In an article I read written on July 13, 2014 by Ken Bain “Flummoxed by Failure-or Focused?” he discussed how there are two types of students the “helpless” student who think they aren 't smart enough and the “mastery” or “growth” students who will try everything before they cave in and how students the “hopeless” students think their intelligence is fixed. Also in an interview with Ken Bain conducted by the Project Information Literacy on October 10, 2012 , Mr. Bain discussed more of his view on learning like that you don 't learn from your experiences, but about thinking about your experience which is a process he called “deep learning”. He also discusses issues with strategic learner who basically only perform for the high grade and don 't ask questions after they get their answer. Many students have this notion that learning is all about getting a high grade and once they have it they are done, But if they do it just for the grade it can cause some serious problems, they won’t learn how to deep learn, and it can maybe affect their career. Worrying too much about grades can cause students serious problems like not really understanding the work, make them not feel smart enough and lose interest in school and can cause anxiety and other health issues. In the article Mr. Bains said “ Indeed, there are several problems with strategic learners” (Project Information Literacy October 10, 2012 page1/4). One of the problems is students don 't really understand what they are learning if once they reach that high grade they want they will just stop. I am very guilty of only performing for the grade because I did it all throughout high school. I was taught that getting an A was the highest grade you can get so once I reached that A I... ... middle of paper ... ... question things and after getting an answer still question it. In today 's world we have a lot of routine experts because so much of today 's students are focusing too much on the grade which causes them not to become adaptive experts. By these students not being adaptive experts in their career they won 't be able to solve unusual problems and won 't be able to make a change in their career. Some of these routine experts can be the best in their field but by them plugging in numbers and getting answer keep sthen back because they don 't question the answer. Ultimately, by these students tieing their self image to getting the highest possible grade it can lead them to some serious Problems, the students not learning to their full potential, and negatively affect their career. Grades play a role in education but grades should not define a student like it does today.
Most students do care about their grades and want to succeed, so they may go into argue their grades. As shown in examples though, parents become very upset with their kids if they do not achieve up to their high class standards. A very good point is made by Shepard. Not all kids are good enough to receive A's. Parents need to be satisfied with a B because that is in the upper part of the college usually. Obtaining an A or A plus should be almost a honor. Shepard grabs the attention of me and other people by discussing how getting a B should be relieving still, even if it isn't
As far as I can remember, I was never really any good at school. I couldn’t concentrate on things for no more than 5 minutes at a time, I would either get discouraged or find it too easy and just give up. An author by the name of Carol Dweck wrote an article called “Brainology”. In it, Dweck describes that there are two types of mindsets: fixed and growth. Those who are afraid to fail so they never try anything new are those with a fixed mindset and the growth mindset are those who are not afraid to fail and find a new challenge, an opportunity to learn something new.
“Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A’s”, an essay by Brent Staples, argues that in the past few years colleges have been very lenient when it comes to grades, and they have basically been giving students A’s that they don’t deserve. The reasoning behind this is that colleges are “faced with demanding consumers and stiff competition” (Staples 935). Some departments are trying to save themselves from administrators canceling their course because students don’t want to take their class, making them lose their job. The way students and parents see it, is that they are getting their money’s worth. Staples builds common ground by offering a solution to the problem of grade inflation, he thinks that higher standards should be set for the more
Before we can look at how grading affects learning Farber suggests we look at how it has affected students (333-334). The greatest effect of being graded happens to the individual. Farber asks, “Did you need grades to learn how to drive?” We have become “grade junkies.” Without the grades students can’t learn (333). Vogel agrees that students believe grades are the motivating factor in learning, but only for the money. Students want the grades because high GPA’s equal high paying jobs (338-339). Another negative effect of grades is that students want the best grade with the least amount of learning but this causes conflict with professors because the professor’s goal is different compared to the student’s (339). Grades have positive effects too. Farber believes that grades give us discipline, but not self-discipline. True self-discipline comes from wanting something not coercion (334). Farber defines self-discipline as revising one paragraph all night because one enjoys it (334.)
Grading curve is a method that appoints grades for assignments based on the performance of the class in total. There are several cases as to why a teacher may decide to use that method of grading. One being that the teacher uses it if the majority of students performed below the intended average, which may indicate that that assignment was a bit out of range in difficulty. But of course when using grading curves they can cause both positive and negative effects on students. Education should offer a reality check so that they are ready to build on what they actually do well and master what they do not. Instead of ripping the bandage off, a grading curve can be seen as a safety net for current college students. Is it necessary to cushion a student’s fall? Although every student should strive to earn an A, grading curves should not be allowed in schools because it affects the students’ capability to work harder, focus, and take their own classes more seriously.
The Consequences of Grade Inflation When students arrive at university, professors expect them to understand the material to an exceptional standard. The problem is that grade inflation is occurring more regularly in secondary schools and universities across the country and when these students’ marks are sent to universities or colleges, the student may be given multiple scholarships for something that he/she should not have earned. Grade inflation is conceived between both students and teachers, meaning that the students are given higher grades when they have inadequate learning, reading, and verbal skills, while the teachers do not have to grade as many papers as they should in the real curriculum. There have been multiple examinations that have confirmed that grade inflation is very real and still occurs today. Students seem to think that they do not need to put forth much effort in school to do well, and grade inflation encourages this thought.
