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The pros and cons of diversity for the effectiveness of teaching and learning
The pros and cons of diversity for the effectiveness of teaching and learning
The pros and cons of diversity for the effectiveness of teaching and learning
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Do you think that formal written examinations are a good way to assess knowledge at school? While a formal system needs to be in place in order to accurately measure the scope of a student’s ability, this essay argues that written examinations are not always appropriate in assessing students’ knowledge. This claim will be analysing by looking at the adverse effect of written papers from overemphasizing taking-exam ability rather than knowledge, as well as the practical need for a more diverse range of assessment types at school. Firstly, written examinations inevitably encourage students to concentrate on mastering test-taking ability rather than gaining a detailed understanding of their courses. For instance, many students only prepares for …show more content…
To demonstrate, many researchers have shown that courses such as science and engineering are better accessed through experimentations. From a practical point of view, it is essential for the ongoing development and understanding of students to have first-hand experience of their assessments rather than simply checking written exam papers. In conclusion, this essay argues for a more liberal approach where assessment through written examinations are not always a good way to get access to knowledge at school. As mentioned in above points, encouraging students to train their test-taking ability rather than concerting knowledge is deemed invalid in the current modern age, also it does not provide a holistic view of students’ full potential in form of certain subjects at school such as science and …show more content…
A large portion of one’s life is spent working to become successful. People are told throughout childhood to work hard so they can grow up and make lots of money. Different people have different interpretations of what success means to them. For some, success is measured by social status and wealth, but for others, success is determined only by the amount of joy and happiness one feels. On the one hand, Money is the main concern for some people. It is a crucial necessity for anyone who is trying to succeed in life. Many believe that the only way to succeed is to have a lot of money. For this type of person, success starts with working long hours at their workplace. They work their whole lives making money so they can satisfy their desires. These people feel successful when they can admire what their hard work has given them. On the other hand, some people prefer joy over wealth. They enjoy what life offers by acquiring hobbies such as surfing, swimming, bicycle riding, or any other hobbies that allow one to be active and enjoy the outdoors. Some people give importance their family over wealth. Everyone is dealt family and it is important to value that. People who can cherish their families have achieved a form of
Some students simply do not test well, others try their hardest and still cannot reach the impracticable standards set for them. The individuals who create these tests do not understand the pressures of being a student, or the struggle to answer thirty-five questions in a compressed time period. One test cannot accurately measure the intelligence of a student.
Baker, M (2010) Are Exams Really Getting Easier? [Internet], UK, BBC. Available from: [Accessed 2nd January 2012]
The purpose of standardized testing is to measure and evaluate the performance of students compared to the other students participating in the same test, however, evidence shows that students are not receiving enough knowledge through experimental learning; rather they are learning how to take structured tests. Students who excel in classroom based learning by getting good grades are successful while those who struggle are disregarded. In an essay, “Hidden Intellectualism”, an English professor Gerald Graff explains in his opening paragraph, “… We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subject and texts that we consider inherently weighty and academic.” Graff appeals to readers by stating a sad
Standardized testing remains to be a major controversial issue for the American society today. Exams are given to students at different levels in their educational career and are supposed to measure their academic knowledge, but are these tests really the best way to evaluate students? There have been numerous alternatives suggested to replace or be used in conjunction with standardized testing.
Success is within the mind of the individual. A large portion of ones life is spent working to become successful. People are told throughout childhood to work hard so they can grow up and make lots of money. But success takes many different forms. Different people have different interpretations of what success means to them. For some, success is measured by social status and wealth; for others success is determined only by the amount of happiness one feels.
