When taking an examination, regardless of the subject, have you ever stated that is a trick question? If you have, then you are not alone. Being an educator, I posed that very question to my students. Astoundingly, the entire class, seventy-four United States Army Warrant Officers, felt that at one time or another they were victims of test trickery. Examinations are a frequent aspect of academic life, requiring constant expectation for students to demonstrate their acquired knowledge and skills. This drives the question: what is the motivation of trickery in examinations? As both a student and an educator, I have learned how to become a better instructor through my experiences, my purpose of testing the students, and my chosen evaluation structure.
Throughout my progression from a student to an educator, there has been many learning experiences. Once certified as a United States Army professional development instructor and an instrument examiner/instructor pilot, a mentor provided me with a word of advice. I remember him telling me that there are two types of educators, posing the question, “Do you know what they are?” I stated the logical answer of “good and bad.” The look of dissatisfaction cloaked his face explaining, “No. There are teachers, and, then, there are evaluators; you need to find the balance between both.” At the time of his statement, I did not fully understand what he meant. Being the youthful know-it-all, my facial expression probably conveyed the statement, “Duh.” Remembering that conversation that occurred over nineteen years ago, I wish I could rewind the clock and give myself the proverbial kick in the pants.
Inept to understand then, but I do now. I recall about how hard I was on my students d...
... middle of paper ...
...diness statements and complex language, ensuring that it was easy for my students to read and comprehend. Furthermore, I learned to avoid "all of the above" and “none of the above" selections; they will not display what the student’s knowledge of the subject. Finally, I always ask for feedback on exams from the students; this can offer valuable insights for evaluation improvement.
Over time, filled with exposure to different instructional techniques, experiences with different students learning styles, and further education regarding instructional methods, the knowledge in my early mentor’s statement was unveiled. I found to avoid trickery in examinations educators need to be educated, patient, and willing to listen. In addition, “the reality is that it doesn't matter how motivated students are; what matters is how students are motivated” (grade inflation).
Expanded and strengthened state private insurance companies are to be expected since more younger Texans enter the market thanks to the premium support. Texas can expect savings through more proper use of medical care, lower numbers in Medicaid, and savings from increased recipient cost sharing. Texas must refuse to comply with the new high-risk pools. There are many reasons Texas should not comply but the main reason is poor design. Currently, eighteen states have decided not to participate in these pools, Texas is undecided. Any person with a pre-existing medical disorder whom has been without insurance for six month will qualify. The law gave the Department of Health discretion in determining with conditions qualifies. Theoretically, the Department of Health could say the flu is a pre existing medical condition. If Texas does not refuse to comply with these pools it is only a matter of time before the demand will exceed the supply. A huge concern is when the funding is gone what do the state politicians do. I see two options. One, state officials will end the coverage all together and pull the plug. Two, continue to allow the program to run with the use of state tax dollars.
Teachers who lack passion and desire to teach what they are given can translate and manifest its way to students as they also lose aspirations to come to school and learn only what will be on exams they are supposed to take to show that they are “learning.” Students come to school to learn things they did not know prior and with the acquisition of knowledge it can many a times create a drive for students to expand upon a particular subject, which can ultimately determine their careers and goals, but this whole process is shutdown with standardized tests, as many topics and subjects are limited to a few basic ones that put out the fire students are expected to have.
In Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts A Study in Educational Epistemology, William G.Perry Jr. categorized, questioned ad attacked the academic arrogance which surrounded the age-old learning style of curriculum-based instruction that is used by America’s school systems.His research was conducted for students who attended Harvard University.He grouped students educated in the nation's school into two categories-In his essay, Examsmanship and the Liberal Arts, William G. Perry Jr. categories, questions, and attacks the academic arrogance that surrounds the age-old learning style of curriculum-based instruction that is used throughout America's school systems. Although Perry's research was conducted primarily with students who attended Harvard University, his essay groups all
This compare and contrast essay is over two versions of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street”. The two versions of the story that will be compared in this essay are the teleplay and the short story. The essay will include similarities and differences regarding the plot, how the teleplay construction differs from the short story, the differences between the two genres and how they affect the reader, and my opinion of which genre I prefered and why.
The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) was established to provide employees with ability to take a leave from work for personal or family health issues. The Act lays out specific circumstance in which an employee may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave within a 12 month period. Under the law, employees may request a leave for personal health issues, to care for a child, spouse or parent with serious health issues, birth or care of a child during the first year or for newly placed adoptions within one year. Employees are covered under FMLA if the employer has 50 or more employees and the employee has worked for the employer for at least 12 months. The employee must submit a written request for FMLA and provide documentation supporting their request. Once approved, the employee may take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Upon return the employee is guaranteed a job, if the employer had to fill their position out of business necessity, the employer must provide the employee with a position with equal responsibility and pay.
