Chris Sarkonak

The (Un)grading Spectrum — Grow Beyond Grades Ungrading is more of a philosophy than a single model that says “do this and your students will learn.” Chris Sarkonak explores ungrading as a spectrum of possibilities that moves us away from the har...

The presence of grades takes psychological safety away from students, putting them into states of anxiety or apathy, neither of which allow for learning. @csarkonak.bsky.social growbeyondgrades.org/blog/the-ung...

Start Here — Grow Beyond Grades

With the phrase going gradeless, we hope to express the idea of moving—gradually or rapidly—away from the pernicious influence of grades, and toward more humane and effective methods of assessment and feedback. growbeyondgrades.org/start

We Need to Talk About Standards-based Grading — Grow Beyond Grades While standards-based grading purports to put the focus squarely on learning, practitioners have noted how this is not always the reality. Arthur Chiaravalli points out the ways that SBG “has at times...

If standard-based grading is to progress beyond the real difficulties that beset it, it must espouse curiosity over defensiveness, openness over dogmatism, empathy over insularity. @achiaravalli.bsky.social www.growbeyondgrades.org/blog/we-need...

Arthur Chiaravalli grows beyond grading. https://growbeyondgrades.org/ LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-chiaravalli-0903a51/] On today's episode, we're joined by Arthur Chiaravalli, House Direc…

It was a joy to talk going gradeless with the O.G. @mssackstein.bsky.social & @crystalfrommert.bsky.social for Learner-Centered Spaces.
www.teachbetterpodcastnetwork.com/show/learner...

I’ve been using it for years, along with portfolio-based grading, and it’s been great! Ss can focus on what they need and pace it out so they can actually be successful!

The Degrading Scale — Grow Beyond Grades In her essay, Sharlyn Barrett recalls how the pursuit of perfection—whether on a scale or on a report card—stripped joy from both learning and life, and how messages about perfection left her exhauste...

Our second Growth, Not Grades winner is Sharlyn Barrett 🎉

Sharlyn writes how chasing perfection — whether pounds on a scale or letters on a page — left her ready to give up. She imagines an education that values growth and self-acceptance.

Read and share!
growbeyondgrades.org/blog/degradi...

The Degrading Scale — Grow Beyond Grades In her essay, Sharlyn Barrett recalls how the pursuit of perfection—whether on a scale or on a report card—stripped joy from both learning and life, and how messages about perfection left her exhauste...

I am too exhausted to care about other standards of perfection, like grades. Insecure in my personal life, I give up trying at school because I can’t bear being judged anymore. @GBGEdu @growbeyondgrades.org growbeyondgrades.org/blog/degradi...

A Letter to Letters — Grow Beyond Grades In this letter, Subhiksha Sreeram breaks up with grades, recalling how letters once ruled her worth and turned learning into a numbers game. She shares how chasing A’s left her anxious, perfectionisti...

I want my learning to be measured by how much I’ve grown, how deeply I’ve understood, and how boldly I’ve tried, not just by the shape of the letter at the top of the page. @GBGEdu @growbeyondgrades.org growbeyondgrades.org/blog/a-lette...

Day 9 cont: worked with the 11s on what this course should look like and be about. The goal was for them to think scientifically about their experiences in school and how we can build an environment that promotes scientific thinking and learning. Ss should feel empowered, not helpless #teach180 🎢

Day 9 cont: 12s did some work at the vertical whiteboards in random groups looking at the vector nature of force. With what they already know about force and the Mu of a Shoe lab earlier, it's almost self-taught and they are doing great! #teach180 🎢

The Nature of Science This free, customizable lesson compilation explores how scientists think by making observations and inferences, building models and finding patterns.

Day 8/9: I was away yesterday. Today, the 9s started on to Activity 5 of @perimeterinstitute.ca's Nature of Science resource, resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... This is a great activity that looks at what fast radio bursts are and gets them doing some astronomy! #teach180 🎢

Day 7 cont: finishing up discussion with the 11s on hadron therapy for curing cancer, electricity generation, a Tesla coil demo, a BagelGen demo, the work at @ligo.org, some @stepupphysics.bsky.social resources, and clearing up many misconceptions (such as "quantum pendants")! #teach180 🎢

Day 7 cont: 12s came in to find out we were doing our 2nd lab of the year with "mu of a shoe!" Turns out many Ss are not wearing their best footwear at this time of year! Great way to intro the vector nature of force and connecting forces to motion that we only started to explore in 11 #teach180 🎢

Day 7: 9s continued on their exploration of the periodic table and we had some detours discussing how electricity is generated, how stars are formed and where the elements come from. Some great discussion and Ss seemed very curious. #teach180 🎢

Day 6 cont: talked to 11s about the importance of physics, drawing on my experiences from @cern.bsky.social, @triumflab.bsky.social, @perimeterinstitute.ca, and others! Discussed proton therapy in curing cancer, this was shocking to Ss, and some of the other "by-products" of physics! #teach180 🎢

Kinematics Crime Scene ​I have found that my kinematics unit is basically an equation-fest where students rearrange and solve word problems. Most of the practice that we do is very sterile and typically only involves the...

