Podcasts about teachers going gradeless

About Miriam Plotinsky Miriam Plotinsky is an instructional specialist with Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, where she has taught and led for more than 20 years. She is the author of Teach More, Hover Less, Lead Like a Teacher, and Writing Their Future Selves (W.W. Norton & Company). She is also a National Board–Certified Teacher and a certified administrator. What You'll Find in this Educational Leadership Podcast Episode with Miriam Plotinsky Miriam says that her new book--Lead Like a Teacher--was pretty much an accident. She simply found that the schools with more teachers at the table had stronger cultures. She talked about teachers' misconception of school leaders as well as school leaders' misconception of teachers. She called this “the empathy gap.” Miriam points out that “if you don't know the story, you'll create one. And, it might be wrong.” Miriam acknowledges that we often learn from the models we have around us, which is only a good thing when the model is effective. Otherwise it works against us. Hear Miriam discuss why visibility is so critical for a school leader. Miriam gave us some insights into how the book unfolds, including what she calls “macro” and “micro” aspects of school leadership. She calls for more classroom visits. We couldn't agree more. Don't miss what she says about “Wait Time 1” and “Wait Time 2” as both teaching and leadership strategies. We can't disagree with talking less to learn more. Miriam mentions Twitter as a place to go to find like-minded people and new ideas. She identifies some well known and not so well known resources that are valuable for all educators. She points to Teachers Going Gradeless as a cool organization. She also calls out Edutopia and ASCD as well as Solution Tree as great resources. Miriam uses the ten-minute reset each day to make sure that she does something that she loves. Tune into what she says about movement and breaks. She talks about being a “dabbler” in a bunch of things, and she wants to learn how to write more nonfiction. And, we all agreed to learn how to be more funny. Joe reflects on the need to get more people involved early in our process for any given initiative. Don't miss what she used to think about those who wanted to go into administration and how her perspective has changed. Let us know if there's a guest who you want us to have on the show by leaving a comment below or by contacting us at contact@theschoolhouse302.com. And don't miss our leadership content updates every week by subscribing on the site. We can't wait to hear from you. Joe & T.J.

This week's guest, David Frangiosa, shares how he used multiple grading procedures to discover a process that revolutionized his classroom and shifted the focus to learning, which was going gradeless. We dive into this structure of feedback, student self pacing, and the misconceptions of this system.  In this episode, we discuss: Utilizing an Accountability Checklist  The differences of going gradeless vs. Standards Based Grading And his book, Going Gradeless: Shifting the Focus to Student Learning!  About David Frangiosa: David Frangiosa is a high school science teacher from Northern NJ and the co-author of Going Gradeless: Shifting the Focus to Student Learning, Corwin Press. Over the past seven years, he has been performing action research on grade reform and the impact of various instructional approaches. He is an educational blogger who maintains his own blog at ReimaginedSchools.com, as well as contributes to the TeachBetter blog, SchoolRubric  and Teachers Going Gradeless. He also hosts the podcast, From Earning to Learning. Follow David Frangiosa: Website: http://www.reimaginedschools.com (www.reimaginedschools.com)  Twitter:https://twitter.com/DavidFrangiosa (https://twitter.com/DavidFrangiosa) (@DavidFrangiosa) Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-frangiosa-4278a61/ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-frangiosa-4278a61/)  https://www.amazon.com/Going-Gradeless-Grades-6-12-Shifting/dp/1071837540?crid=3JBK5C58NKV57&keywords=going+gradeless+focus&qid=1661623245&sprefix=going+gradeless+focus%2Caps%2C183&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=aspirewebsite-20&linkId=6dad3f6cba0ca362eebff1b725ec10c4&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl Teach Better Conference: https://teachbetterconference.com/ (https://teachbetterconference.com/)  Use Code AspireTB2022 for $50 off your two day registration   [caption id="attachment_3508" align="alignnone" width="1024"]https://joshstamper.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Aspire-Swag-Website-Image-update-6.18.21.png () Aspire: The Leadership Development Podcast Swag, Joshua Stamper, Teach Better[/caption] NEW Aspire Swag with Discount Code: ASPIRE  Tee-Shirts and Drinkware: https://teachbetterswag.com/collections/aspire-the-leadership-development-podcast (ASPIRE: The Leadership Development Podcast)   This post contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase through these links, The Aspire Podcast gets a small percentage of the sale at no extra cost to you. Need a Presenter for a conference or school PD? https://joshstamper.com/contact/ (Contact Joshua Stamper ) for presentations on Restorative Practices, Leadership Development, and Innovative campus systems. Watch my session on Trauma Informed, restorative and social emotional practices athttp://www.teachsummit.com/stamper ( www.teachsummit.com/stamper)   Follow the Host, Joshua Stamper: Contact:https://joshstamper.com/contact/ ( https://joshstamper.com/contact/) Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/Joshua__Stamper ( www.twitter.com/Joshua__Stamper) Instagram:http://www.instagram.com/joshua__stamper ( www.instagram.com/joshua__stamper) Linkedin:http://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-stamper/ ( www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-stamper) Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/AspirePodcast ( https://www.facebook.com/AspirePodcast) Subscribe:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aspire-the-leadership-development-podcast/id1384210762?mt=2 ( https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/aspire-the-leadership-development-podcast/id1384210762?mt=2)   Aspire to Lead made it to the Best New Education Books I'm happy to announce that my book, "Aspire to Lead", made it to https://bookauthority.org/books/new-education-books?t=1424ls&s=award&book=1953852386 (BookAuthority's Best New Education Books). BookAuthority collects and ranks the best books in the world, and it is a great honor to get this kind of recognition....

