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why I believe in scrapping grades

I used to believe that grades were ineffective on motivation. While I knew some students were motivated by the desire for an A, I thought that taking away grades would make little difference. The hard-working students would be the ones who still wanted Read More...
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2010 02 18

John Spencer

11 Comments

Drunk Tetris

I'm sitting at a team meeting during my first year of teaching. In order to prove that we are "data-driven," (as opposed to say, "student-driven," which would be my preference) we sift through pages of graphs and charts, each with its own set of acronyms Read More...
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2010 02 8

John Spencer

6 Comments

paradigm shifts on assessment

I used to spend hours hunched over a computer grading papers. I'd pass them back only to have students ignore the final grade. I would print a progress report out each week only to realize that the hard workers who were doing well were the only ones who Read More...
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2010 01 26

John Spencer

3 Comments

sage advice

I get uncomfortable any time we watch Veggie Tales. It's not that I'm scared of teaching the sacred. It's just that I'm not sure that a violent, powerful, epic story like David and Goliath should be taught with a giant pickle. (A student of mine drew Read More...
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2009 10 23

John Spencer

2 Comments

What-if Wednesday: What if grades don't matter?

"So, are you done with grading?" a teacher asks me in the staff lounge. "No, the students will have a test on Friday and that's the same day that their final projects are due." "Wow. So, their grades could really change. How are they taking that?" "Oh, Read More...
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2009 01 7

John Spencer

13 Comments

Monday Metaphor: Ice Cream

by John Spencer In the late nineteenth century, companies demanded compliant, dutiful workers. In an assembly line method of manufacturing, the goal was absolute uniformity. Similarly, society began to shift toward militarism, with the emphasis on dutiful Read More...
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2008 12 1

John Spencer

0 Comments

Survey Saturday: Partial Credit

by John Spencer "Mr. Spencer, why does my progress report show a zero for the five paragraph Social Voice article?" a student asks me before class begins. "You never turned in a five paragraph article," I answer, slightly confused. "I did. I sent it to Read More...
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2008 11 29

John Spencer

6 Comments

I am against grading

My title sort-of seems like heresy. I think it puts me in a camp with long-haired gurus who don't shower and eat granola. I'm really not a Hippie, though. I simply don't agree with grades - or at least not in the conventional, here-are-the-letters system Read More...
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2007 10 3

John Spencer

4 Comments

Can learning be measured?

Sitting in a staff meeting, I pull out the agenda and begin drawing cartoons. Instead of reading PowerPoint presentations, we work collaboratively (read "group think") on a school wide mission statement. "Make sure it is attainable, measurable and . . Read More...
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2007 09 6

John Spencer

19 Comments

well-intentioned low standards

The first few weeks for me are always the hardest. After a rather sedentary summer, I find myself swept into motion. Energetically, I run from place to play, smile, give compliments, offer instruction. I fail to learn all the names and I know even fewer Read More...
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2007 08 10

John Spencer

0 Comments

Learning Is Messy

As I approach the driveway, Joel stands there with a hose, spraying the grass. I expect him to drop everything and run to his daddy. Instead, he waves and smiles, then returns to his duty of running up the water bill and increase the Phoenix drought. Read More...
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2007 08 2

John Spencer

18 Comments

Is the U.S. Losing Ground in Education?

I flip through the newspaper and notice an article about a meeting between the CEOs and founders of huge technology firms and governors of various states. The goal was for these corporate leaders to instruct the politicians about how schools need to change. Read More...
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2007 07 23

John Spencer

24 Comments

Why I Won't Shut Up and Teach

After reading a recent blog, suggesting that teachers should self-censor and stay politically inactive, I feel compelled to write this blog. Telling teachers to shut up and focus on their classrooms is like telling Martin Luther King Jr to shut up and Read More...
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2007 07 19

John Spencer

5 Comments

recovering what we lost in standardized education

After taking so many theory classes this summer, I am left with a mental overload. I enjoy the dialogue and debates, yet I can't help but feel that none of the "isms" really worked for me. Constructivism was great, but often unrealistic. Behaviorism seemed Read More...
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2007 07 15

John Spencer

5 Comments

the death of why

When I ask students at summer school what topic they want, I present three choices. The class overwhelmingly chooses "financial planning," which, for me, is a fun unit to teach. When I ask a student why he chose financial planning over the Holocaust, Read More...
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2007 07 13

John Spencer

28 Comments

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