Is it fair to not tell students they are being graded?
Today, my students worked on an in-class group activity. It was an ungraded activity. They were shown a video of a water tank draining out of a spout and asked to figure out how long it would take the tank to empty. I withheld nearly all of the necessary facts, figures, and formulas. They were required to ask me questions. If I knew the answer to their question, I would answer it. For some of the answers, I gave them cards I printed ahead of time with information like the height of the tank or the formula for volume. Some of the information was in the form of a video of the spout filling a 2-cup measure. Ultimately, the calculations involved were rather ordinary and simple: multiplication and division. The activity was designed to help them develop their problem solving strategies and have them consider what information is important and necessary to solve the problem.
Some groups predictably got straight to work and proceeded quickly through the problem and found an answer in relatively short order. Other groups, just as predictably, took their sweet time and spent many a minute idly chatting and not worrying much about solving the problem. Experience told me that some groups just need a bit longer to warm up and realize that, in fact, I am not going to give them the information they need unless they actually do something. Others lack confidence so they need a bit more prodding. But while some students sit inert because they lack confidence or are unsure what to do, other students do nothing because they are seemingly apathetic.
It got me thinking that this experience is one that really ought to be formally evaluated. This was real math. A timed individual test is not a place typically for creative thought and does not allow enough time usually for one to start down a path, come to a dead end, and go back and start anew. But, the students today had ample time to play with the numbers, reflect on answers, think about what information they needed and the questions they would have to ask to get that information. Groups that were most effective had the best communication and students asked each other for help. The most dysfunctional groups sat back and hoped that one member would just do all the work for them.
Perhaps, I thought, I should make this a graded exercise after all. Would that be so unfair? Why not create learning opportunities without deciding ahead of time whether or not to make it a graded exercise? Why not wait and see if the exercise is a good evaluation tool before committing to making it graded? Sort of like a reverse pop-quiz. Surprise! I am going to grade what you just did.
In my eyes, today's activity would have provided a very authentic evaluation of a student's commitment to learning and of their problem-solving skills. But, I did not feel it fair to do this as I had never told the students ahead of time that this might happen. I think I could have justified it, but I did not want to deal with the predictable complaints from the students.
But, as I write, this sounds like something I may try going forward.
Would students feel that they were constantly being judged? Would that be a bad thing?
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