Robert Talbert shares about the principles of grading for growth on episode 510 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast.

Quotes from the episode

Points used for grades are a judgment call that results in a label.

In one shot, she can’t get a B in the class. And I sat there and just watched her sense of self worth and her excitement in the class just decay away right before my eyes.
-Robert Talbert

When you look at grades as we often use them in a traditional setting, they are much of what we do is under the guise of object what we think is objectivity.
-Robert Talbert

The biggest thing that’s broken about grades is that traditional grading is completely disconnected from the notion of a feedback loop.
-Robert Talbert

Give helpful feedback that doesn’t humiliate the student, affirms their basic dignity as a human being, and highlights what went well. Helpful feedback also highlights what could use some work and invites students to collaborate with you to make it better.
-Robert Talbert

Reattempts without penalty, that’s the closing of the feedback loop.
-Robert Talbert

Points used for grades are a judgment call that results in a label.
-Robert Talbert

Resources

Grading for Growth: A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices that Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education, by David Clark & Robert Talbert
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most (Third Edition), Douglas Stone & Sheila Heen
Dignity: Its Essential Role in Resolving Conflict, by Donna Hicks
Leading with Dignity: How to Create a Culture That Brings Out the Best in People, by Donna Hicks
The Extended Mind: The Power of Thinking Outside the Brain, by Annie Murphy Paul
Robert Talbert’s Sabbatical in Industry with Steelcase
The 12-week plan for building courses, by Robert Talbert

The Principles of Grading for Growth

Teaching in Higher Ed

The Principles of Grading for Growth