No Grades/Pressure Better Motivation for Learning?
Alright, I still have not found a great article on Google reader that discusses the benefits and faults of the grading system, but I am still looking so don’t give up on me yet! I don’t know how many of you are familiar with free schools, but the article I found describes the Brooklyn Free School where, “kids don’t get grades, don’t have homework, don’t take tests. They don’t even have to be in class.” Within the article, there is a debate whether children need structure versus children needing freedom to learn.
I believe that I would consider sending my children to a free school due to the experiences I have had in the past. I have always done my best work when the subject really interests me and I am able to learn even more about the specific subject, for instance, this blogging assignment (although you may believe it is not my best work) really sparks my interest which is why I engage in it with more enthusiasm rather than learning scientific theories or mathematical equations. The school also promotes students to take responsibility for their own education and, in turn, their futures. In many cases, I think that students are forced into learning information that is retained for a test but never really used later in life due to the student not understanding the subject’s importance. I do believe math, science, etc. are important subjects for children to learn for general knowledge later in life, but students are learning very important life lessons and are given choices and must try to decide things for themselves rather than be forced into situations:
At the Brooklyn Free School, much of that decision-making occurs in a mandatory weekly gathering — yes, the school does require some things — where students air grievances, pose challenges, propose rules and set policy. Even the youngest kids have an equal vote.
Students are given the opportunity to actively participate in big decisions and I feel that giving children a voice at an early age is important. There is a great responsibility of the parents to explain to their children that receiving an education is important and responsibility is a main aspect to success and not allow their children to take advantage of the system. Since I do not have kids, my opinion may change as I age and understand the responsibility of having children, but I think allowing young people have some control of his/her life will help in the long run. I’d actually like to know if these students tend to rebel against their parents less (due to their ongoing freedoms) and if they have successful college experiences or success in a career (due to responsibility vs. freedom).
One person in the article argues that some children do not take the school very seriously, and that the children may not be very well prepared later in life for college or work. Although I do believe work is very structured, college does allow freedom that some students are not able to handle when entering from a structured school. For instance, the freedom to be absent is taken advantage of because students were forced into classrooms their entire lives, and others cannot grasp the responsibility of being an individual within the real world. I’ve never really thought about these free schools in much depth until now, but they really seem like they would be beneficial for children in order to escape the forceful nature of regular schools and give them the ability to make decisions and understand responsibility. What do you think of free schools? Good idea or bad?
Associated Press
February 12, 2007
