Is there any reason why teachers have to do all of the grading? I know plenty of teachers that allow students that are particularly gifted in their subject to help grade the work of their peers. I also know teachers that train the entire class on rubrics for essays, for example, and then allow students to trade and grade.
There are benefits to this system. What better way to teach students about common and simple mistakes by allowing them to identify these in each other’s work? What role could this way in changing the culture around grades from the “what did you get? Ha! I’m better than you, dummy” culture that exists in many of our schools nationwide to a “this is what you got. How can we improve” culture? I think this is could be extremely beneficial for our students. It also decreases the burden on teachers which ain’t half bad either.
I don’t do as much of that as I wish I did, but experimenting with how I do quizzes sometimes helps.
I let the kids bet their grades on their classmates then select 5 students at random to answer the quiz questions on behalf of the class. The students support and cheer for each other, lending aid if their classmates request it. The all work together toward “100% mastery.” It lets them feel proud of themselves and show off what they learned to their classmates. It also lets them know that getting things wrong happens, but that we can work together toward a solution. It lets them know that they aren’t alone in the classroom.
This may seem like crazy talk, but I believe in my heart that this what classrooms truly are. We all succeed or fail together. Why not make them part of their own evaluation?
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