We have a recurring theme here in G-Town surrounding our students and academic achievement. As our teachers analyze data and discuss new literacy strategies, I keep hearing the same thing. Our students don’t want to think.
It seems that they really prefer assignments that are specifically spelled out and require only regurgitation of facts. When we ask them to really think about something, to investigate, to reflect, and to respond, they are reluctant. Our kids continually ask the teacher for the answer or for reassurance that they’re on the right track, that the answer is what the teacher is looking for.
Our graduates struggle with this same analysis and reflection, this same critical thought, when they hit college. It leaves me wondering how we got to this point. I graduated from high school 26 years ago and I have strong recall of numerous projects and position papers/speeches, including one from sixth grade. I felt well prepared to analyze and to think critically, it’s obviously a way of thinking on which I rely in my current profession.
So when did we stop asking students to really think and learn? Did our focus on the students at the bottom cause this shift? Did we start spoon feeding students and continue to the point where we are now? I’m curious how this shift occurred and certain that it’s time to make a change.
I really disagree with MRC. I think that things have changed. I see it in the expectations on our state assessments. We talk about no child left behind, and the way that we are accomplishing this is by lowering the bar for everyone. NY State doesn’t want anyone to notice, but students taking the Math A, do not have to get a 65% to pass, they need to get a 40%. This does impact on our upper level students. It is pushing everyone along. The questions on the exams are surface questions, so when we are teaching and searching for example questions to put on a test that our thought provoking, we are coming up short. “NO Child Left Behind??”, HA… it seems like it is becoming “Every child left behind!”
Kim, take a look at the Dec 18 Time article, “How to Bring our Schools Out of the 20th Century.” It is pretty much along the lines of your thoughts. It even addresses Wikipedia!
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We all remember our own educations fondly. And for those of us who became educators, it’s often easy to forget that there were other kids, no doubt not doing so well, with us in those classes. At the time, our teachers were wondering where things had gone wrong too. But it’s not like something suddenly went bad. There has rarely, if ever, been a civilization where the majority of the populace was actively engaged in thinking, writing, debating, and analyzing ideas in the way we’d like our students to do. I applaud your high expectations, but I don’t think there’s anything to lament. The challenge now is the same as it always was — but you’re calling it by name, which brings us as close as we’ve ever been to tackling it head-on.