It has been seen that factors like one’s economic and racial background can heavily influence one’s performance on a tests, as they are not given the same opportunities as those given to more affluent students. A student’s emotional well-being is also at stake as many students come out of tests doubting their overall intelligence, even though they were quite confident in the material and so much is hinged on test scores that it places a great deal of pressure on students to do well. Standardized tests also restrict teacher’s ability to learn due to the restrictions that standardized test place on the material being taught, which makes it very hard for teachers to go beyond the required and teach more interesting things. Due to the issues that have arisen from standardized tests many alternative solutions have been used and have been proven to be successful. Some good alternative solutions have been limiting the amount of standardized tests given by sampling a few students, shortening the length of exams, and allotting more time to complete these tests. Other alternatives look to more qualitative approaches in learning by implementing things like projects and portfolios that give an excellent insight to a student’s performance and
Standardized tests are used to evaluate a student’s performance, however, tests do not take external factors into account. This already means that tests are often inaccurate methods of measuring a students academic potential. Also, the tests do a disservice to students as they evaluate their proficiency at a time of testing, rather than their growth and improvement over the course of the year. The tests have become an outdated method of challenging students and only have negative impacts at this point. The tests develop high levels of stress in students, which is not healthy for an individual during the most important development years of their lives. Eliminating these tests will assist students in the long run as they can accommodate more time towards learning information rather than stressing over a single test. By replacing tests with more in-class lessons students will be free of constant stress and still learn the curriculum. Research shows that students are unable to remember information on standardized tests in the long run, therefore, by spending more time learning and understanding information, students are able to have a better understanding of topics. Therefore, by removing standardized tests students will be provided with a better, more effective, and fair educational
Based on the Programme for International Student Assessment’s 2012 results (PISA), the United States has ranked 30th in comparison to other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) participating countries. The United States, a country that has once held the ideal for educational standards, has now ranked just slightly above other countries that are just being developed. By using high-stakes test statistics to drive America’s educational standards, classrooms are beginning to lose their meaning of helping students to learn and grow as individuals. Because of classrooms just teaching the test are beginning to lose the meaning of helping students to learn and grow as individuals, results of high stakes testing which can be affected by the minutest details, are not a reasonable way to judge overall student competency; a better alternative would be by performance based assessments. “Test developers are obliged to create a series of one-size-fits-all assessments. But, as most of us know from attempting to wear one-size-fits-all garments, sometimes one size really can’t fit all.” (Popham, James W.). High stakes tests are not a reasonable way to judge overall student competency because educators can not expect to have accurate and precise results in just one sitting for 12 years of learning. Although tests pose an important role in education, they should not be given such high stakes of determining if a student should be rejected from a college “based solely on the fact that their score wasn’t high enough” (Stake, Robert.).
A well created test can measure learning and diagnose a student’s weakness (Merrow, 4). In testing, the idea is for the student to get the correct answer on information they know and incorrect answers on the information they do not. However, a testing error may occur. A testing error is when a student gets an answer correct of information they did not actually know or an answer incorrect, they may have actually known (Gellman, 30)The people who create these tests want straightforward measures. However, test designers do not design these tests to measure what a student can do academically (Fusaro, 1). Large testing companies produce tests and sell them all over the country. This causes the test to be not specialized for the school or county and students do not do as well as they could have if the test was specialized (Popham, 4).three possible ways of testing a student’s knowledge exists: multiple choices, answer in essay form, or they are asked to perform a task and then graded on the performance (Merrow, 5). Some tests are designed to assess an individual’s performance, like an
This return us to the question of how much consideration you should give to money when making life choices to achieve the universal goal of happiness. And the answer is you should make choices that will give you enough money to live comfortably and allow you to focus on other factors that contribute to your happiness, such as interpersonal relationships and generosity towards others. And you should do this with the understanding that more money does not necessary result in happiness, although it does help, if spent in the right way.
Robinson, Ken, Sir. "Are Exams an Effective Form of Assessment in Education?" The Badger. Cambridge,
Money is probably one of the most important things in this world. Without it, life would be very hard. With it, you become economically stable making life would be easier in some ways. But the real question is, can money actually make someone physically and emotionally happy? There are many sides to this debate; some who say yes and others who say no. Though most people agree with the statement, “Money doesn’t buy happiness,” there is still a large amount of people who disagree with it. They believe that money does indeed buy happiness and that it’s the most important thing in the world. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, it’s just a matter of what you believe in and your values.
When none of us has ever come across such words and formulas, none of the great personalities has ever mentioned it, then who the hell has instilled it in our minds that money brings happiness. But among this debate one question still raises its head - What is happiness? Happiness is not actually leading a luxurious life but the luxury of living a life. Happiness is not actually about expanding your business, but it lies in expanding the horizons of life. Happiness is not having a meal in the most famous restaurant but to have it with your most beloved family. It does not lie in attending honorable parties but to attend a party with honor.
On a final note, the time is ripe for all concerned to take a step back and re-assess the real benefits of examinations. It is an exigent circumstance which we are in. As society evolves and technology advances, there is much more to education than simply monotonously memorizing the bare facts of the world. The globalised world of today requires our children to embrace the earth and be innovative. Creativity fuels the innovation engine, with examinations, it is difficult to see how the imaginative aspects of their minds can be developed. One can envision the miserable world our future generations will thrive in, if no steps are taken to keep up with the present day’s needs. We cannot allow ourselves to be entrenched in deeply traditional methods, antiquated values no longer function in this day and age.
Most puzzling, though, is that people often seem aware at some level that money won’t make them happy. And yet they continue to work away earning money they don’t objectively need.