Show Notes
Are missed deadlines always a choice? When students miss deadlines, is it always because they made a poor choice—or is the reality much more complicated? In this episode of Education Upgrade, Jake Schulke and Morgan Torres-Unger-Castleberry examine the purpose of deadlines in education, how they compare to deadlines in the professional world, and whether academic grades should measure learning, responsibility, or compliance. The conversation explores why many students have far less control over their schedules than adults and what that means for grading practices, accountability, and student success. Topics discussed include: late work policies grading for equity grading reform standards-based grading mastery learning homework academic accountability executive functioning student autonomy intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation classroom assessment continuation schools educational psychology teacher decision-making preparing students for the real world consequences vs. punishment educational philosophy Whether you're a teacher, administrator, parent, education student, or simply interested in improving schools, this discussion challenges some of the most common assumptions about deadlines, responsibility, and learning. Education Upgrade is a podcast exploring evidence-based ideas about teaching, learning, grading, psychology, school reform, and the future of education through conversations with teachers, researchers, and education professionals. #Education #Teaching #Teachers #EducationUpgrade #Grading #StandardsBasedGrading #MasteryLearning #Assessment #Homework #LateWork #TeacherPodcast #EducationReform #EducationalLeadership #School
More from Education Upgrade with Jake Schulke
In this featured segment from Education Upgrade, Jake Schulke and guest Brett Barker examine how traditional teaching methods, large class sizes, and an emphasis on career preparation can limit meaningful learning. The conversation explores why students struggle to engage with English and social studies, whether conventional teaching practices encourage memorization over critical thinking, and how the structure of public education may contribute to these challenges. Watch or listen to the full conversation in Episode 19. Follow Education Upgrade for more conversations about teaching, learning, and rethinking education.
Can extrinsic rewards eventually help students become intrinsically motivated to learn? Dr. John McFarland (Dr. Mack) shares how he built “Fantasy French,” a gamified classroom system using experience points, levels, character classes, special abilities, and collaborative rewards. We discuss how students responded to the system, how it encouraged cooperation, and what happened as students began taking greater ownership of their learning. This featured segment comes from Episode 2 of Education Upgrade.
What do police searches communicate to students? Dr. Sebastián Sclofsky and I discuss school searches, student trust, discipline, and the difference between responding to a behavior and addressing what may be causing it. From Episode 11 of Education Upgrade.
What if teachers had more control over their own professional learning? In this featured segment from Education Upgrade, Dr. Derek Riddle discusses self-directed professional development and how teachers can identify their own learning needs, set meaningful goals, and seek out resources that help them improve their practice. We explore adult learning, reflection, teacher choice and motivation, and the many ways educators learn beyond traditional professional development. We also consider why even well-designed PD can fall short when it doesn't connect to what an individual teacher actually needs. Featured segment from Episode 12 of Education Upgrade: Why Teacher Professional Development Fails, and What Works Instead with Dr. Derek Riddle.
What does the research actually tell us about effective teacher professional development? In this featured segment from Education Upgrade, Dr. Derek Riddle explores the research on teacher professional learning, including six design features that shaped the field for decades: format, duration, collective participation, content, active learning, and coherence. We also discuss research that challenged that traditional consensus and an important factor that can get lost when professional development is designed: the teacher. What motivates teachers? What intellectually engages them? What makes professional learning meaningful? And how much voice should teachers have in determining what they need to learn? Featured segment from Episode 12 of Education Upgrade: Why Teacher Professional Development Fails, and What Works Instead with Dr. Derek Riddle.