Creating a Gradeless Math Classroom when grades are still required with Andrew Burnett Transformative Principal 231

Jun 17, 2018

 

Andrew Burnett is a veteran teacher of Math who took a few years to do research, and is back in the classroom making a big splash with going gradeless.

• Study measuring the effect of immediate feedback and whether it helps kids learn. It does.
• Change is hard.
• How to help educators change.
• Why Andrew made the change when he came back to the classroom.
• Teachers going Gradeless.
• Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
• Student Self-assessments, engaging math.
• Isn’t every kid going to say they deserve an A?
• Show me what you can do - low stakes, no grade.
• We spend a lot more time on student “show me what you can do’s“
• Give specific details on what they did well and what they did not do well.
• Not grading assignments, but giving feedback on learning.
• No grades go on the papers.
• They were no longer looking for a grade.
• Evidence vs. completion
• Seesaw online portfolio
• Workload decreased in some areas and increased in other areas.
• Worst-case scenario is I could go through all their work and give them a grade if I needed to.
• Learning opportunity vs. homework.
• Many of these grades had no indication of whether students understood the concepts!
• Students complete learning opportunities on assistments.
• Check-ins vs. Grade book accountability.
• Why did I not learn this sooner?
• Teachers say they have to have a minimum number of grades.
• Need support around you.
• Letter to parents.
• Other barriers: fear of change.
• It’s ok to wait for the new year to start.

Doesn’t this mean that kids never show anything because they aren’t getting a grade for it?