Boy Scouts and badges

One of the current buzzwords in education is "badges." Cathy Davidson at HASTAC does a good job of defining the term and its educational implications in her post Badges Now. She writes:

The advantage of digital badges over test scores is that they are customizable and verifiable, and they can be awarded outside normal, traditional institutions charged, in our society, with credentialing expertise.  Unlike other customizable formats—such as resumes—it is harder to “fudge” badges since they come with the meta data that tells you why they were awarded and can provide contact information for the person or institution who awarded them. 

I don't know the origin of the use of badges in education (both gamers and the Khan Academy seem to have popularized the concept), but as a Boy Scout, I experienced educational power of badges 50 years ago. I was at best an indifferent student in school, but I voluntarily learned in Boy Scouts.

One had to earn merit badges in order to advance in rank in the Scouts. As I recall, I earned badges in things like first aid, camping, hiking, outdoor cooking, swimming, reading, and stamp collecting. Each of these badges I displayed proudly on a sash worn over my uniform (at least until it was totally uncool to be a Boy Scout in ninth grade). Grandson Paul (at right) who will always be a totally cool Boy Scout tells me that one can now earn badges for geocaching, computer gaming, and robotics. According to the BSA website, one can earn a badge in 130 different areas.

Boy Scout badges worked for a variety of reasons:

• Topics were self-selected - you learned about what interested you.
• Skills learned were practical and concrete rather than academic and abstract.
• Clear requirements for earning the badge were stated up front - no guess work. One was judged on performance, not on a test.
• Assessment was often done by an expert in the field rather than the scoutmaster - a lawyer in the community assessed my stamp collection work since he was a philatelist.
• Skill demonstration was often public - in front of peers, other scout troups, and parents - leading to a higher level of concern over one's proficiency.
• A large string of brightly colored merit badges were a source of pride and accomplishment. I suppose I could make a button with my college GPA or GRE scores, but it just wouldn't be the same.

Participation in Boy Scouts was and is, of course, voluntary. Which may explain why a system like badges and ranks were used instead of testing or other forms of promotion. Badges are fun; tests are not.  Advancement is based on meaningful objective performance measurements, not the subjective approval of a single individual like the scoutmaster. And nobody is "normed."

There is a lot of discussion right now about "alternative forms of credentialing" in the post secondary world and perhaps this reflects the growing belief that college is no longer the guarantee of vocational success that it once was - that universities must compete among other forms of post-secondary learning options in order to stay relevant. Will this give badges legs? I hope so, actually. Traditional colleges could use a little wake-up call.

But back in the real world of K-12, badges used in conjunction with LMSs like Edmodo and a game-like approach to meeting learning objectives will continue to grow - and rightfully so. Plainly, it's just a better way to do school.

Take it from a Boy Scout.

Comments

[Kenn Gorman]

Reminds me also of the Ragger program that the YMCA uses - campers (and staff) earn a "rag" - bandana - of certain colors after going through a specific program. I still have mine from over 30 years ago.

The company I work for during the summer (iD Tech) uses a similar system for staff - Nachos. Some of them are a bit crazy, but the idea is to give staff a way to show their creativity. Always fun!

[Brandt Schneider]

My thoughts: http://brandtschneider.blogspot.com/2013/07/badges.html

I can't figure out how to make this work AND submit a grade. Without making it just a shiny sticker program.

[Doug Johnson]

Hi Kenn,

A number of organizations use a badge-like approach, I think. Girl Scouts. What are letter jackets, but badges?

Doug

Hi Brandt,

What if you combined badges and a contract system: so many badges would earn a C, so many a B, so many an A? You could differentiate badges into classes of badges - academic and dispositional and require some of each to make a certain grade?

Personally, I think grades are boo-rah anyway, but I know we all live within a system.

Oh, Edmodo has a nice badge system.

Take care,

Doug