EDM613 Wk2, post 2: Response to Curt Isakson

Photo by Jason Peglow (2008)

@ Curt Isakson's AR Project blog (original post by Curt Isakson on April 5, 2011) 
Curt, before responding to your post I must admit that I felt this book would speak to you personally since you are a music teacher an one of the authors is a conductor and uses a lot of musical tales to help explain the meaning of the concepts presented in the book. In your response it seems that a lot of what was said resonated with you for just that reason. I wonder if you have seen a similar reaction in your students when the grades are not an issue and they are free and comfortable to make the mistakes? As a teacher, I too was most intrigued by the giving an 'A' chapter. But, I have a lot of trepidation in doing this in my classes. I think it is mostly out of fear that at the middle school level there would be less motivation to try like these authors had in college level courses. Maybe it is a control issue on my part,  Thanks for your post.

Curt Isakson's AR Project Blog: Week Two Reading - The Art of Possibilities

(Posted by Curt Isakson on Tuesday, April 5, 2011) One of the most compelling points bought across in this book, and what has stuck with me the longest, was the concept of giving an ‘A’ for a particular project to free one-self of the grade, and to let a person fully experiment, fail, or succeed without the worry of getting a bad grade.  I believe this can be a wonderful way of letting loose the chains that bind us creatively.

I find myself in this course having to make decisions about whether I do what I really want to do (which usually is more involved), or just make sure I fit the criteria for the grade.  Many times I have made the conclusion that I want the grade and have not taken it as far as I wanted to.  The projects I am most proud of though are the ones that I really didn’t care about the grade and did what I felt was right in my mind.

This course has used this concept many times, and I use this same idea in the classes I teach.  A ‘no-fail’ approach to some of my learning environments really brings out the best in my students.