Teachers know from their perspective that what works for one student often does not work for others, but students often generalize from the experience of one. Inksheddings can highlight the differences. Recently, I asked a class to comment on the portfolio-based system I was using, an approach which did not provide grades on individual papers. I like this class because it is less formal than a lot of my other classes. Sometimes I'm curious about the kind of grade I'm receiving, but it's nice to get a paper back with comments and without a grade.
Grades tend to cause stress.
I always worry that this or that grade wasn't good enough. This class allows me to write honestly and try to do my best work without worrying about getting a grade. Sometimes I'm surprised when I get a paper back and find few red marks. I guess I always thought my writing wasn't very good. For the first time, I'm starting to realize maybe it's not as bad as I thought.