No Grades When Learning = More Thinking

I've never taken grades on practice problems. 

It didn't seem right to take a grade when one is learning something new.

BUT...

I did take a completion grade.

And now I see where that wasn't working.

When learning new material now in class,

There is no grade.

Not even a completion grade.

Students are working on problems for the way they were intended...

To practice.

Not to just get done with them.

When students complete problems just to get them done,

They hurry,

Thinking is decreased,

More mistakes are made,

And there seems to be less care in the final product...or overall understanding.

When students complete problems for learning,

Where grades aren't even factored in,

They slow down to talk about the process,

Thinking improves,

Mistakes are still made,

But are now corrected to help them make sense of the problem.

And above all,

There is pride in learning something new.

Now, is this happening for all students?

The research from BTC showed that 15%-25% of students 

still weren't doing the problems even with no grade attached.

But that means that 75%-85% were.

I haven't crunched numbers in my classes,

But if I had to estimate, I would say that is about right...

25% of my students are not engaged in learning the problems 

for the "right reason and the right person." 

"When completion is the goal, it encourages behaviors such as cheating, mimicking, and getting unhelpful help." (BTC, pg. 125)

My principal asked me a question.

A valid question.

If a struggling student is paired up at a vertical white board with a student that seems to be catching on,

How do I handle that?

Here's what I have observed.

I have seen students sharing the marker to allow the other student to give it a try.

I have heard explanations to questions on how or why the math works.

I have seen students request the marker so they could see how they do.

These are all examples of students completing the problems for the "right reason and the right person".

They are realizing the importance of understanding it themselves.

No longer can they scoot by with not doing and allowing others to do it for them.

Accountability has been added to the equation once again.