I'm sure many of you are familiar with Girl and Boy Scout badges. Some of you may even still have a dusty shoebox located deep in the recesses of your closet filled with colorfully stitched patches heralding your ability to sell an exorbitant amount of Thin Mints, build a roaring campfire, or accurately read a map. While these items may now simply serve as fond childhood memories, badges and the act of badging has been making a very big comeback over the past few years and the real life benefits of awarding them in the field of education, professional development, and even simply personal growth appear to be both innumerable and very positive.
Please review the articles below:
What do you think? Could you envision using a badging system in your classroom? What might be the drawbacks? How do you think your students would react to this type of feedback and assessment of their work? Jot down your initial thoughts offline or on your computer somewhere and save them.
You'll have an opportunity to alter and flesh out your reaction to the topic more fully at the end of class.
Let's move on to Lesson 2.