Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?

Why Can Some Kids Handle Pressure While Others Fall Apart?

This is an intresting article from today's New York Times that discusses both the positive and negative outcomes that stress can cause for kids.  It's a bit on the long side so you will need a little bit of time carved out.  The articles discusses:

*  The genetic concept of 'Worriers' & 'Warriors' and how our bodies deal with dopamine in stressful situations.
*  How having students read a short statement before an assessment that says:  'Studies have shown that stress and anxiety actually help people perform better on tests', 'primes' students to perform better.
* How standardized tests lack the side benefits that competition usually brings.

More on "Degrading" the Classroom

This article by Maja Wilson explains why "efforts to standardize language through rubrics and generalized comments provide a disservice to students and undermine the power of the reading and writing experience":
"Why I Won't Be Using Rubrics to Respond to Students' Writing."

De-Grade Your Classroom and Instead Use Narrative Feedback

I thought this was an interesting blog post from Mark Barnes about the use of narrative feedback in lieu of grades in the classroom.  He offers some thoughtful commentary on why he has adopted this method, and notes that even with 120 students, he would never go back to using grades.  Grades are probably not going anywhere any time soon, but I have found that, especially with Google Docs, I can provide students with much more feedback than with hand-written or Microsoft Word assignments.  With my AP U.S. History students, I have them peer editing a long term essay that each of them is writing on the development of the United States and how their perception of the nation has changed over the course of the year as we study the history of the country.

De-Grade Your Classroom

The Case Against Grades

A thought provoking article from Alfie Kohn (2011) who has for many years been an against the main-stream voice in education.  What's the difference between assessing and measuring?  Do schools need to get rid of all grades in order to foster an engagement with deep thinking?  Does the absence of grades improve student and teacher relationships?  What would happen if grades simply went away?  When was the last time you received a grade?

The article contains numerous citations for further reading, and Kohn recently spoke at the SSS (School and Student Services) Financial Aid Conference in Baltimore (which Heather attended), and he stirred up plenty of thoughtful discussion - as he usually does.  Even if one does not go 'all-in' with his arguments, the article contains several useful suggestions for how to provide students with meaningful feedback and how to foster a genuine interest in the learning process. 

The Case Against Grades