Some students simply do not test well, others try their hardest and still cannot reach the impracticable standards set for them. The individuals who create these tests do not understand the pressures of being a student, or the struggle to answer thirty-five questions in a compressed time period. One test cannot accurately measure the intelligence of a student.
Parenting may be said as an experiment, because every parent has different views and ways of raising their own children. Parents raise their child in such ways in which they believe is beneficial and healthy for the child. A story that came across media news about a baby, Storm, being raised as “genderless” fueled a controversy in defiance of gender stereotyping. The Witterick family in Canada believed that by acknowledging this practice it would, “tribute to freedom and choice in place of limitation, a standup to what the world could become in Storm’s lifetime” (Davis and James). However, in terms of raising a genderless child, this can cause the child to be unprepared to face the conventional norms or society. This practice may be causing the child a disservice.
Hesiod’s Theogony and the Babylonian Enuma Elish are both myths that begin as creation myths, explaining how the universe and, later on, humans came to be. These types of myths exist in every culture and, while the account of creation in Hesiod’s Theogony and the Enuma Elish share many similarities, the two myths differ in many ways as well. Both myths begin creation from where the universe is a formless state, from which the primordial gods emerge. The idea of the earth and sky beginning as one and then being separated is also expressed in both myths.
There are many various issues about the education system which are controversial today. One of these common issues nowadays are schools concentrating on raising standards to evaluate knowledge for students. Many students have been working extremely hard just to achieve higher scores on tests. However, asking students to do many difficult tasks in their studies, is really not helpful now, is it? That is why Alfie Kohn wrote the article, “Confusing Harder with Better”, showing his dissatisfaction with the current educational system. In the article, he complains against “raising the bar”, meaning since they raised standards, teachers are making students memorize facts for tests instead of engaging intellectually with them. In other words, with
By giving students the ability to choose the technique in which they take their tests, professors are giving them more confidence which increases productivity. A vast majority of professors use short and/or long answer test; however, this can be damaging too many of their students’ scores. Pink gives the example of Zappos founder Tony Hsieh who gives his employees the autonomy to work without scripts, monitoring, or timing (101). The problem with how professors are giving test is that not all students can work to their best ability in short and/or long answer test. Pinks concept is to give people the ability to choose the method that best fits them so they can produce their best results. For example, Student 1 has the best result on tests when they are multiple choice; however, student 2 has the best result when the test are oral. Professors do not want their students to ...
We ignore the plain fact that students learn at different rates and in different ways” (3). Furthermore, teachers are the main source of knowledge in the classroom. When teaching, teachers determine almost everything that happens within their classroom. Including what information they have students learn, and how they pass on that information. However, over the years, it has been neglected that every student learns differently. Additionally, it needs to be remembered that it is the students who are learning. A school system is needed that can retain all students’ curiosity, individuality, and creativity. For instance, whether it is the amount of homework given, the type of test, the pace of teaching, or the style of notes required, students should not be confined to only one way of
Classroom assessments can do more than measure learning. How educators access and communicate the results send a clear message to students about what is worth learning, how we expect them to perform as well as how it should be learned. Linking instruction and assessment is critical to effective learning. Educators should provide students with various options for learning that include: different ways to learning (style and time), di...
...sionate professors who helped shape the type of teacher I would like to be. They found ways to talk to me in a manner that motivated me to want to improve, all while honoring the work that I have already done. I would like to bring this same moral into my classroom, when a child is motivated, passionate,and self-aware of their needs, strengths, and weaknesses, they can and will push themselves to improve. Students do not solely care about how much knowledge an educator has, but they care about how much these educators truly care. We shouldn't judge a person on how educated they are based only on test scores. The most educated person may not be the most suitable person to teach children. I may lack the test scores, however, I do not lack the passion and motivation needed to be a great teacher. If we cannot celebrate small successes, the final outcome is less weighted.
We need to continuously assess and evaluate our students so we can set appropriate goals for each student and individual instructions. Each child learns different, so as a teacher we need to have different styles of teaching for positive reinforcement.
In this course I experienced an important change in my beliefs about teaching; I came to understand that there are many different theories and methods that can be tailored to suit the teacher and the needs of the student. The readings, especially those from Lyons, G., Ford, M., & Arthur-Kelly, M. (2011), Groundwater-Smith, S., Ewing, R., & Le Cornu, R. (2007), and Whitton, D., Barker, K., Nosworthy, M., Sinclair, C., Nanlohy, P. (2010), have helped me to understand this in particular. In composing my essay about teaching methods and other themes, my learning was solidified, my knowledge deepened by my research and my writing skills honed.