Exit Slip: Alfie Kohn

During the discussion on October 19th, I was really interested in the video where Alfie Kohn discussed how "grades should not exist" because of its many detriments to students' learning. I agree and think that grades bring more harm to students' learnings than good because students become so fixated on their grades than their learning. I do understand that grades are used as a motivator for students to study, do assignments, etc., but the heavy emphasis on grades makes it feel like that's the only goal rather than the learning. Furthermore, sometimes students take grades so seriously that they make it a part of who they are and have the mentality that it represents them, but it doesn't. As a future teacher, I hope to incorporate more assessments in my classroom that are less focused on grades and more on seeing if students understand/know a specific skill/competency. Descriptive comments/feedback would be more informative than a simple mark on a quiz/test/assignment. 

The other topic we discussed was competition vs. co-operation. Personally, I enjoy co-operation type games more, but I do get where others were coming from on how a completely co-operation approach is a very utopian mindset. Plus, I do understand how competition can have its benefits because it does provide motivation. I liked the idea of playing a competitive game but making it more low-stakes/fun so it's more about the enjoyment and connections built than about winning/beating others. It reminded me of how in high school, my friends and I would play Monopoly together and we joke about how it's a "game that ends friendships" but we play it very casually and make jokes when we lose and/or take others' money, etc. Incorporating that mentality when playing games/activities in a classroom would make the classroom environment a very welcoming one for students.