I apologize for the over long comment, but this is an issue close to my heart.
The crux of the matter is " gives the student a way out of completing the activity"
My focus is on high school and particularly the dropout epidemic. At the bottom of the pyramid the "grade" is not an important signifier. The most usual approach for educators is to find the fault in a "dysfunctional" culture that does not value the "grade." Given the seemingly intractable nature of the problem, it should be clear by now that "changing the culture" takes too long and is ultimately the wrong approach.
But much more important than "ultimately" is the fact that every day kids who drop out of high school are very liekly to end up in jail.
In a couple of experiments, I've been able to get 85% homework compliance among this population of students by changing the rules and the communication ecology.
The rule change was " three assignments missed and you have to repeat the course, no matter what else you do" Repeating the course is a proximate disincentive that is clearly understood and transparent.
The change in communication was enabled by giving the students a printed out spreadsheet of who did and who didn't do their homework that week. At the bottom of the printed sheet was a place for mom to sign and give her contact information, including cell phones or email address. At the top of the sheet in clear type was the rule "three assignments missed and you have to repeat the course, no matter what else you do"
A chart showing that 50% of the students did the assignment eliminated the normal excuses of "it was too hard. I didn't understand it. The teacher is blah blah. " As the per cent complying increased each week, the pressure to comply increase. From mom's point of view it said "If she can do it, why can't you do it."
At the end of 3 weeks, we had 85% compliance, with no further interventions necessary. The 15% who had serious problems could then be helped as needed. It turned out that the clarification of the rules and proximate disincentive made it unnecessary to make any calls home.
I think the blind spot is created by a culture of sympathy, instead of empathy. In fact, the overwhelming majority of parents and guardians in "dysfunctional" families want nothing more than their kids to get a great education. What is perceived as "not caring" is,i n fact, a combination of two problems: 1. Parents too busy solving their life problems 2. Schools that don't have the systems in place to communicate to them fast enough.
The critical issue is "fast enough" to allow the parents to bring their considerable authority to bear to create the appropriate behaviors. The mere presence of the systems in place, create a culture shift that can have tipping point results.
adewitt2
· 1 month ago
I couldn't agree more. Zeros should be banned from school. Zeros should be part of a behavior score not a reflection of the standards mastered. Perhaps a narrative that explains mastery and work ethic would better reflect the progress of each student. I can hear the simultaneous moan of teachers writing paragraphs for each of their students in the secondary level.
All Comments
The crux of the matter is " gives the student a way out of completing the activity"
My focus is on high school and particularly the dropout epidemic. At the bottom of the pyramid the "grade" is not an important signifier. The most usual approach for educators is to find the fault in a "dysfunctional" culture that does not value the "grade." Given the seemingly intractable nature of the problem, it should be clear by now that "changing the culture" takes too long and is ultimately the wrong approach.
But much more important than "ultimately" is the fact that every day kids who drop out of high school are very liekly to end up in jail.
In a couple of experiments, I've been able to get 85% homework compliance among this population of students by changing the rules and the communication ecology.
The rule change was " three assignments missed and you have to repeat the course, no matter what else you do" Repeating the course is a proximate disincentive that is clearly understood and transparent.
The change in communication was enabled by giving the students a printed out spreadsheet of who did and who didn't do their homework that week. At the bottom of the printed sheet was a place for mom to sign and give her contact information, including cell phones or email address. At the top of the sheet in clear type was the rule "three assignments missed and you have to repeat the course, no matter what else you do"
A chart showing that 50% of the students did the assignment eliminated the normal excuses of "it was too hard. I didn't understand it. The teacher is blah blah. " As the per cent complying increased each week, the pressure to comply increase. From mom's point of view it said "If she can do it, why can't you do it."
At the end of 3 weeks, we had 85% compliance, with no further interventions necessary. The 15% who had serious problems could then be helped as needed. It turned out that the clarification of the rules and proximate disincentive made it unnecessary to make any calls home.
I think the blind spot is created by a culture of sympathy, instead of empathy. In fact, the overwhelming majority of parents and guardians in "dysfunctional" families want nothing more than their kids to get a great education. What is perceived as "not caring" is,i n fact, a combination of two problems: 1. Parents too busy solving their life problems 2. Schools that don't have the systems in place to communicate to them fast enough.
The critical issue is "fast enough" to allow the parents to bring their considerable authority to bear to create the appropriate behaviors. The mere presence of the systems in place, create a culture shift that can have tipping point results.