I know less than more, but one of my “places of knowing,” especially as I have experimented with grading over the last several years, is that we have to move away from the one-and-done approach to learning as we rush through too much content, moving from unit to unit, test to test, calling this learning, labeling and sorting kids as winners and losers.

 

Funny how many R’s there are in education. For years, long before I was a teacher, I remember hearing the three R’s: reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. And for those years, long before I was a teacher, these seemed to prevail as the core to an educational experience, and even today they prevail as the targeted areas for annual yearly progress (AYP) as evidenced in standardized testing requirements. In Washington, kids have to pass the math and ELA tests to graduate. But there are other R’s that matter. And though it doesn’t start with an “R,” it passes the sound test. Art. My wife, the art teacher, reminds me of its importance all the time, but it doesn’t take much reminding; she’s right. Art matters. A lot. Another R that matters a lot, maybe more than all, is relationships. It is the “R” that I push the most, for it, I believe, is as close to being the magic key in education as anything. All my success and/or failure in the classroom has come from the relationships I have–or don’t have–with my kids. Relationships matter most, so I push them. But I also push another R, at least I am going to today. Retakes.

I believe we have to re-imagine learning. I have said numerous times and in numerous ways that we have a lot to learn about learning. That said, I know less than more, but one of my “places of knowing,” especially as I have experimented with grading over the last several years, is that we have to move away from the one-and-done approach to learning as we rush through too much content, moving from unit to unit, test to test, calling this learning, labeling and sorting kids as winners and losers. This weekend inspired in part by what some of my kids shared with our guest Rachael Kettner-Thompson (Tweep and fellow ed rebel), I tweeted a thread on the importance of allowing retakes. See below.

I believe that this is yet again, despite myriad factors outside our rooms and control, something that we CAN do in OUR rooms. As you reflect on this year and think ahead to next, please consider adding another R to your repertoire. Give the kids a try again button. Let them retake assessments. Little to lose. Possibly much to gain.

Today’s Trail

Along today’s trail we will…

…begin with Smiles and Frowns.

…begin the final wrap up of our speeches and Passion Papers.

…end with a Sappy Sy Rhyme.

Happy Monday ….er, Tuesday, all. Sure feels like a Monday.

Do. Reflect. Do Better.