Why are things the way the are? And how can we make them better? These are two of the questions that Gary asks himself every day and that he shared with me during this powerful imperfectly perfect new conversation on the podcast. We also talked about flourishing at the individual and organisational, community and societal level and Gary's own journey as an educator and father over the last 30 years. Here are some of the information Gary shared with us. Books and other Readings that been formative for him: Awakening Genius in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong “On a Certain Blindness in Human Beings” by William James “Only Connect: The Goals of a Liberal Education”, by William Cronon The Path to Purpose by William Damon A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech The Pleasure of Finding Things Out by Richard Feynman (as well as the documentary video here) Other readings: Anything on the RENVISIONED Medium site created by Prof. Erin Raab Anything on Monte Syrie's “Project 180” blog. Anything on the “Teachers Going Gradeless” website maintained by Arthur Chirarivalli and Aaron Blackwelder. Anything done by Chris McNutt and Nick Covington for the Human Restoration Project. Gary's own blogs/websites: Only Connect (Personal musings, mostly on education, design, design thinking, creativity, etc. NOVA Lab (a site for a class I co-create with students. It is based on self-determined, purpose-based learning) Connect with Gary on social media: Twitter--@Ed_by_design Instagram -- @pvnovalab Youtube -- Garreth Heidt

Today we discuss how we remove or reduce grades from our classrooms. Joining me for this conversation is Lee Ferguson from Texas and Johanna Brown from Washington State. Show Notes: - Johanna gave a shout out to Katy Dornbos as one of the teachers who helped out on her journey to being a gradeless teacher. - Johanna put together this google doc with a collection of ungrading resources. - We discussed the book Ungrading: Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) Edited by Susan D. Blum. We also discussed the following resources: - The Teachers Going Gradeless website - Starr Sackstein's Blog Starr Sackstein's book “Hacking Assessment” - “Point-Less: An English Teacher's Guide to More Meaningful Grading” by Sarah M. Zerwin - Lee also recommended “Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms” by Joe Feldman Announcements: Our first August episode will be with the authors of After The Mask: A Guide to Caring for Students and Schools by Christopher Jenson and possibly additional coauthors. Credits: Please subscribe to Life of the school on your podcast player of choice! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LOTS Music by: https://exmagicians.bandcamp.com/ Show Notes at Lifeoftheschool.org You can follow on twitter @MrMathieuTweets or @lifeoftheschool

