Giving an A

Giving an A
I enjoyed reading “Giving an A” chapter/practice, as it was very stimulating. As the book stated, an A is not a unit of measurement but it’s a new window of opportunities and possibilities.
An A is given to a student, or to anyone, to show respect and admiration to a job well down, and more importantly, to motivate and inspire that individual to continue and move forward.

Though the stress and anxiety over this measurement, getting an A, will continue as long as it is viewed by most people as the highest success level, getting an A does not always mean that you learned. Most of the time it means that you did the class requirements.
Learners are different in the way they learn and observe. Their goals and expectations are different too. Some want to get an A, while others want to earn an A.

The book stated an example were an instructor tells the students that they will get an A as long as they write a letter placing themselves in the future (a year ahead) and looking back on their accomplishments and milestones and achievements (“Everything must be written in past tense”). Reading the sample letters will show how this simple idea made students more open and creative, fearless, and accepting mistake as they learn from them. More importantly, this simple idea helped stimulate their creative thinking.

I think students should not fear not getting an A. Rather, they should be concerned if they finish a class without learning anything. On the other hand, instructors should emphasize how much students are learning and not the quantities of assignments required. It is a tough balancing act but achievable.