How do you feel about extra credit? (college, elementary school, football)
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Since the homework thread has been closed, probably because it drifted a little too much, I thought I'd open another thread for us to discuss the merits of extra credit.
I am firmly in the extra-credit-must-be-content-related camp. I further think that extra credit should be infrequently offered and should be limited to that which demands students demonstrate elevated knowledge of the material being studied.
As I mentioned in the other thread, my middle-schooler has a social studies teacher who sometimes awards extra points to students who post comments, no matter how inane, to their class COLE discussion board or their class Twitter account. It doesn't impress me.
Since the homework thread has been closed, probably because it drifted a little too much, I thought I'd open another thread for us to discuss the merits of extra credit.
I am firmly in the extra-credit-must-be-content-related camp. I further think that extra credit should be infrequently offered and should be limited to that which demands students demonstrate elevated knowledge of the material being studied.
As I mentioned in the other thread, my middle-schooler has a social studies teacher who sometimes awards extra points to students who post comments, no matter how inane, to their class COLE discussion board or their class Twitter account. It doesn't impress me.
What are your thoughts about this issue?
I think extra credit should be used sparingly, and absolutely be content related. And for the teacher at the local middle school who allows extra credit for returning signed mid-term report sheets..eesh. I figure that if Johnny's mom doesn't want to see his papers, the thought of extra credit probably isn't much of an incentive.
Ideally it would only be offered in the sort of situation where Janie is half a point away from the next higher grade, and wants to earn a better score enough that she's willing to do more work.
I agree that the extra credit should have some educational merit. The only extra credit I've seen to date for my elementary school aged kids are extra spelling words on their weekly test that weren't part of their list for the week. They offer a few extra point on the test if they get them right.
In my own experience I do remeber being asked sports scores for extra credit in middle and high school. I remember doing it but I have to say I only remember male teachers asking for that type of thing (for what that's worth). I think at the time I thought they felt it was something fun. I also think teachers use it to gage how hard kids are "trying" in their class and who is willing to go above and beyond.
I think extra credit should be whatever the teacher defines it to be. I've had college professors who gave extra credit for volunteering at a domestic violence shelter or giving blood.
Along these lines, I just received e-mail notification that students may earn EC for attending the middle school ethnic fair. I'm not sure how I feel about that yet. We would have attended regardless of EC.
I think extra credit should be whatever the teacher defines it to be. I've had college professors who gave extra credit for volunteering at a domestic violence shelter or giving blood.
My feeling is that a grade or score in, say, 20th Century American Lit. should reflect how well I've mastered the objectives of that course-- whether I can tell Stein from Steinbeck and if I'd know an unreliable narrator if Salinger bit me on the butt. Getting an A because I'm O-negative or a good dishwasher isn't an indicator of that.
Of course, that begs the question of whether the objective in coursework is the education, or the grade. And that's another 100-page thread.
My feeling is that a grade or score in, say, 20th Century American Lit. should reflect how well I've mastered the objectives of that course-- whether I can tell Stein from Steinbeck and if I'd know an unreliable narrator if Salinger bit me on the butt. Getting an A because I'm O-negative or a good dishwasher isn't an indicator of that.
Of course, that begs the question of whether the objective in coursework is the education, or the grade. And that's another 100-page thread.
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.
I think extra credit should be whatever the teacher defines it to be. I've had college professors who gave extra credit for volunteering at a domestic violence shelter or giving blood.
Extra credit is something that affects a student's grade. It should not be possible to improve your grade in a class by doing something that is unrelated to the class. Like I mentioned in the last thread some of the middle school teachers gave extra credit to kids who brought in school supplies. That drove me nuts. At the high school where I taught we were not permitted to give extra credit that was not curriculum related.
Extra credit is something that affects a student's grade. It should not be possible to improve your grade in a class by doing something that is unrelated to the class. Like I mentioned in the last thread some of the middle school teachers gave extra credit to kids who brought in school supplies. That drove me nuts. At the high school where I taught we were not permitted to give extra credit that was not curriculum related.
It can only *positively* influence the grade, not *negatively* influence it.
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.
That's exactly why its unethical. There should be nothing factoring into a student's grade that is not related to the class. If you do poorly on a quiz or a test it should be reflected in your grade. You should not be offered a "buffer" because you participate in the teacher's pet charity, attend a football game, bring in supplies for the class, etc....
I have no problem with extra credit that is curriculum related.
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