A Grade 5 student approached a colleague of mine at recess very distraught. When the teacher asked what was wrong, the story unfolded. It seemed that the issue was that when playing a game with another child, the other child kept winning. "Ok, so...what do you want me to do about it?" asked the teacher. The student replied, "Make him not win all the time. It's not fair!"
In recent years, the idea of competition at school has been down played dramatically. We have cooperative games, and cooperative learning. Marks are not given to the extent that they were in the past, as we now use either rubrics or a 1-4 scale, much like as in universities, which use a 1-4 grade point average. Come to think of it, we don't even give tests anymore, we give assessments. There aren't 'winners' and 'losers' anymore, there are simply participants. Everything is geared so that the child's self esteem will not be compromised. But when all is said and done, are we making a mistake? Are we doing more harm than good by ensuring that children never fail? Will these children be able to cope in the 'real world'?
I remember when I was in Grade 1. We had reading groups in our class. The groups had cutesy names. I don't remember them now, but it was something benign like chicks and ducks and geese. The groups could have been called the 'weak kids', the 'average joes', and the 'smart kids'; everyone knew where they stood academically in the class, without anyone ever mentioning it.
There was also healthy competition. My friend and I were always going back and forth as to who did better on what assignment. I didn't suffer psychologically if she did better than I did. If nothing else, I was (a) happy for her and (b) spurred to do better myself the next time 'round. We would get our tests (not assessments) handed back, compare marks and then go out and play. But then again, those were the days when we were allowed to walk to school by ourselves, without the fear of....well...anything, because there really wasn't anything to fear.
With all the comment writing, rubric making and reworking of the marking system, children still know where they stand in a classroom. They know who to call on to find the correct answers. They know that if they receive a 2+, they are not close to receiving a 4....without anyone telling them. So, if not so deep down they know the truth, what's the secret we're keeping from them? Are we offesetting our mark-obsessed guilt ridden selves by softening the blow to our children?
Frankly, I thought so for a long time, but now I'm not so sure, and I think it has to do not with the marking system, but with the comments that accompany the marks.
Constructive comments give context to whatever style of mark is on a paper, be it an 'assessment' or report card. A child needs to know where he has gone wrong, but also know where he's gone right. And even that is not enough. The child needs to be guided as to what he needs to do to succeed to greater heights. He needs to be pointed in the right direction to not only correct his errors, but to soar.
I come from a place and time where it was considered a good thing to figure out what was wrong and find solutions independently. Feedback was an end result, not an ongoing act of development. Sure, learning anything needs some trial and error-even healthy frustration, but imagine the difference between learning something with constructive feedback as opposed to not getting anything until there's a final product, and then only getting a mark.
Whether it is writing a test, trying a new recipe, or talking through a problem with a friend, providing healthy, constructive feedback takes the mystery out of whatever it is we're attempting. Constructive feedback is like the kind lady's patient, unthreatening voice on the GPS when we go the wrong way. She knows (in any language or accent) that even though we're trying to get from Point A to Point B, and even though the machine is pointing out what to do, we can screw up. GPS lady doesn't yell at us or call us names, doesn't laugh at us or deride us. She understands that learning is a process, so the moment the mistake is made, she utters that obnoxious word, "Recalculating" and points us once again towards our destination.
Yes, we have to lose sometimes. Yes, we have to get a bit lost. We simply need people in our life who will tap us on the shoulder, whisper "Recalculating" in our ear, and guide us to the finish line.
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