I’m excited to present an opportunity to learn from three outstanding educators and contributing authors of the book UNGRADING.
Next Wednesday, February 3, at 10:30A, Laura Gibbs, Aaron Blackwelder, and Jesse Stommel will join for a webinar featuring a panel discussion and brief presentations of strategies we all can use. There is space for 100 attendees, and you can register by clicking HERE. You can also read more about the event and Laura, Aaron, and Jesse below. If you teach or have a schedule conflict, don’t worry – let me know and I’ll send you a link in coming weeks with the recording and annotated notes. Hope you can join us!
All the best,
David
UNGRADING
Companies would never consider hiring an executive based on a letter grade or a GPA. Professional sports teams would never give athletes millions of dollars based on a transcript. In today’s world, social justice, pandemic-related school closures, and the needs of learners and their families demand that education adapt. Please join UNGRADING contributors Laura Gibbs, Jesse Stommel, and Aaron Blackwelder for a discussion about why and how educators can go gradeless to support effective, lasting learning. Together, we will learn why and how providing meaningful feedback can accelerate, amplify, and maybe even rescue learning in school.
Laura Gibbs has taught folklore and mythology courses online for the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences since 2003, and she is also the author of the “Tiny Tales” series of folklore and mythology books at 100Words.LauraGibbs.net. Laura is glad to share her experiences with asynchronous course structures, platforms, and tools; connect with her at Twitter: @OnlineCrsLady and also @OnlineMythIndia. Laura contributed the chapter entitled “Getting Rid of Grades” to Ungrading, edited by Susan D. Blum, West Virginia University Press (2020); you can read her chapter online at Grading.MythFolklore.net.
Aaron Blackwelder teaches high school English and coaches boys’ and girls’ golf in Southwest Washington. He is the co-founder of Teachers Going Gradeless, he is host of the podcast Beyond the Curriculum, and also serves as the educational contributor to Spectrum Life Magazine. Aaron is a Washington State English Teachers Fellow, was nominated for Washington State Teacher of the Year in 2019, and is a five-time golf coach of the year. Aaron is a husband and father of two boys on the autism spectrum, who inspire him to become a teacher who meets the needs of all students. Aaron contributed the chapter entitled “What Going Gradeless Taught Me about Doing the ‘Actual Work’” to Ungrading: Rewarded by Learning. Ed. Susan D. Blum. West Virginia University Press (2020).
Jesse Stommel is an author, speaker, and teacher with a focus on education, critical digital pedagogy, and documentary film. In addition to his work as Digital Learning Fellow and Senior Lecturer at Mary Washington University, Jesse has written and edited several books on critical pedagogy and the humanities in the digital world. He is also the Executive Director of Hybrid Pedagogy, a nonprofit organization that publishes an open access academic journal of learning, teaching, and technology, and supports faculty development through the Digital Pedagogy Lab. Jesse contributed the chapter “How to Ungrade” to Ungrading: Rewarded by Learning. Ed. Susan D. Blum. West Virginia University Press (2020).