I don't know if this is controversial or not... but here it goes.
I don't think there should be any form of standardized testing in schools. I think there should be an outline of things to expect students to learn, but I don't think a test is the best way to find out what a student learns. The teacher and student should have a better communication line that they have now. I think if a student can mimic some of the information, tell why its relevant, explain how it can be improved, tell if it is the best way to accomplish a goal, and give other possible examples of the information, then the students understands its application to the subject. Tests make things feel scary. Students can get anxious and end up doing worse, which can affect their self-esteem. I am all for trying to educate students, its kind of the point of schooling; I believe we can come up with a better way than standardized testing. As long as a student understands the material and its function then that should be enough. This has nothing to do with other school work, such as homework/projects and other learning exercises. We should not expect students from such diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, financial standings and so on, to learn the same way.
Possible argument:
Being able to interpret the information doesn't satisfy a students measurement of knowledge. A student who can critically analyze one thing does not mean the student will understand multiple variations of the same scenario. It would take too much time to cover more topics and be this critical about everything. That is why we need to revise the school systems, make some cuts in unimportant subjects (such as fine arts) and focus on the big picture. How else can we critically analyze whether or not a student can retain a potpourri of knowledge? Testing allows teachers to get an effective measurement on how much the student understands the subject being tested. There is no better way than to set high standards and push for all students, to measure up to those standards.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Why do we teach?
Why do we Teach?
We teach because without passing on knowledge we can end up in the dark ages because of stupid people who get too much power, and everyone else is too stupid to stop them and follows (jk... but seriously). Basically we teach because we want our kids and future generations to grow up with a better education. We want the future to be more conscious about their actions and its correlation with the world.
What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning?"
You can program a computer to do work... but it will never learn anything about itself or how to apply it or the skills to other areas. School "work" may sometimes be seen as an excuse for teachers to keep students busy, or to asses how much material they've learned... and how well they know it. Students can "learn" from school work. With proper instruction and guidelines, students can learn how to apply skills, lessons or mistakes into their outlook of the world. For example: In school we learn history. We learn about events that have shaped world events. In the U.S. Civil Rights is a must in every classroom. Students learn about the oppression and things that happened to blacks. Now a computer can repeat dates, events, names and changes in legislation. But a student (i hope so at least), through school "work" can asses the situation and learn more about how he/she feels about racism etc... A student uses school "work" to apply it to lessons for how they live their professional or social life.
What makes for Good Teaching?
There are too many things that go onto the good teaching to list that I could never make a complete list. But... I think a good teacher first off needs to know the material... and love it. Without a passion for teaching, no matter how much a teacher knows the material, the students will probably walk away with a mediocre experience. A teacher needs to adapt their teaching methods for different students. They need to be able to use many different sources, such as technology/books and be able to use primary references, or close to it. Always question yourself and ask how you can improve. Above all, I think a major skill which is lacking in today's schools, is teaching life skills. Its great if a kid can recite an entire Shakespeare play, but the important thing is the lesson learned. The ideal teacher tries to create an overall better human being, the teacher should help the student function in our society. Some teacher lose sight of this, and give the grade and have a nice day. But students remember and love the teachers who make that connection (whatever that may be) and who really want to be in the classroom.
We teach because without passing on knowledge we can end up in the dark ages because of stupid people who get too much power, and everyone else is too stupid to stop them and follows (jk... but seriously). Basically we teach because we want our kids and future generations to grow up with a better education. We want the future to be more conscious about their actions and its correlation with the world.
What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning?"
You can program a computer to do work... but it will never learn anything about itself or how to apply it or the skills to other areas. School "work" may sometimes be seen as an excuse for teachers to keep students busy, or to asses how much material they've learned... and how well they know it. Students can "learn" from school work. With proper instruction and guidelines, students can learn how to apply skills, lessons or mistakes into their outlook of the world. For example: In school we learn history. We learn about events that have shaped world events. In the U.S. Civil Rights is a must in every classroom. Students learn about the oppression and things that happened to blacks. Now a computer can repeat dates, events, names and changes in legislation. But a student (i hope so at least), through school "work" can asses the situation and learn more about how he/she feels about racism etc... A student uses school "work" to apply it to lessons for how they live their professional or social life.
What makes for Good Teaching?
There are too many things that go onto the good teaching to list that I could never make a complete list. But... I think a good teacher first off needs to know the material... and love it. Without a passion for teaching, no matter how much a teacher knows the material, the students will probably walk away with a mediocre experience. A teacher needs to adapt their teaching methods for different students. They need to be able to use many different sources, such as technology/books and be able to use primary references, or close to it. Always question yourself and ask how you can improve. Above all, I think a major skill which is lacking in today's schools, is teaching life skills. Its great if a kid can recite an entire Shakespeare play, but the important thing is the lesson learned. The ideal teacher tries to create an overall better human being, the teacher should help the student function in our society. Some teacher lose sight of this, and give the grade and have a nice day. But students remember and love the teachers who make that connection (whatever that may be) and who really want to be in the classroom.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
