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Teaching in Higher Ed

Even More Problems with Grades

Aug 29, 2024
Josh Eyler, an educator and father, tackles the real-world implications of academic grading. He discusses how grades often lead to fear rather than genuine learning, questioning their role as accurate measures of understanding. Eyler emphasizes the emotional toll grades take on students and families, advocating for environments that nurture intrinsic motivation. He argues for the necessity of revamping grading systems, suggesting that fostering a love for learning should outweigh the pressure of numerical scores.
47:41

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Grades often exacerbate anxiety in students, focusing them on scoring rather than engaging genuinely with learning material.
  • Rethinking grading practices can help cultivate intrinsic motivation and transform assessments from judgment into supportive tools for improvement.

Deep dives

The Impact of Grades on Student Well-Being

Grades can significantly affect a student's mental health and overall learning experience. High-stakes testing and grading systems often lead to anxiety, undermining students' love for learning. For instance, a narrative shared about a daughter who receives rewards based on grades highlights how these evaluations result in emotional turmoil, as students grapple with feelings of exclusion based on arbitrary scores. This suggests that grades can turn education into a source of stress rather than a pathway to knowledge and growth.

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