Others Have Made Changes to How They Teach...So Why Shouldn't We?

Source:betterschoolsbetterfutures.com

The economic principle I will be exploring is: Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices. My research question to help me study this principle is: What can schools do things differently to make school better? In an article called “The Case Against Grades” by Alfie Kohn, Kohn answers my research question since he talks about how schools can be better and talks about what some teachers have done to make school better. 

 First, Kohn talks about what’s wrong with school and that it discourages creativity and gives kids incentives to cheat. He shares that he talked to some middle school and high school teachers that degraded their classes. He spoke with Jeff Robbins, who has taught eighth grade science in New Jersey for 15 years and said that “life was so much easier with grades” because they take so much less time than meaningful assessment. It is apparent that kids have a lot of stress and so do they teachers, so to make it better why not take away harsh grading and assess kids with one on one time.

 Second, in order to promote more creativity kids should be able to do more work about what they are interested in rather than always doing planned assignments. If kids were given this opportunity then grades would improve and kids would be happier. In order for kids to enjoy their classes more they should be able to sit down with their counselors and tell them what they are interested in so they can see if they want to pursue their interests in the future. I know that when I do something I'm interested in I end up doing well on it. 

 Third, It’s time for a change in the school system. Everyone's needs should be met in school and the stress levels should be reduced. Other people like Jeff have made changes and have seen very positive results so why shouldn’t we?