Authentic Assessment Reflection Paper Education Essay

Homework and Grading
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Homework and Grading
Homework and grading were formed with an aim of assessing the understanding and capabilities of learners. Learning institutions have embraced these tools to improve the performance of their learners and to keep their minds active. However, homework and grading have elicited different views on their effectiveness. Two of the authors who have raised concerns against the tools include Greenfield Karl Tao in “My Daughter’s Homework is Killing Me” and Alfie Kohn in “The Case against Grading.” The two authors discuss the disadvantages of giving students a lot of homework and the consequent grading process. According to both authors, the process has a negative effect on the learning experience. I share their views as schools are using homework and grading for the wrong reasons. Grading makes schools and students prefer the easiest possible way and develop fear for failure.
Greenfield's and Kohn's Views on Homework and Grading
Playing and relaxing are important aspects of development. After work, most people feel tired and yearn to go home and relax. School operates in a similar way as work as young people spend all day in school, laboring their mind on school work. In the same way working people feel relieved to go home, students feel relieved when they leave school and deserve an opportunity to relax and do anything that interests them. Unfortunately, schools have decided to consume this time by assigning the students a lot of homework. Children attending high-performing schools have been victims of this exercise in pursuit of excellence. Greenfield, in his article “My Daughter’s Homework Is Killing Me,” recounts his attempt to help his eighth-grade daughter do her homework for a whole week. He complained that the homework was unmanageable and noted that she stayed up to the latest hours of the night past her bed time, trying to complete the assignments (Greenfield, 2013). All this effort is driven by the desire to achieve higher grades.
Just like in the case of homework, grading too was meant to help learners measure their performance against their peers and use the results to improve. Unfortunately, the grading process is also flawed as schools engage in extreme activities to outshine their competitors. Criticism against grading began in the early 19th century, which was enough evidence that the approach was wrong. According to Kohn, “Grades tend to diminish student’s interest in whatever they’re learning” (2011, p. 28). Most schools have ceased being learning oriented to grading oriented. Several researchers have done research on the effect of grades on intrinsic motivation and noted a negative relationship. A student who is m...