Monday, September 5, 2011
The Virtues of Not Knowing
I found this article very interesting. The article made some very strong points like putting to much emphasis on test taking and developing students critical thinking skills. One quote from the text really stuck out to me though, "Knowing the right answer requires no decisions, carries no risk, and makes no demands, It is automatic. It is thoughtless." I found this statement to be so true. So many times students regurgitate answers mindlessly just because they have been repeated and coached to them. Students are becoming more of a score than a child who needs to learn for their own personal gain. Students rarely have inquiry anymore as to why that is the answer or how they got there. This article truly went in depth about inquiry and test taking and how "imaginative" and "intellectually daring" students are overlooked because tests will never be able to measure those qualities. The article also made another interesting point "the more you actually think to get the right answers on an intelligence test, the less intelligent the results will look." The article also gave two examples of students finding the answers themselves through personal inquiry. The first example I was not very interested in. The experiment sounded neat for a classroom, but unrealistic for a Kindergarten class (assuming that is the grade the 6 yr. old is in). Also, the child sounded fake by using the word "Gee" and what not. No 6 yr. old I know says "Gee" anymore. The second experiment with the pendulum and Alec was a good example and I enjoyed reading about it. I really liked how at the end the students didn't give into the first explanation given and really thought about the experiment and came to a decisive conclusion. I also liked how Alec grew from the experience too and learned to become humble with his thoughts and ideas. This article was really great and made a lot of interesting points. The teacher does need to become more a facilitator in the classroom instead of just feeding his/her students the answers. I know that I learn the most be correcting my mistakes and learning from others.
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I agree with you Raegan! It's funny I used the same word, "regurgitating" in my post, and I think that almost anyone in our generation is familiar with the process of "studying"-finding the answers, temporarily memorizing them the night before, and then robotically repeating them on a standardized test the next day. I also like how you phrased, "Alec grew from his experience too and learned to become HUMBLE WITH HIS THOUGHTS AND IDEAS." I love that because that is something we should all learn to do and I agree that approaching education in this way helps us to see that we each have individual and unique ideas that should presented and respected as something more than right or wrong. Love your post! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! I really liked your post as well. I liked how excited you were about making mistakes! I always learn best by correcting my mistakes and knowing the right way. I hope to be a catalyst like you mentioned and push my students to their full potential with engaging experiences.
ReplyDeleteRaegan, I agree with you on a lot of the points that you made. When you said, "Students are becoming more of a score than a child who needs to learn for their own personal gain", I could not have put it any better. I also found the experiment a bit over the head of those children and a bit unrealistic. I think they could have made their point with a different example. But, I am with you on likeing the article overall. It makes educators think twice about putting so much emphasis on test scores and standardized testing. Great response!
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