In Response to: Holding the line on A’s
A rousing locomotive for Daniel Cohen ’67’s letter on Princeton’s grading “reform.” To add to his critique, a preoccupation with grades, by students and faculty, distracts them from what should be their central concerns, learning and the creation of knowledge. Students should be developing their own purposes and dedication, not focusing on how others measure them. The idea that the imposition of external sanctions and rewards is the way to foster accomplishment is one of the many common-sense ideas that are simply wrong, as documented in Alfie Kohn’s important book, Punished by Rewards.