Traditional grading can motivate
children for a better performance as well as diminish their desire to study if
grades are not satisfactory. Mainstream schools in Kazakhstan practice the traditional
grading throughout primary and secondary schools. The system of grading has not
been changed for generations: my mother and grandmother were graded the same
way as I did in school. There are many reforms going on today in school system
of Kazakhstan; however, the traditional grading does not seem to be a concern.
I was tutoring a boy from a
mainstream primary school who once came and said that he was stupid because the
teacher gave him the worst mark in class. Firstly, it worsened his attitude
towards the subject, secondly, decreased his self-esteem, and extinguished the
motivation to study for a long time if not forever. This made me think if the existing
traditional grading system is an appropriate one for today’s children.
Among the existing alternative systems - grading for learning can be appropriate one. “The
grades are based on students’ performance on preset standards, and not on
students achievement compared to other students”. Grading for learning
motivates children for lifelong learning and consists of four aspects of
children characteristics:
practice (responsibility)
preparation for class (responsibility)
behavior (respect)
teamwork/participation (fairness)
The research which was conducted to
assess the grading for learning system has shown an increasing positive correlation
between students’ grades and their performance on state standardized tests. In contrast
the traditional grading does not always demonstrate a similar tendency. There
are other factors which make the Kazakhstani grading system be revised at least
in primary school when children just start their school life. I think it is
crucial to build an atmosphere where children come for knowledge, and not for
grades.
Dinochka, thank you for your post! I think you raised a very crucial issue in Kazakhstani grading system. My personal opinion is that learning for grade is cultural phenomena in Kazakhstan which is accepted as tradition. I have seen grandmothers who asks their grandchild to repeat again and again "I love only 4 and 5, say again I... love...only...4..and...5s". I`ve seen my classmates who sat on the floor and weeped just because she got satisfactory mark even if she deserved. I`ve seen my group mates who tried to do best to get high GPA. So, all these examples brought to sum up that there was absence of grading for learning. Also, thank you for suggesting alternative ways for grading system which can motivate students just enjoy the learning itself.
ReplyDeleteGreat topic for discussion! I think it is a common issue in most post-soviet countries. It is assumed that when you have only As, then you are the smartest one, but when your grades is under Cs is like a stamp on your face that you are not very well at anything, that you are "stupid" (sorry for the word). And this assumption usually sticks with for your whole life. Poor learners would think that they cannot achieve anything in their life, and as it is commonly said: "the thoughts come true", those students stay at the same point by being diminished for their future success. And probably you solution would be the best for solving this problem. Grading should not somehow negatively affect on students future and self-esteem. Grading is not a box, it is just measure.
ReplyDeleteDear Dinochka,
ReplyDeletethank you for your post. Surprisingly, recently I had conversation with my relative whose daughter goes to the infant school oversees about the differences in evaluation system. Our daughters are in the same age (6-7 years) so that we can compare systems very well. I noticed one very important thing, which is in consistent to your claims, that in the very beginning stage of studies the school should cultivate the desire to learn, motivate to further inventions, to discover thousands amazing things in the world. Of course literacy is very important too, but should not be the goal by itself. I think if the child will be eager to know about interesting things him he/she will learn how to read and write much faster.
Also the attitude to the children should not be influenced by their achievements. I believe every kid is talented, it is only a question of the field where the talent could be found. Our school does not want to wait until talent will be discovered, they want achievements "here and straight away". This is the main difference between the two system that we compared.
Thank you for your post!
ReplyDeleteThe answer for your questions may be twofold. Personally, traditional grading used to motivate me when I was a school girl. I always tried to get the best mark, for this reason I studied hard. Several months ago I have met a friend who attended the same school I did. Since then every time we come together we remember our school, teachers, classmates and our academic achievements. She once said that she would graduate the school with honor "Altyn belgi" but one of the teachers unfairly graded her in the 9th grade and because of this teacher she lost her motivation and did not want to study hard. Thus one mark became crucial for her. That is why new system of assessment of learning outcomes should be introduced which would be beneficial for students in terms of understanding and comprehension of new skills and knowledge and for avoiding teachers' personal attitude. Moreover children will better understand system of assessment by seeing all the criteria for giving a defined mark.
Dear Dinochka,
ReplyDeleteOne to five scale assessment systems, that were first developed in the Soviet Union period, did not provide comprehensive information about students achievements because Kazakhstani education did not have the unified criteria for students` assessment. I think that we should implement assessment system by the help of which student will be provided by clear rubrics and dictators in order to see real picture of their achievments