SHAWN HIGGINS -

CONTRACT GRADING IN CREDIT-BEARING ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING UNDERGRADUATE COURSES : ELT INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGY

Asao Inoue argues that labor-based grading is a compassionate and equitable approach to assessing student learning. We need compassion and equity because the traditional letter grades given out in English language learning classrooms are tinged by the living history of discriminatory white language supremacy and the forceful spread of English as a lingua franca. In this workshop, we will discuss the philosophical and practical implications of actually centering students in their educational experiences, specifically in terms of “earning” grades, meritocracy, and power structures, through an alternative assessment approach called “contract grading.” This form of labor-based assessment creates a holistic ecosystem in which all assignments, activities, conversations, brainstorms, proposals, drafts, and finished products matter. Contract grading imbues students with a noncognitive strategy focused on a “willingness to labor,” even through setbacks and difficulties. With the right amount of time and mindful labor, any English language learning student will learn as much as they can, and their grades are based on this labor, not favoritism disguised as individual meritocracy and deservingness. Participants in this workshop will receive resources on how to “ungrade” their own classes, on how to discuss this assessment style with administrators, and practice in ungrading writing/speaking assignments.

Shawn Higgins is the Director of the Undergraduate Bridge Program at Temple University's Japan Campus, an English-language-learning program for conditionally accepted undergraduate students. He holds a Ph.D. in American Literature from the University of Connecticut and an MA in American Studies from Columbia University.