Students increasingly demand a type of education that allows them to update their knowledge when necessary and to continue to do so throughout their working lives (McIntosh, & Varoglu, 2005; Tomlinson, 2007). The debates on lifelong learning and learning skills continue to emphasize independent and self-directed learning as a central need (Strivens & Grant, 2000). The ability to engage in critical self-assessment is viewed as a meta-skill that would aid students in managing their general life both during and after university (Knight & Yorke, 2002). Based on this view, suggestions are raised to educational institutions concerning learning cultures that help students know what they are learning and why and how to develop the claims to achievement that make them more successful. Teachers are expected to design promising learning environments and help students discover what they afford, what might be learned, how and why (Knight & Yorke, 2003). According to the authors (Strivens and Grant, 2000), if learners have an accurate awareness of their levels of achievement in skills, in conjunction with a desirable skill profile for a job or a range of jobs, they will be able to recognize when and where they need to improve their level of skill. It has also been
We were taught in elementary school that if we study then well do perfect on tests, the only problem is we were never really taught how to study the ways that benefits us best. We were never taught what methods of studying help you on tests and how to make the material stick in your mind so you won’t just forget. That’s why the study of metacognition and multiple intelligence is now being used in classrooms and at home to better prepare the student for upcoming tests. Metacognition is being able to take charge, be aware and understand your own learning and thought process. Multiple intelligence is the theory that people aren’t born dumb but that they have naturally inherited sections of intelligence that aren’t realized in the brains of everyone.
Grades are one of the most important factors of my high school career. My grade point average and my SAT's determine what college I go to. They determine my effort at high school. I must do whatever possible to keep my grade point average above 3.0. My GPA currently is ok, but if I could increase it by just .2 I would be much better off. Grades are very crucial for getting acceptance to college. They are one of the major things that colleges look at to accept you (or so I have been told). So I will keep pushing myself so that my grades will increase this year, making it possible for me to hopefully enter a better school then I can right now.
A statement from the Huffington Post states, “From a very young age, we are told the importance of getting good grades. Especially in high school, we are told time and time again that our grades affect what college we will get into. While grades are extremely important, people often forget about the importance of learning, not just getting good grades. There is a difference between the grade received in a course and the amount of learning that took place in the course.” Parents and institutions should teach the importance of learning. The society around the upbringing of students emphasizes getting good grades as apposed to getting every detail and aspect mastered. School priorities should be reevaluated and changed for future students
This placed much of the burden of recognizing academic talent on the high schools. Hindering a student’s performance with a bad grade in the middle of the year can make them give up for the rest of the year. Once a student has received a bad grade, they might lose faith in their academic ability. By giving up, a student does not reflect their academic ability and their bad grades are not based on what they learned.
When it comes to school, I have always been an “A” only student. I am slightly obsessed with my grades, and I have never had a “B” in my life. Originally, this pressure was put on by my parents, but now I am self-driven and I do not allow myself to have anything lower than an “A-”. Achieving no lower than an “A-” consists of lots of hard work and time management. Unlike many other students, I have always been one to complete my homework as soon as possible. Other students procrastinate and either don’t do their homework until late at night, or even the day
Apparently, I hate taking risks, but with a test which has high stakes, and my brain is blank, I have to take any chance to improve my grades by 1-2 grade levels, leaving myself susceptible to be ashamed by my instructor publicly. I may get answers from the notes acquired from the previous class and write them on a small piece of paper or use my friend as the supporting agent. A pinch of guilt may stick in the throat for the act, but it quickly gets swallowed with success if you happen to get an A on a math paper when you only struggled with half of the assignment. Educational institutions and teachers give grades undue importance than learning, which is offensively hypocritical and disingenuous. In fact, all educational institutions care about the test scores and high GPAs. It is the same way to try and convince the employees to mind about their obligations than their salaries, which is
Teachers and school reputations will remain high. Teachers and schools want to give a good impression and in order to do that they need to produce something that all students want, a good grade. Some say grade inflation helps show students they are smart and capable of working hard and receiving good grades. This motivates them to work harder to keep those high grades. Grade inflation also gives students the opportunity to apply them selves to the next level University.
When students have easier grading criteria, it increases their ability to learn the material instead of focusing on earning better grades without understanding the material. Students sometimes need grading criteria that will allow them to focus on their studying more than focusing on how they will be able to pass their classes with good grades that will not affect their GPA’s. For example, I have taken many classes throughout my college career such as Psychology, Philosophy, and Statistics, some of them I need as major requirements. I took the classes and I have no idea until this moment what I have learned in those classes. As said, I have learned the material for these classes to pass the exams, and forget what I have learned the day after the exam. In this case, I do not blame myself that I have not learned the material as I have to, because I learned it to pass the class with a good grade instead of passing the class with the