Ed 201 was totally fabulous today! We talked about Christian Assessment. How should Christian teachers grade differently than other teachers?
Should we have grades? How much do they really reflect what a student has learned? Do they focus too much on head knowledge and not enough on heart knowledge? Should grades be more based on effort than tests? How would we do that and still meet state standards? Maybe differentiation and basing each grade on each individual’s progress. But who really has time for that?
We struggled with this in class today and my wheels were turning, but I don’t have an answer. Here are some of my thoughts and thoughts from our textbook and professor:
I am frustrated by our system because it tends to be geared to those who test well. Even if it is more focused on participation, that’s only good for those who are brave enough or extroverted enough to participate. The system also tells us that the goal of high school is to prepare each student for college. I’m sorry, but if a 16-year-old is obviously going to be an awesome farmer but hates school, let him drop out and be a farmer. If that’s where God wants him to be, why should be force him to be in school and not learn anything because he doesn’t want to be there?
Harro Van Brummelen, the author of one of our textbooks, has some good thoughts about Christian assessment. In his book “Walking with God in the Classroom” he says that the purposes of assessment are to encourage and improve student learning and to communicate meaningful information to students, parents, and school authorities about student learning. He also says that there are some basic premises that guide a Christian approach: Assessment and evaluation must enable students to respond as images of God. “1. Response is an integral aspect of knowing and of being an image of God. Therefore use assessment and evaluation to lead to further learning. Help students reflect on and refine their learning. Also, encourage them to learn from mistakes. 2. Assessment recognizes accomplishments and challenges students to further learning and growth…God calls teachers to ‘correct, rebuke, and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction’ (2 Ti 4:2)…encouragement must always accompany correction.
Finally, students perceive that letter grades indicate their worth as persons. We must try to minimize this idea, however. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” How does this fit with how the school system evaluates learning?
Sorry if that was long and kind of boring, but if you are a teacher or have background in education or simply have a brain, please respond and let me know what you think about this! If you do not respond, I will assume that you do not have a brain, and evaluate you accordingly (pun intended).
A Little Charisma 
i agree with you on the whole testing thing. i personally have always been a poor test taker, but on other assignments have done well. it’s not fair to be evaluated based on how well you do at filling in bubbles.
i’m not sure how i feel about the whole students dropping out because they hate school thing. i believe it’s important for kids to fulfill their education and receive at least a high school diploma. after all, what if farming doesn’t work?
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Well, if they’re not learning anything anyways because they either aren’t good at academics or they have a poor attitude, then what’s the point of a high school diploma? Don’t get me wrong, I think learning and education is good, but each student can fulfill that education differently. If farming doesn’t work (which I think it usually does), God will provide and maybe they’ll be older and more open to education anyways…and then it will be more worth their time and money anyways.
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i understand the point you’re trying to get at, and yes God will provide. but i think what i’m getting at is more of the student’s attitude. if a student doesn’t want to do school because they simply don’t like it, think of all the things that people have to do in the future that they don’t like. it just seems like a defeatist attitude.
if it is a grades issue, there are always ways to get help. however, the lingering possibility that the student will lose confidence in themselves is still there.
i think the main point i’m trying to get at is that if something is hard, a student shouldn’t quit. instead they should do their best, and like you said God will take care of the rest.
i’m feeling like this is going to turn in to one of our “but if…whatever” discussions 🙂
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Yes, you’re right. I think we have to agree to disagree. But just one more comment. haha
I agree that students should not quit because it is hard. It is a fine line, however, between giving up because it’s too hard and it just not being a good fit for the student. I just want to raise awareness that not everyone has to be good at school, let alone go to college.
Also, to your comment, “after all, what if farming doesn’t work?” What if college doesn’t work? People don’t always get jobs in what they’re actually trained in, and right now people aren’t getting any jobs at all. So if they want to be a farmer, let them. If college doesn’t work for us, we’ll figure something out. If farming doesn’t work for them, they’ll figure something out.
🙂
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i’m not saying everyone has to be good at school or go to college. i know some very intelligent and well off people that weren’t good students or college graduates (my parents included). i just don’t think that a student should drop out before getting a high school diploma, that’s all i’m trying to get across. if college isn’t in the plan fine sometimes then yes it’s best to take a few years off or not even go.
as for the whole “what if farming doesn’t work?” lol i date a farmer, and i know that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being one. but i also believe that striving for a high school diploma is important too.
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But do you think if we made more major changes then the system would be easier to work with? Then it wouldn’t be dumb because you wouldn’t have to change as much, and you could succeed in a way that fits you 🙂 You wouldn’t learn the hard way to work with the system, but you’d be an individual, do what you enjoy, and you might learn more. Even the definition of success is wrong (to me) because the system is wrong (to me).
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