"It can't be a B paper--I've always recieved A's in English."
"I can't write--I'll be lucky to get a C in this class."
"I had an B in Comp I, but I'm barely passing--teachers are so subjective OR I guess my last teacher was too easy."
With grades, students think writing is writing is writing--that all writing tasks are the same, are trying to accomplish the same thing, and that they are either good or bad--not that they have strengths and weaknesses to work from.
Maureen
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From: Eric Crump <wleric@SHOWME.MISSOURI.EDU>
Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 1996 9:17 AM
To: Multiple recipients of list RHETNT-L <RHETNT-L@MIZZOU1.missouri.edu>
Subject: Re: force
On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Steve Finley wrote:
> Grades are sharp instruments used to divide groups of students
> imperfectly but meaningfully.
Meaningfully for who??
If yer counting beans, yeah. Teacher as administrator has to get a kick
out of averaging grades and plotting line graphs. Student as learner
isn't getting such a charge out of being divided & conquered & counted.
How bout: Grades are sharp instruments used to slice whole minds into
manageable parts.
Your turn...
--Eric