ARE GRADES
IMPORTANT?
NEW!
Panel of Principals
is a knowledge circle
that taps into the
collective wisdom
of educators and
academiciansTwo of the country’s leading educators weigh
in on the importance of marks in learning
“The primary role of education is to equip people with the knowledge
and confidence to make a difference in the transformation of society.
In addition to providing students with knowledge, education helps
instill values, attitudes and behaviours that align with those expected
in a society.
“Education prepares students for career challenges. Because
many different paths to success exist today, different students
need different outcomes from their experiences in the educational
system. So, education must prepare students to think critically
and select the opportunities that they need in order to succeed
in their chosen path.
“Children should have authentic learning experiences,
from projects to real-world field trips. It’s through that variety
of strategy, skill and application that we will really push our kids
to become global, critical thinkers fit for today’s fast-changing world.
“In my opinion, a school should help educators to identify areas
of strength, areas requiring improvement, and decide on
the further steps to be taken. The school can act as a catalyst
for shared instructional leadership through focus on high levels
of student learning and achievement.
“The school can support educators in determining explicit,
intentional and precise improvement planning decisions
that inform monitoring and feedback for continuous
improvement and future planning, achievement and wellbeing.
“Using the Four-Step Inquiry Process for Education, Career
and Life Skills, children can be prompted to reflect on who
they are, what their opportunities are, who/what they want
to become, and what their plan is to achieve their goals.
The student can also be encouraged to make an individual
Pathways Plan that they can freely follow or change
when appropriate.“A good head and good heart are
always a formidable combination.
But, when you add to that a literate
tongue or pen, then you have
something very special.”Dr Ayyappan
Director – Education, Sree Gokulam Public Schools, Kerala“While grades provide
a basic threshold
and have a place in
the educational system,
they shouldn’t be considered the only
metric for the growth of a student
in school. There are so many more
elements that make up the plurality
of a child’s identity. Condensing all those
factors to one letter or number tells us
nothing of their desires or ambitions,
their empathy and passion or their
relationship with others; all of which are
crucial building blocks that contribute to
the success of a child in and out of school.”Kiran Bir Sethi
Founder – The Riverside School,
Ahmedabad, Gujarat13 April 2017| PANEL OF PRINCIPALSOPINIONS
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