3/26/09
"Right Answer"
In today's society kids have been programed on all levels to find the "right answer". Sometimes students have no idea what the material really means or how it relates to their future jobs, but they do know how to get the right answer. In the end, saddly, the "right answer" is what we are judged upon as students. Most instructors, financial aide institutions, scholarship programs, and everyone else for that matter, decide our worthiness based upon how many "right answers" we gave to get the best possible grade. It's hard as a student to take the time to really get indepth with your study's when you are pushed so hard to move fast and retain what you can. In a few years from now when we are looking for jobs, the employers will not look at our understanding of material, but instead how many "right answers" we got on our way to our diploma's. Right or wrong this is why I feel students in todays classroom are more worried about getting the right answer than knowing how and why it's right. However, I do feel that those of us who truly try to understand will be able to one day change this trend and teach our students to be more concious of understanding and applying knowledge as opposed to just memorizing.
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This is a great observation! It really gets you thinking. I realized that even myself I find myself searching for the right answer. The way tests are set up, that is what you want. Not only in school, but all throughout the world, people look for the right answers. This problem could be fixed starting in the classroom...our classrooms. I think it would be benificial if teachers concentrated more on critical thinking in the classroom to get away from jsut the "right answer." Students need to be able to comprehend material and understand rather than just knowing what the teacher wants for the test. I think one way of doing this would be to provide different assessments, including verbal assessments of students. I know that getting away from searching for the right answer needs to be done, but I struggle finding ways to do this even within myself. Any other suggestions?
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the post and comments around this topic. I know I want doctors for my husband and dad who UNDERSTAND medicine and human anatomy as they treat these men I love so much. I don't really care how many right answers they got on exams in college.
ReplyDeleteI'm curious. . . how do you think your future employers are going to know about your "right answers?" What EVIDENCE do you think they are going to actually SEE?
I know when the principals and superintendents with whom I have been working over are hiring teachers over the next decade they will be looking for teachers who UNDERSTAND how children learn, for teachers who know how to THINK critically, who can communicate in a professional manner and are willing to work collaboratively to ensure that children achieve.