I haven't done a very good job of this the past month. I'm always amazed at how quickly the busyness of the semester takes over...how is it April already?!
So far, the going gradeless has worked so well for my music classes. It's been really nice to shift the discussion from "what's my mark" or "what did I get on that playing test" to "what did I do well" and "what can I do to improve next time." For tests and assignments, because of the absence of a numerical mark, I'm finding that students are actually reading the comments and feedback that I've provided. A rubric is provided for each test and assignment which assesses student's learning of a particular expectation or a strand. Because I handed out all rubrics at the beginning of the course, some students are a little bit more aware of what they need to do in order to improve in a certain area. This also helps to fuel conversations between my self and students during our progress check-ins, and helps inform next steps.
The biggest area of improvement for my teaching by going gradeless has been the ability to differentiate instruction more effectively. As educators, we all differentiate regardless if we have grades or not, but for some reason, taking out the grades and focusing on the process of learning, rather than the end mark, has really helped me...especially with the types of classes I have this semester.
I have a senior band class, half of which are experienced players, and the other half are brand new. My other class is a piano keyboarding class, half of which have some piano experience or have taken lessons, and the other are first time players. This has been extremely challenging, but doable. I've tried a few things, but what seems to have been working (so far) is focusing individual musicianship goals and using the creative process, self-assessment strategies, and documentation to assess and achieve these goals. Below is a couple of variations of my "I'm a Goal Getter" sheet.
The goal getter sheets have worked well. They have allowed students to be in charge of their learning, and to identify what their next steps are, based on their conferences with me, and where their interests lie musically. We use the creative process in the acquisition of digital evidence during the process of the students achieving their goals. For some of my students, their best learning happens at home when they practice on their own time. Goal getter sheets and digital evidence give me a window into these practice sessions where students are demonstrating progress that I may not see in the classroom.
These types of assessment practices also hold students accountable for their learning. I have students who have not participated in exercises like the goal getter sheets. When they conference with me, they might not be able to demonstrate a certain skill, but we talk about how their lack of evidence and engagement in the learning process have contributed to their outcome. Because of the no grades scenario, I've found that these students aren't discouraged, but instead have a clear understanding of what they have to do next time in order to be successful.
Next up on the blog....turning all the evidence into a grade for midterms.....yikes!
