How do you feel about extra credit? (requirements, classroom, course)
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Overall I am not a fan of extra credit, especially when it is overused, however it CAN be an effective took if you are having issues with kids reading assignments completely or or not following directions.
I remember when I was in 4th or 5th grade and we received an assignment that was 10 questions long. The directions started out with "you may only use pen on this assignment" and then went on to say to read the directions carefully...and in there was a sentence about reading all the questions before you started. Well, most of the kids at that age are more concerned about getting an assignment done fast vs right.
Question #1 was "Write your name on the line by "name". They were all "follow the directions questions. By write your name on the line, they literally meant write it on the line, not above the line like you would normally do.
Now, had you read the directions you would have gotten to question 9 where it said, "don't answer any of the questions and only sign your name in the box in question 10". Only those that actually read the directions got credit for the assignment. It was a great learning tool for teaching kids how to follow directions.
I think extra credit should not exist because it is pointless. Everyone covers the academic body of knowledge, and everyone is scored accordingly. End of story.
I am a high school teacher and I do not offer extra credit. I design my classes so that if you attend regularly, participate in all assignments, discussions, and activities, and pass the majority of the assessments you will not need it. Too often kids that should fail for not learning the objectives of the class slide by and pass because they did "extra credit" that wasn't relevant to the class.
I just don't see the big deal with EC. I've never seen it help the lazy do-nothings.
Do you see the difference between EC that is content related and EC that is not content related?
A good grade is not a reward for working hard. It should reflect actual achievement in a particular subject, not whether a student gets a paper signed, brings in supplies for the classroom, or attends the school football game.
A good, involved student's grade will reflect that they've mastered course content. I think extra credit is great because it gives everyone a chance to get some buffer points in case they have an off day with a quiz, paper or less than stellar exam performance.
EVERY student's grade should reflect their mastery, or lack thereof, of content. If I'm not participating in class, pulling my B up to an A by getting extra credit for the blood drive doesn't show that.
I've never been in a class where you can go from failing to passing merely on extra credit. I've never seen a teacher offer that much extra credit.
The kid getting an F is probably not the same one who participates in extra credit assignments.
If you're on the border-- an average of 88-89 on a 10 point scale (>90=A, >80=B, etc) extra credit absolutely can move you into the next level. So given your scenario, a kid with a 59 average (which would be an F) can bring in a couple of cans of beans for the food drive and pass a course with a 60 or 61.
Because I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill and I cannot take the assertion that kids are coasting by on extra credit seriously. Sorry to say but the very idea that a student's entire academic record is contingent on the occasional extra credit assignment is really silly to me.
You have small children, do you not? Grades are not as big an issue in elementary school as they are in a competitive high school program. And when you get down to situations like naming valedictorian, suddenly the blood drive that brought little Michele's grade up to an A from a B takes on new importance.
Then the kid is extremely close to a D and if he is trying his hardest to do well...I don't have a problem with the kid getting a low D vs. a high F.
*shrug* I'd be surprised to find a flat out F student willing to do extra credit work but unwilling to do regular schoolwork.
Do extra credit work? Probably not. Grab a can of beans out of the cabinet to turn in for the food drive? Cut class to go to a blood drive (where, at least in Florida, he's also likely to get free food and tickets to the Renaissance Faire or something)...you betcha.
I firmly believe that demanding, content-related EC expands learning. As such, why shouldn't high-performing kids be directed toward and rewarded for going beyond the general curriculum requirements? Isn't there value in additional learning for the A-B student as well as the C student?
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