#9: How grading can enhance trust between students and teachers, or undermine it - with Morgan Torres-Unger
Education Upgrade with Jake SchulkeShow Notes
Grading for Equity Book Study #4
Jake and Morgan discuss Chapter 3: "How Traditional Grading Stifles Risk-Taking and Supports the Commodity of Grades" from the book Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman, a book that is helping schools and teachers upgrade the way that we assess and measure student learning. In our study of this chapter we discuss above all, the role of risk-taking and trust in teaching and learning, and we go into detail about how using grades as an artificial extrinsic incentive undermines the relationship of trust between student and teacher and thus undermines the process of learning. Any teachers who seek to understand the various impacts of grading practices should benefit from hearing and considering the ideas discussed, and likewise from reading the book and integrating the ideas into their practice. You can buy this book and others with the links below.
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases using the links which follow. Using these links to purchase recommended books is a way to help support this podcast.
Recommended Reading: Grading for Equity by Joe Feldman: Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CmMi2J Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3J7F9Hl
UNgrading by Susan Blum Paperback: https://amzn.to/3P5z0zt Audiobook: https://amzn.to/43yTxkj
The Self-Driven Child by by William Stixrud and Ned Johnson Paperback: https://amzn.to/42z2nx7 Audiobook: https://amzn.to/3CnmxiY
What We Know About Grading: What Works, What Doesn't, and What's Next by Thomas R. Guskey & Susan M. Brookhart Paperback: https://amzn.to/3EoSgkL
CHAPTERS:
00:00 - Disclaimer
00:22 - Opening quote on trust & risk taking
01:40 - I broke into Morgan’s car.
05:17 - Checking in about work, grading, and communication
14:27 - Changing grading practices with a team
16:41 - Grading for Equity Chapter 3 Introduction
19:10 - Risk taking and safe failure
20:37 - Points can undermine trust.
23:29 - What is this book study for?
26:31 - The way you grade affects everything.
33:14 - The pace of learning
39:06 - Wait, why are we doing a book study?
41:56 - Sending mixed messages to students
54:49 - Students as allies vs. adversaries
1:02:59 - Kill your ego or undermine trust
1:09:32 - Be the best substitute teacher you can be
1:15:59 - The element of trust
1:22:32 - Human connection, empathy, and critical thinking
1:27:33 - Intrinsic motivation, extrinsic rewards, and behavioral science
1:33:53 - Discussion on engagement
1:50:38 - Incentive systems
2:01:14 - Effects of points on self concept and anxiety
2:04:21 - Shares & celebrations, provoking thought
2:14:45 - Closing
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.