R6

R6

Quote: "You must find something that you really do want that requires your doing this thing that you want to avoid" (Noddings, 2006, p.19).

Question: In order to become globally competitive should we change our evaluation system to only reflect performance based learning before moving students to the next level?

Connections: According to Nodding too many students are graduating without retaining important facts. “We should find a way to ask “What have you learned?” instead of “Have you learned X?” (Nodding, 2006, p. 23) The Kentucky Department of Education has invited districts to become innovative in the way they measure student success. While conducting a site visit to Eminence Ind. schools in Kentucky they have changed their evaluation system to reflect standards based learning with a no fail policy. Students can only advance to the next level after demonstrating mastery of content. The assessment given is linked to their state standardize test score to ensure teachers are inflating A’s and B’s for students to move on. I believe that Paul Chance would support with this evaluation system because as Chance stated, “the responsibility for learning is placed squarely on the teacher’s shoulders” (Chance, 1993, p. 128). Teachers aren’t just facilitating learning, but actively engaged in planning individualized instruction to meet the needs of each student. “Wise educators, Adler says, know what children really need, and it is their job to motivate students to learn the appropriate material” (Nodding, 2006, p. 17). Another high school have re-designed their curriculum to increase student motivation for success by making it more career goal oriented. If you decide you want to work in the science field then your course work options are geared toward the sciences to help you prepare for that specific field while still allowing you the chance to take electives and explore other options.

Another interesting section of the reading was the theories of motivation. As an educator I believe teachers incorporate Theory’s 1 and 2 depending on the grade level of which they teach. For example in the early grades K-5 student may need to be externally motivated toward good as they are conditioned to behave appropriately in a classroom setting in order to focus and learn. As James (2001) stated, “the teachers prime concern should be to ingrain into the pupil that assortments of habits that shall be most useful throughout life” (p.34). They receive external rewards for meeting the expectations of appropriate behavior in the classroom (e.g. gold stars, stickers, toys, etc) as incentives to continue good behavior. As students reach upper level grades I believe they can begin to reward themselves for completing a required task and incorporate self discipline. Another scholar explained, “learned behavior becomes the task of accounting for the expectancy” (Skinner, 1950, p. 193). Feedback to students on completing task in a beginning may lead to support of their confidence and ability to compete a particular task. I can conclude that benefits of systematic rewards can benefit a person to persist and strive for excellence.

Here is a video where students have contiuous feedback and support from teachers and peers.

References

James, W. (2001). Talks to teachers on psychology and to students on some of life’s ideals.

Mineola, NY: Dover.