i've never read an argument about that really. though aflie kohn does have some stuff, but i haven't read it (http://www.alfiekohn.org/teaching/fdtd-g.htm) it comes from personal experiences: friends crying, the feelings i have as i sit down to work on a paper whose assignment i see no purpose in, the fear.
while one can argue that grades are an objective measure to sort students (for one, even if they could be, they aren't objective, and two, i challenge the whole need of sorting but that's incidental to this argument), grades are coercive. one can argue that this coercion is necessary, but that does not disprove they are coercive. coercion is violence and tyranny/hierarchy. grades--as they exist--are granted by an authority figure to reward & punish. one can try to say its benign, necessary or even good--but it's still tyranny.
but a related but separate argument (that i think Kohn makes in that article) is that grades simply aren't necessary. people want to learn. if kids aren't wanting to learn, it's probably because of the curriculum or instruction. and even if it's not, grades won't make them learn (though they may make them jump through certain hoops and forget those hoops for the grade).
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Date: 2003-11-24 04:16 pm (UTC)it comes from personal experiences: friends crying, the feelings i have as i sit down to work on a paper whose assignment i see no purpose in, the fear.
while one can argue that grades are an objective measure to sort students (for one, even if they could be, they aren't objective, and two, i challenge the whole need of sorting but that's incidental to this argument), grades are coercive. one can argue that this coercion is necessary, but that does not disprove they are coercive. coercion is violence and tyranny/hierarchy. grades--as they exist--are granted by an authority figure to reward & punish. one can try to say its benign, necessary or even good--but it's still tyranny.
but a related but separate argument (that i think Kohn makes in that article) is that grades simply aren't necessary. people want to learn. if kids aren't wanting to learn, it's probably because of the curriculum or instruction. and even if it's not, grades won't make them learn (though they may make them jump through certain hoops and forget those hoops for the grade).