Critical Incident B

Critical Incident B

This incident is related to our traditional system of evaluation and my lack of knowledge on the impact it has on people.The incident took place the day I was supposed to return my students´tests. It was their first summative test and it was rather easy. Students had done pretty well but some of them had committed a few errors that were worth while discussing. It was my intention to correct the test with the whole class, not just telling students the right answers but making it a teachable moment. Nevertheless, I had not counted on one important detail: students´ mark orientedness.
Unfortunately, my students have already come to see learning at school as a series of tests which you either pass or not. Thus, when it is time for test correction, all students want to know is how they did, grade wise. The second they see their grade, the chapter is closed for them. No matter the grade. If the grade is low, they get disappointed and forget about the test. If the grade is high, they feel proud and forget about the test.  All that matters to them is how they did, not what they did or did not do, let alone why they did it. So when I returned the test, I naively expected them to start asking questions. No questions were asked. Students looked at their marks and could no longer see the point in going over the same test. I tried to explain why it was important to analyze one´s work but the damage was already done. I realized I should not have written the marks on their test until later, once the correction was finished. After this episode, we have been trying to move away from such a detrimental fixation on marks and trying to focus instead on the value of constructive feedback. I also stopped giving marks before test corrections.