Blow Up the Grade Book?

In the movies, children come home from school to a nice house, sit down with their parents to work on homework or study at their personal desk in their bedrooms, and end the day with family supper. They have the tools necessary to complete homework and are equipped with a family support system. As Chris Haskell mentions, the existing curricular design is set up for a child like this. However, most children do not have this type of lifestyle. Teachers cannot assume that their students are getting all of the time and assistants they need on homework. Some instances where children cannot complete/hand in homework on time include: parents are unqualified to help with schoolwork,  they don't have the resources required for doing homework, some may not have the time to complete homework due to household chores/responsibilities, and some may even be homeless. It is unfair to the majority of kids to have to go through school with the existing curriculum design.

As a solution to this problem, Haskell believes that homework as well as due dates should be eliminated altogether.  Without homework or due dates, triage and unfairness will be reduced. Haskell claims that curriculum needs to be shifted to quest-based learning, which is grounded on technology. Quest-based learning acts as a game where students earn points, conquer levels, earn badges, and achieve quests. It allows and rewards failure, removes punishment, offers multiple paths and choices, and defines a winning condition. The design and activities are created by the teacher, but individually chosen by the students based on his/her own schema. It has proven to be effective as 93% of thousands of students earned A's during a two-year study. Haskell believes that quest-based learning builds school for students not against them, and that students will succeed because the winning condition is always within reach.

I think it is critical to keep up with the times and incorporate technology into the classroom. Right now, well-funded elementary schools are facilitated with iPad's. This is a positive turn in the right direction, but the majority of students in low-income schools are still not being provided with these services. Switching curriculum to fit quest-based learning is, in my opinion, a good idea and will fulfill the need of technology programming. I love that children get to choose their own destiny, learn from their mistakes, and be rewarded for conquering their achievements/failures. Kids will gain expertise in time management as there are no due dates, and will not be punished for missing an assignment due to personal circumstances. My only concern with quest-based learning is that teachers won't be able to get hands-on, personal experience with their students as everything will be online. I think that it is important for teachers to get to know their students and earn a personal, professional relationship with them. If teachers are able to accomplish this with quest-based learning, then I fully support Haskell's proposal.