From Coercion to Fascination: Grades, Vulnerability, and Responsibility

Gaudium et Spes encourages theologians to think of the classroom as a place where both students and teachers grow in their ability “to wonder, to understand, to contemplate, to make personal judgments, and to develop a religious, moral, and social sense” (no. 59). Yet, substantive research shows that traditional modes of grading are a mechanism whereby both teachers and students become invulnerable to the fascination essential for a good theological education. Our essay reflects on our experiments using ungrading strategies in our theology and philosophy courses. First, we show how the Catholic vision of education, Pope Francis’s emphasis on the role of freedom, and Luigi Giussani’s theology of education are at the root of our pedagogical experiments. Second, in dialogue with education theorists, such as Alfie Kohn and Susan Blum, we describe how ungrading methods increase the vulnerability to wonder, help teachers and students alike become greater protagonists in the journey of learning, and thus foster everyone’s flourishing. Third, we draw on our classroom experience to illustrate the challenges and opportunities of this form of education. Our goal is to introduce fellow theologians to the research informing our experiments and to spark conversation about how such experiments can enhance the art of teaching theology to twenty-first century college students.