subject: Are Schools Teaching for Ratings? [print this page] Are Schools Teaching for Ratings? Are Schools Teaching for Ratings?
At the Raleigh convention center in North Carolina, an education conference was held to talk about the way schools and teachers are teaching. Schools are so focused on standardized test scores that they are not really looking out for the student's best interest. By teaching the students in a way that will help them to score better n the standardized tests, this is not going to help the students in the long run to retain their knowledge they get while in grade school. Schools need to look past the rating system and think about the students, because that's what school is here for right? It's important to teach our young generations to prepare them for being a part of running this country in the future. Do we really want our students growing up toe be the next president/police officer/medical doctors, with just knowledge on how to test well or prepare for a test?
Not every student in the United State is affected by this problem and not every teacher teaches in this way, but it's enough of an issue that people are talking about it. People are realizing that the way the majority of students that are being taught, are being taught in a way that helps them to memorize data so that they do well on standardized tests. The problem with memorization is that memorization fades where as true knowledge and understanding stays with you forever. By teaching the students concepts and thinking creatively about certain poems or breaking down famous plays from the past opens the students minds and teaches them a lot more that if they just were to memorize the lines.
They are talking about incorporating more technology, arts, sciences and humanities into the schools curriculum and giving the students ore classes to choose from and take. Not only will the teachers incorporate the visions of art, the educational technology devices and incorporate science like, hands on, approach to general studies, they will create the desire to learn, and not just score well on the standardized test.
Schools are always so caught up on the ratings that they get because of their students doing well on the standardized test scores. Its true that colleges look at these past high schools standardized test schools to determine if the students will be a good match for their schools, but this is only part of the process. If a student's isn't intellectually prepared for colleges demanding process of creative and critically thinking, they wont last long in the college school life. Schools need to realize that y setting themselves up for success with good standardized test scores; they are setting their students up for failure. By the time they get to college they will be overwhelmed and underprepared for the realities of college, despite their perfect standardized test scores. Hopefully this concept of teaching catches on throughout the United States because overall this will end up helping a lot of students to be prepared for a very different educational life in college.
