Teaching the test seems to be conducive to improving test taking skills but real academic progression is not always represented. Additionally, Standardized testing is not an effective way to test the skills and abilities of today’s students. Standardized tests do not reveal what a student actually understands and learns, but instead only prove how well a student can do on a generic test. Schools have an obligation in a way to prepare students for life and with the power standardized tests have today, students are being cheated out of a proper valuable education and forced to prepare and improve their test skills. Too much time, energy, and pressure to succeed are being devoted to standardized tests.
In his article, the author gives a very intelligent insight on how street smarts and personal interest outside of the academic world can create and convert someone into a more intellectual person than merely focusing on the topics presented in school. The author also believes if the schools and colleges determine a good student by looking at their grades, then they will miss a chance to get those intelligent "street smart" students into their schools and to let them be involved into academic work. Overall Gerald Graff supported his own arguments by telling us his own story of transformation, the transformation from a boy that only cared about sports to the one that is intellectual. Graff essentially conveys the idea of taking street smart topics and turning them into intellectual debates. His stance portrays a culture that incorporates common subjects that can be discussed and viewed in
Otherwise, one would be considered immature and untrustworthy. After becoming a teacher later, Gatto managed to preach this sermon to his students as well. Not only is boredom a big issue, but Gatto also complicates matters further when he argues, “Do we really need school?” (143). With that said, he doubts the value and the need of compulsory routine schooling, which, in his opinion, has stifled the creativity, critical thinking and diversity of characteristics of each individual. To clarify this idea, Gatto brings up an interesting point when he writes what kids really need is to “take an education rather than receive a schooling” (143).
Moore’s purpose in writing this essay is to educate people on what is really behind the failing education system, mostly public schools. He hopes to get all people held to the same standard. He does not want factors such as social class, where somebody went to school, who their parents are, or what level of education they’ve had to determine whether or not people are considered “Smart” or “Successful”. He argues that people with the highest level of education can have less knowledge than someone with no education, or that is stereotyped as stupid. Moore says, about jocks on the sports show Two-Minute Drill, “To look at these testosterone-loaded bruisers you would guess that they were a bunch of illiterates…In fact, they are geniuses.
Consequently, she believes too much emphasis is placed on technology, taking away from the development of basic reading, math and problem solving skills. The underlying question that surfaces throughout this book is "do computers and technology truly improve student learning and achievement?" According to the author, there is little evidence to support the use of technology as a necessity or benefit to student success (pp. 105-106). The author goes on to suggest that students, especially younger students, should be carefully monitored and limited in their computer use (p. 110).
She thought that if her views and opinions didn’t matter, why is literacy so important? Another argument was that “the people who make decisions don’t listen to kids.” What she didn’t think about was that her voice can be heard through the internet, newspaper, school board and through other forms of writing. Abby wondered how reading authors such as Shakespeare and Wharton will affect her one day. Those texts don’t encourage participation in the political life, but knowing how to read and comprehend text does. Consumer slogans and advertising “reduce political awareness to simple desires,” (4) says Yagelski.
*Non-Idians teacher they expect them to be dumb in class but smart outside of class. Living up to expectation in a classroom. He was expected to fail although failure is what was expected of him Sherman Alexie refused to do so. reading is a tool one can use to succeed in life. Like it or not, the importance of a good education cannot be stressed enough.
Today, children view school as a “place of danger”, and their main focus is to avoid danger as much as possible (Holt 360). This danger comes in the form of mistakes on tests, quizzes, and homework assignments in which the children earn grades based on what they are able to remember at that time, instead of making a long-term connection between the educational content and the children’s own distinct method of learning. Teachers, despite their best intentions, diminish the children’s will to read when they conform to these “conventional” methods of teaching. These methods have made a game, between the teachers and students, out of learning to read; a game in which the students are to guess what the teachers want to hear and to agree with the conclusions the teachers draw. This gives children the impression that reading is dangerous, because they don’t want to make mistakes and lose the game.
The research paper and its effectiveness at measuring a student's performance has become a debate within the educational community. Critics of the form say that in our age of technology the internet has made sources too readily available and therefore the essay type is obsolete. Yet, there are professors that would disagree and state they are encouraging students to think unconventionally. With good evidence on both sides of the argument it is hard to decide if this is an effective means of evaluation. There are more effective ways of assessing knowledge such as other types of essays and oral presentations.
Just like anything else in life, it takes practice, and you will get better out of practice when you like the certain field than when you don’t, a good reason to why these types of arguments should be included in school arguments. School work sometimes isolates you from others. Graff says that “When you entered sports debates, you become part of a community that was not limited to your family and friends, but was national and public.”(They Say I Say, page 384) Also, schools don’t really notice how good arguments are made due to sports coming into play.