I can speak primarily to my field, language arts, where instant recall of information is not really the key focus, especially in the middle and high school classroom. Do I really care if my students can recite a passage from Romeo and Juliet? Not really. But what I do want them to be able to do is read a passage from Romeo and Juliet and tell me what it means, or research how social and cultural norms affected the way Romeo and Juliet acted in the play. Would I rather them recite a definition of a metaphor? or use one properly in their own writing? I prefer the latter. In my classroom, we build critical thinking, problem solving, and research skills through language and literature. I rarely give actual 'tests' for this exact reason - what I want my kids to know isn't tangible, it isn't a nugget of information floating out in space for them to remember. I want them to learn skills. I want them to be able to take information, analyze it, synthesize it, recreate it, and communicate it in a new way. And most of the time, this type of skill can't be assessed on a traditional test.
Now, I will agree that some knowledge recall is important. In math, for example, every time I need to calculate a percentage it would not be reasonable for me to pull out my iPhone and look up the formula. So, my new answer to Edutopia's question is yes, sometimes it should be acceptable for students to access information on assessments. I changed their wording a little bit, because I also think that 'tests' is a loaded word: reminds me of multiple choice, fill in the blank, color in the little circle all the way type of tests. When we assess student knowledge, we are looking for what they know and what they are able to do - and sometimes, this means finding the right information (a skill all students need!) and being able to use that information to come to new conclusions. These are the skills we must be teaching our 21st Century learners.
By the way, the Edutopia poll yielded the following results:
Hi Ellen,
ReplyDeleteWell, I definitely think you picked the Maybe option and so would I. I would pick maybe because since mathematics is my specialty, I simply think at times we need to use calculators. I do, however, disagree with the fact that in some classes graphing calculators are used to graph. Why? I learned without using a graphing calculator, so I think students should, too. Also, since students have been very reliant on calculators, I have noticed my students having difficulty doing simple operations such as multiplying 5 x 6. I know that there are phones and iTouch's that contain calculators so everyone is always using a calculator. I do think that it is important for students to learn without using a calculator, but also with using one because it is so apparent in the digital world today.
Ellen,
ReplyDeleteI think that our tests should not be used to see whether or not our students can recite factual information back to us. However, like you said for certain subjects like math this may be something that they need to do. For things such as percentages there is a right and wrong answer. But I think that teachers can create assessments which give students the opportunity to explain their answer and how they got it. This will call for them to use their critical thinking skills and think about how they got the answer and explain it. In the end, I believe that teachers should be more concerned if they can take what you are teaching them and applying it to the real world. This requires students to utilize important 21st century skills that will enable them to be successful in the future.
-Lisa
Ellen,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great poll - I'm glad you shared it with us. This is a really interesting question and I think it is reflective of the educational reform that Will Richardson is referring to in his book. We have to first decide what we think kids NEED to know, figure out when we're actually assessing, and then change the rules a bit. Like you mentioned, and Melissa reiterated in her comment to you, there may be subject areas or specific content that students should be able to recall, repeat, regurgitate, etc. But more often than not, the real learning happens through critical thinking, problem solving, synthesizing (on the higher end of Bloom's Taxonomy). And that type of learning doesn't happen because you've memorized facts!
I love the examples you gave about Romeo and Juliette and demonstrating correct use of a metaphor. What is the value in simply memorizing facts, when you're bound to forget them if you don't get a chance to apply the concepts?? I think allowing students to use technology during certain portions of the tests is a wonderful idea. In fact, I think it may even allow us to be tougher in the way we score and really see that kids either can or can not use technology to research and identify reliable sources, and then synthesize facts into a persuasive essay.