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You hit upon two important points, but I'd take the conclusion further: A) Our current evaluation methods don't tell us whether a student is simply memorizing
by bradleyland 15y ago
You hit upon two important points, but I'd take the conclusion further:
A) Our current evaluation methods don't tell us whether a student is simply memorizing steps or learning the subject matter.
B) When your primary evaluation critera is to pass a standardized test, the system will optimize to achieve that goal. Since we know that standardized tests don't really evaluate understanding, we have a vicious cycle on our hands.
- sethg 15y agoI would add that it is possible to make standardized tests that teach more than memorization, but those tests will cost more to construct, norm, and grade. Schools are caught between the imperatives of testing and budget-cutting.
- ctchocula 15y agoGood point. I for one can't wait for the day schools can afford to hold the Kobayashi Maru test.
- daemin 15y agoTo add an anecdote to your point (A), a former workmate of mine used to tutor maths at a university level. He had a student that was very good at rote learning, they could do any of the set problems quite easily by just going through the steps to solve them. But when faced with an unusual presentation of the problem they were stumped. I'm pretty sure I was guilty of that sort of rote learning more than once, and it seems to be the first thing that disappears once exams are over.