic can deliver fast results. The trouble is, the approach is difficult to sustain. And it doesn’t assist in mastery- which is the source of achievement over the long haul.” – Daniel Pink

Extrinsic – Motivation 2.0 OR Intrinsic – Motivation 3.0 As educators, what should we be striving towards for our students?

Keys to Creating a Learning Community P – Am I sending POSITIVE messages? C – Am I offering CHOICES ? R – Am I encouraging REFLECTION ? From:-

1.using non-coercion 2.prompting the person to self-assess 3.having the student own the consequence When a consequence is imposed the student feels the victim. When the consequence is elicited, the student owns it and grows from the decision.” Marvin Marshall, Promoting Responsibility Newsletter, Vol. 1, No. 4, Nov. 2001, 9 Effective Ways to Change Behaviors

1.Provide meaningful choices 2.Provide frequent, specific, non-judgmental feedback focused on progress and growth. 3.Protect each student from embarrassment Rogers, Ludington and Graham, Motivation and Learning, Peak Learning Systems, Evergreen, CO, 1998 Fostering Intrinsic Motivation From a list of 8…..

1.Competitive situations in which lack of success is probable or feared. 2.Exclusion from decisions about goals, means, and standards. 3.Insincere listening, recognition and praise. Rogers, Ludington and Graham, Motivation and Learning, Peak Learning Systems, Evergreen, CO, 1998 Avoid Classic De-motivators From a list of 16…

What are your beliefs about motivation and how do you implement them in your classroom/school? Reflection

Group Work Time Select one of the activities provided to work on with your school team. We will reconvene at 2:45 to share out some of our plans.