Supporting All Students With Labor-Based Grading
Document Type
Paper Presentation
Presenter Language
English
Research Area
Second language acquisition
Location
MBSC Dodge Room 302
Start Date
17-10-2024 4:00 PM
End Date
17-10-2024 4:30 PM
Abstract
In 2021, I introduced a labor-based method for grading in my language courses that eschews summative performance assessments. No assignments are graded beyond the recording of whether they were completed as assigned; instead, I provide regular and substantive feedback and hold conferences with students in which we discuss their progress and set goals based on individual needs, deficits, and motivations. Students earn final grades by completing assignments according to a contract signed at the beginning of the semester. The default grade for a course when students generally complete all expectations is a B; those students aiming for an A may demonstrate exceptional effort in a variety of possible ways, for instance by doing work multiple times according to feedback, coming to office hours for additional support, or regularly attending our conversation group. Labor-based grading reduces student anxiety, makes the content more accessible to all by allowing individuals to acquire language at paces appropriate for their abilites, and redirects the focus in the classroom back to the joy in learning for its own sake. In addition to benefits such as fewer violations of academic integrity, my retention from semester to semester has increased, particularly among enthusiastic but anxious students and those who find learning a language difficult. By eliminating reliance on testing, I am better able to include the methodological variety and student choice in summative assessments that universal design requires. My strongest students begin to shed the perfectionism that years of seeking the highest grade had trained in them and take more risks to make the errors through which we learn. And in an atmosphere that celebrates the joy in curiosity, the excitement of acquiring language, and the power of working hard at something one enjoys, my program has gained energy and comradery.
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Supporting All Students With Labor-Based Grading
MBSC Dodge Room 302
In 2021, I introduced a labor-based method for grading in my language courses that eschews summative performance assessments. No assignments are graded beyond the recording of whether they were completed as assigned; instead, I provide regular and substantive feedback and hold conferences with students in which we discuss their progress and set goals based on individual needs, deficits, and motivations. Students earn final grades by completing assignments according to a contract signed at the beginning of the semester. The default grade for a course when students generally complete all expectations is a B; those students aiming for an A may demonstrate exceptional effort in a variety of possible ways, for instance by doing work multiple times according to feedback, coming to office hours for additional support, or regularly attending our conversation group. Labor-based grading reduces student anxiety, makes the content more accessible to all by allowing individuals to acquire language at paces appropriate for their abilites, and redirects the focus in the classroom back to the joy in learning for its own sake. In addition to benefits such as fewer violations of academic integrity, my retention from semester to semester has increased, particularly among enthusiastic but anxious students and those who find learning a language difficult. By eliminating reliance on testing, I am better able to include the methodological variety and student choice in summative assessments that universal design requires. My strongest students begin to shed the perfectionism that years of seeking the highest grade had trained in them and take more risks to make the errors through which we learn. And in an atmosphere that celebrates the joy in curiosity, the excitement of acquiring language, and the power of working hard at something one enjoys, my program has gained energy and comradery.