Digital tools, real people.
Silence! Exam In Progress
Currently at school doing a bit of a clean up and came across this sign. It struck me that this is what it must feel like for an archaeologist discovering some relic from the past! A lost treasure providing us with an insight into days gone by.
What frightened me about this discovery is that this is still the norm. Ultimately our education systems throughout the world are based on seating students individually in absolute silence, while they are tested on their ability to recall facts, The score they ultimately receive has a massive impact on their future path.
So with all of this amazing technology available, and our ability to be creative and informative with it, why do we still assess our students in the same manner in which it was done centuries ago? How long do we have to wait for a new system that genuinely promotes and values important principles such as collaboration, creativity and innovative thinking?
Better hang onto that sign for a little while yet.
| Print article | This entry was posted by Adam on January 19, 2011 at 2:50 pm, and is filed under Teachers as Learners. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site. |
about 2 weeks ago
Oh Wow!
This will be worth something in time..
If you could also get your hands on a “No electronic devices” sign for exams, they’d make a nice set to sell in a few decades..
Seriously though, it is time that a good look was had at the way we assess students, particularly in Secondary School. I have noticed in my own tertiary studies that there is a move away from individual work to more collaborative tasks and that there is also a reduced focus on ‘grades’ - Pass Grade Only (PGO) being popular.
Can you imagine a time when students were assessed through observing their ability to interact, discover, contribute, negotiate, decide and deliver on a rich task using technology all along the way? We could have students in different countries being ‘assessed’ all at the same time! This is what the workplace is beginning to look like - why are we allowing students in High School to fall behind this progress?
There is more to this sign than a request for silence- it is a real ‘sign’ that we need to start shaking things up.
about 2 weeks ago
What a great comment! Thanks for your thoughts.
Students at my primary school on our 1:1 iPad program are working collaboratively, problem solving, reflecting on their learning, justifying and elaborating on their ideas, and presenting their thoughts in ways I would never have considered. Yet as they move down the line, these real life skills seem to be more and more under valued. Wait until these talented learners hit your doorstep in a year’s time!
Seeing as though you are a secondary teacher, do you feel the expectations of these students will be met?