Votes below 4: «They have no educational and pedagogical value». This is the proposal of the German-speaking provincial councilor of South Tyrol Philipp Achammer. However, the Minister of Education Giuseppe Valditara, while acknowledging that «a positive and friendly school considers the grade as a simple indicator of the level reached at that moment», urges «don’t let our kids grow up in cotton wool. If we don’t get them used to facing frustrations, which will be many in life, we do their harm”.
We talked about it with Dario Ianes, full professor of Pedagogy and Special Education at the University of Bolzano and co-founder of the Erickson Study Center in Trento. «I agree with councilor Philipp Achammer’s proposal, because scores below 4 are humiliating, they don’t give any information or motivation to improve. But I would do more.”
Meaning what?
«In general, I would abolish the grade: I would switch to a formative assessment. I often ask teachers: do you feel like judges or coaches? Do you judge your students or help them reach peak performance? Many students hate teachers and love coaches, even when they are very harsh, because they feel they are on their side».
And it doesn’t happen with professors?
«Often the professor is perceived as someone “on the other side”, to be “cheated”, even by copying, if necessary, to get to the sufficiency».
Therefore, fewer judges and more coaches are needed.
«The player on the field is interested in the real performance, not in receiving a vote. And the coach is with him on the pitch. Before the match he also makes him work very hard. And, when you win, two win. But it is a long process, which implies a change of mentality: many teachers also see voting as a means of control. Furthermore, giving an evaluation is much more demanding than assigning a grade».
In practice, however, how can you teach in a school without bad grades?
“I did it, with my university students. There were 80 of them, divided into three groups, which I called “roped teams”, and I followed them with great attention for a semester, during which I tried to get them to reach the maximum level. In the end, I gave everyone 30. But, mind you, it wasn’t a political 30: it was the finish line after a demanding job, and there was practically no final exam. I really enjoyed working like this, even if I remember the astonishment of the dean of the faculty when I explained my method to him. But he trusted them, and the results were encouraging.’
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Source: Vanity Fair
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