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The Association between Grading and Effective Teaching
Background
Alfie Kohn, famed American lecturer and writer, who has researched and written on
education extensively, has long contended that the education systems grading ideologies are
inimical to effective teaching. He states that grading takes the joy out of the learning process
and makes student uninterested in their academics. According to Kohn, the ideology that
drives the education policy, that is, we should do unpleasant and unnecessary things to
children now in order to prepare them for the fact that just such things will be done to them
later is absurd and illogical. However, the fact remains that grades are not present to
overwhelm students, but to encourage and motivate them. Kohn looks at several negative
aspects of the grading system in education to state that the system is not conducive to quality
teaching. However, he fails to consider that it is human nature to seek motivation in every
action, and the endeavor to seek education is not different. This paper illustrates that Kohns
argument that grading is inimical to learning is not correct, since it does not consider the
basic fact that grades are meant to motivate students and not overwhelm them.
Argument
Grading is essential to maintain focus in a world of distractions

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The fact remains that students need intense encouragement to learn and gain academic
knowledge, and such encouragement cannot be solely derived from the idea that learning is
an enjoyable experience. This is because there are several distractions that can conquer
students minds, and this is especially true in todays world of technology, where
entertainment on YouTube can be easily accessed alongside educational content. Moreover,
the youth are especially vulnerable to become enticed by the various distractions around
them. As Brigid Schulte states in The Case of the Purloined Paper, the situation nowadays
is such that students seek to plagiarize their works with the help of technology (Miller 89).
This shows that students are not motivated to learn by the joy in learning, as idealistically
imagined, and teachers need to grade students to ensure that there are enough reasons for a
student to study. In fact, in such a scenario, grading is essential to ensure effectiveness of the
learning process. In fact, teachers who choose not to grade their students are at a risk of not
providing a proper learning platform to the students.
Grading is essential, as external motivations for learning are as important as internal
motivations
It has been contended by Kohn that students do not need the motivation provided by
grades when the school is able to provide a motivational and encouraging learning
environment. However, motivation can be of various kinds. In intrinsic motivation, a person
is focused on the joys attained from performing a task (Hiebert 37). Thus, students motivated
by intrinsic factors will pursue learning because they enjoy learning and because the tasks
given in school give them a sense of joy. Indeed, such an attitude is innate to humans, and a
childs curiosity is the best illustration of this fact (Hiebert 37). Ideally, when the intrinsic
motivation is adequate the students would seek their development from learning proactively.
However, such idealistic situations are rare and cultural and social references, such as the
studiousness of first benchers and the popularity of last benchers, illustrate the manner in

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which the intrinsic motivations can never be adequate. This is because young students will
always seek to fit into a popular social circle. Even among mature students, the intrinsic
motivation can be curbed by the demands of life, such as the inclination to watch the
television rather than study in the evening. Clearly, extrinsic motivation is essential to
encourage students in such circumstances. Extrinsic motivation will encourage a person to act
in order to accomplish a desired result (Hiebert 37). Unlike in intrinsic motivation, here the
motivation originates from sources outside the person, such as grades. Thus, to ensure
successful teaching, grades, which provide external motivation for learning, are essential.
Grading is essential for sustaining the economy
It must also be considered that the idea of abolishing grades is not possible in the
real world. This is an idealistic thought, since grades are the means by which students are
gauged of their abilities to perform work in the society. While this can be chastised and
criticized, the fact remains that the system of grading students is essential to evaluate them,
since only by such an evaluation can an economy function. Without grades, students would
not be able to know how there are performing in their classes as well. In large classes,
teachers cannot possibly provide individual feedback, and grading is essential to inform the
students as well as to gauge their abilities. It is only through this feedback system that
students can work towards becoming able citizens of the society and teachers and aid in
providing able citizens that enable the functioning of the society in an optimal manner.
Grading is independent of teachers personal opinions
Kohns argument also refers to the fact that teachers should not grade students,
because students can suffer because of teachers biases and personal frustrations. He makes
the statement that, you can tell a lot about a teachers values and personality just by asking
how he or she feels about giving grades (Miller 67). While this is definitely true, it does not

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necessarily prove that the grading system is at fault. The education system today has
developed such that parents are able to ensure that their children do not suffer because of
incompetent teachers. In fact, teachers are closely evaluated to ensure they can teach without
letting their personal problems or ideas inhibit their teaching. The manner in which teachers
were stopped from teaching Intelligent Design in schools in famous court cases such as the
2005 Kitzmiller et al. v. Dover is an illustration of this fact (DeWolf, West, Luskin, and Witt
32).
Conclusion
From the facts presented in this paper it can be seen that grading is essential and it
cannot be obliterated on the claim that it is inimical to teaching. This paper showed that
grading is essential for the following reasons: (a) It ensures that students maintain focus in a
world that offers several distractions and excuses to seek joys other than the joys of learning.
(b) It is essential, as students need external motivations for learning as much as they need
internal motivations. (c) Grading is also essential for sustaining economies by creating
citizens that have shown their caliber through their education and efforts. (d) Finally, grading
is independent of teachers personal opinions and the law and the society ensures that there is
control system here. It can be thus concluded that Kohns argument that grading is inimical to
learning is not correct, since it does not consider the basic fact that grades are meant to
motivate students and not overwhelm them

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Works Cited
DeWolf, David K, John G. West, Casey Luskin, and Jonathan Witt. Traipsing into Evolution:
Intelligent Design and the Kitzmiller V. Dover Decision. Seattle, WA: Center for
Science Culture, Discovery Institute, 2006. Print.
Hiebert, Elfrieda. Reading More, Reading Better. New York: Guilford Publications, 2009.
Print.
Kohn, Alfie. The Case against Grades Educational Leadership, November 2011. Web. June
2, 2015 http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/case-grades/.
Miller, James S. Acting out Culture: Reading and Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011.
Print.