On today's podcast, we're looking at the gradeless movement. There's a lot to be debated in the education system, but I'm hard-pressed to find a topic so steeped in research as this one. Whether it be motivation, willingness to learn, and even traditional test scores, not giving a grade shows improvement across the board.There's countless research articles, books, podcasts, psychologists, education experts, and more writing and studying the effects of grades. And every single time, whether it be 1850 or 2019, it seems to support the same outcome:Grades diminish motivation and do little to actually provide feedback for students to improve.If there is research that supports grades, it's stating that they improve standardized test scores, not necessarily motivate or improve student outcomes.I challenge you to find data that supports otherwise. I say that not out of spite for those who disagree with the practice, but because I'm genuinely curious if there is any. This appears to be one of these things that's "common sense."People have thought this way for awhile, even back in Dewey and Thorndike's time. Ironically, grades were intentionally brought into schools as a way to show student growth overtime - a way to open up dialogue between teacher and student - but they've done the exact opposite. Essentially, grades are a shortcut that communicates pass or failure, with many students seeing anything under an A as "failure." And those at the bottom, who receive an "F", are pushed out of our schools - rank and filed to be the "losers" of the education system.But there's a lot of barriers to best practice, and going gradeless isn't easy. Many districts have gradebook requirements, whether that be simply just giving a kid a grade or even requiring a grade per week. And therefore, many don't even attempt "the impossible." I'm here (with our guests) to show that it is possible! There are educators throughout the world "going gradeless" even in traditional systems. Of course there are various degrees of making this happen, but going as far as possible within one's district for the benefit of their students is worthwhile.GUESTS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCEJeffery Frieden, an English educator at Hillcrest High School in Corona, California, and founder of Make Them Master It, an organization aimed at connecting teachers to mastery-based practice and identifying teacher struggle through a podcast, book, and blogs.Aaron Blackwelder, an English educator in Woodland Public Schools in Woodland, Washington, and founder of Teachers Going Gradeless, an organization aimed at providing resources and connecting educators who diminish or eliminate the use of extrinsic motivators.Nick Covington, a Social Studies educator at Ankeny High School in Ankeny, Iowa, who promotes progressive education in his own practice including developing portfolio-based gradeless assessments.RESOURCESMake Them Master ItTeachers Going GradelessAaron Blackwelder’s Feedback ReportAaron Blackwelder’s Soft Skills RubricRedefining Quality: Working Towards New Measures of School Achievement by Aaron BlackwelderThe End of Average by Todd RoseNick Covington’s MediumNick Covington’s Economics Evidence JournalGrading =/ Assessment HumResPro ResourceFURTHER LISTENINGS2: E18: Innovating Education w/ Dr. Tony Wagner: S2: E16: Restoring Humanity: Assessment (Gradeless Learning) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

AARON BLACKWELDER is a high school English teacher and golf coach at Woodland Public Schools in Woodland, Washington. He’s the founder of the Teachers Going Gradeless website and Twitter chat @TG2Chat and #TG2Chat. He’s also a father, husband, autism advocate, Google Certified Educator, and he’s loving life! Follow Aaron on Twitter @AaronSBlackwel1 and visit his blogs at mrblackwelder.wordpress.com and https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/, where he welcomes contributions from anyone with experience in the areas of gradeless assessment. In our conversation, Aaron recounts the beginnings of the TG2 site, chat, and mission. He gives us some great practical examples of gradeless assessment, feedback, and reporting philosophies from his own practice, and makes the case for more schools to consider this paradigm shift. He also shares a personal passion that fuels him outside of the school, an edtech tool that makes his practice more efficient, and the education voices that shape his thinking and inspire his passion today. See more from Aaron: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/AaronSBlackwel1 & https://twitter.com/TG2Chat On his blog: mrblackwelder.wordpress.com On the TG2 blog: https://teachersgoinggradeless.com/ Visit https://teachersonfire.net/ for all the show notes and links from this episode! Connect with Teachers on Fire podcast on social media: On Twitter: https://twitter.com/TeachersOnFire On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teachersonfire/ On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersOnFire/ On LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/TimWCavey On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFDPjkAn7lZb-rahyVDttKA Song Track Credits Intro: Stand Up (by Mike Cosmo -- license purchased at https://taketones.com/) Outtro: Bluntedsesh4 (by Tha Silent Partner, courtesy of FreeMusicArchive.org) --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teachersonfire/support