Day 6 cont: 12s worked on @cossettej.bsky.social's passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/kinemat... and had a blast! Great conversations, recalling what they learned last year. They were all into it, working collaboratively, and wanted to figure it out without any hints or help from me! #teach180 🎢

The Nature of Science This free, customizable lesson compilation explores how scientists think by making observations and inferences, building models and finding patterns.

Day 5/6: Was out sick yesterday, but back today. 9s started looking at the periodic table in @perimeterinstitute.ca's Nature of Science resource, Activity 4, resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... Some great connections and students are very much enjoying these #teach180 🎢

Students documented their observations of the video shown. One table started by saying what they saw and then we went around the room, table-by-table, getting students to add or revise observations.

Students were instructed to come up with creative explanations that they could use to tell a 5-year-old what's happening. The explanations may sound silly, but at the heart of them are three main candidates for explaining the evaporation of alcohol from the paper in the video: 1. air carried away the alcohol; 2. the alcohol dispersed across the paper so it was no longer visible; and 3. the alcohol left the paper on its own.

Day 4 cont: 11s were introduced to @eeugenia.bsky.social's ISLE approach with a thrilling video of watching paper dry! Ss learned the importance of observations and were very creative in their stories explaining what was going on. Model building and scientific thinking is so important! #teach180 🎢

Whiteboards filled with derivations of the "big 5" kinematics formulas.

Day 4 cont: 12s continue their motion review with the first random group, vertical whiteboard work of the year. After completing @cossettej.bsky.social's motion graph matchmaker and using equipment to determine real-world scenarios, they derive the "big 5" kinematics eqns from the graphs #teach180 🎢

Day 4: Today the 9s finished up with the @perimeterinstitute.ca Nature of Science Activity 3 on the senses. They were given tech cards to determine how they enhance different senses and asked to come up with a plan for how to address a situation they were randomly dealt. #teach180 🎢

Day 3 cont: 11s start by creating 3 models for the mystery tube I demo'd at the front, they then presented their worst model, they could have me do 1 "move," then had to revise their models and present their best model, then they got their own to investigate and then present that model #teach180 🎢

Motion graphs from Joe Cossette's motion graph matchmaker activity.

Day 3 cont: First lab on day 3!! 12s continued their review of kinematics by building on Friday's motion graph matchmaker activity. Today's task was to familiarize themselves with the Pasco SmartCart systems and figure out the real-world scenarios to create each of these sets of graphs. #teach180 🎢

Set of mystery tubes, six built using white pipe of varying sizes and one from black pipe with googly eyes. The ropes are connected inside in different ways and students must build models based on their observations.

Day 3: 9s discussed the limitations of our senses using @perimeterinstitute.ca's activity 3 from resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... 11s continued building models using mystery tubes, based on the Making Models activity from resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/the.... #teach180 🎢

Motion Graph Matchmakers Motion graph cards with pairs of displacement vs time and velocity vs time graphs that describe the same motion

Day 2 cont: 12s review motion and get to know each other with @cossettej.bsky.social's motion graphs matchmaker, passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/motion-.... Printed cards and randomly deal them out to Ss until they're all gone. Ss then talk to each other and figure out the sets #teach180 🎢

Day 2: Today the 9s worked through @cern.bsky.social's mystery boxes, scoollab.web.cern.ch/mystery-boxes to continue developing an understanding of the nature of science. 11s did Taming the Particle Zoo from @perimeterinstitute.ca's resources.perimeterinstitute.ca/products/bey.... #teach180 🎢

The Game of Science Students must complete this first week science task to determine the rules to a board game just by observing how it is played

Day 1 cont: 12 Ss started with @cossettej.bsky.social's passionatelycurioussci.weebly.com/blog/game-of.... This is a great way to kick-start the 12s and we talked about the challenges of figuring out the rules of the game from within the game #teach180 🎢

Day 1: I believe that what we focus on first sets a tone in the classroom and communicates values to Ss. There were no course outlines or talk of grades today, 9 & 11 Ss learned about the nature of science with @cossettej.bsky.social's inquiry cubes and @perimeterinstitute.ca's resource! #teach180 🎢

I'm inspired by some amazing teachers doing #teach180 and thought I'd give it a try this year... but I'm already 2 days behind so I'll start by catching up! This semester I have 2 sections of 11 Physics, 1 class of 12 Physics, and 1 class of 9 Science (which will be my 3rd time in 17 years!) 🎢

A Letter to Letters — Grow Beyond Grades In this letter, Subhiksha Sreeram breaks up with grades, recalling how letters once ruled her worth and turned learning into a numbers game. She shares how chasing A’s left her anxious, perfectionisti...

“Why focus on how to improve when the verdict has already been delivered?” 📫

High school senior, Subhiksha Sreeram, describes the way grades cut off real learning. Her essay A Letter to Letters is the first of three winners in our Growth, Not Grades contest.

growbeyondgrades.org/blog/a-lette...

Absolutely!! Grades interfere with learning and put focus on the wrong things (ie getting points instead of understanding). Teaching Ss to think about their learning, self-assess, and make meaningful plans to grow should be the conversations we are having more of! Get Ss involved in their learning!