We speak with someone exposed to progressive education throughout the world, a human-centered school in Vietnam, an elementary school teacher reaching out, and two tech-experts leading the way in global communications.One of the fundamental shifts of the information age is being able to connect globally with barely any limitations. I'm still shocked that I can connect to a classroom in Vietnam - see and speak with the person - and it's almost like I'm there. And that's a semi-normal thing to do.And I often think about: what does that mean for education? Not only from a communicative standpoint in perspective-building, but specifically progressive education. I know starting off: adopting critical pedagogy in the classroom, giving students projects that weren't necessarily completely aligned with standards, letting students choose what to do each day - those were radical concepts to me that I took away...at least mostly...from books. I was incredibly hesitant to really go "full on" with any of my ideas...until I started engaging online. It turns out, I wasn't crazy - there are plenty of other people tackling and contemplating these ideas on social media and elsewhere.Our pockets of progressive education - of people who care and reflect on education and the humanity of each person in their classroom - are no longer isolated. And now we can hear stories, see people affected - really it brings to light the necessity of progressive practice. Now that we can see this - visualize it - be supported by it - we have a backing to buckle down and keep at it. We can unite together and see drastic change...and those sails are already in motion. Organically, there is a rallied movement of people taking on what were once insane ideas at most traditional public schools. Everyday I'm so happy to read a Teachers Going Gradeless blog, people tweeting - even debating publicly - the goals of an often-too teacher-centric classroom, or discovering whole new pockets of progressive ed. - like Belouga's social justice centered global education initiative, who I'll be talking to this episode.The point is - it's a lot more common than I ever thought - and assumedly it's more common than most who attempt it believe. We can do this together - just listen to the voices of this episode and tell me if progressive education isn't here to change the world. And now that we're starting to spread progressive ed. further - we need to make sure it's for the whole world - not just a select few.GUESTS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCEAra Aman, a sophomore at Bennington College in Vermont, a progressive higher education experience. Ara grew up in progressive environments in India and the United Kingdom.Tania Mansfield, the PYP (International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme) Coordinator at Ho Chi Minh City International School in Vietnam, which is piloting a self-directed education program.Lisa Liss & her elementary students, located in Sacramento, California, organizing around an experiential project, the aptly named Bandage Project, which seeks to build tolerance and understanding of the Holocaust.Colleen Mascenik, founder of BreakawayLearning.org, a non-profit organization which connects students and educators with individuals around the world, teaching anything from life under the Taliban to piano instruction.Evin Schwartz, founder of Belouga, an online platform aimed at connecting classrooms across the world, centered on social impact campaigns.RESOURCESBennington CollegeBrightworks SchoolHo Chi Minh City International SchoolBandage Project (donate today!)BreakawayLearning.orgBelouga.orgFURTHER LISTENINGS2: E19: Educating for Change w/ Kevin Wilcox & Benjamin GoesS2: E15: Engaging in Social Media w/ Annick Rauch See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Drew Perkins talks with Arthur Chiaravalli, teacher and editor of Teachers Going Gradeless, about teaching and assessing with an eye towards going gradeless.

Countless educators, including many in Teachers Going Gradeless, consider Ken O'Connor one of the first to introduce them to the idea that traditional grades are “broken” and that a better approach is possible. Ken is an independent consultant and author of the book A Repair Kit for Grading: 15 Fixes for Broken Grades. Just recently, Ken published the fourth edition of his seminal book How to Grade for Learning. I believe I speak for many of us in expressing gratitude to Ken for the profound impact he has had on so many of our teaching practices. Topics include: How Ken's experiences as teacher, curriculum coordinator, and field hockey coach informed his ideas around assessment and grading Why we should shift our grading practices Reasons for optimism regarding shifting grading practices in schools Why going gradeless and standards-based learning are "in the same chapter if not on the same page" Highlights from the new edition of How to Grade for Learning