Teach what's on the test?

[Jessica Coconut]

I realise this may be a bit, quite a bit, one-sided, but how do you feel about teachers (particularly highschool/middle school) that teach you only about the stuff you need to know for the exam. Basically make you memorize the stuff. Just so you can pass. It occurs more frequently in high school (I'm in Canada, so I'm used to just saying high school - we don't have middle school).

I'm an enriched student, so this affects me a lot personally. I want to know more than what it takes to pass the provincial. I want to explore beyond in science, get a grasp on understanding the world in socials, I want to branch out to math that can be applied to the real world, and I want to see english as an art, not just a form of communication that has to be grammatically correct.

But time is tight, and running out. At least, going fast enough to keep us under pressure of the heavy course material to cover. It's dense. These days, I either hear, "I know I should probably spend more time on such-and-such for the exam, but I really want you all to look into such-and-such because it's a really interesting topic..." or "I know I'm rushing quite fast, but we have to get this course work done. I'd like to spend more time on this topic because it's really much more deep and broad, and I could easily spend a fascinating year just on this, but we have to complete everything for you to pass the exam"

[Oily]

I'd like the tests to specify a certain depth and breadth of subjects, then the teachers can teach what's on the test and still keep the subject interesting. A lot of my teachers go into more depth than is needed anyway. I think, because of the way our tests are done, we cover a wide variety of English, science and maths anyway...

[scarletrhapsody]

Personally I do not advocate teaching only because the students need to pass exams. Because at the end of the day, education is needed not just for exams, but is lifelong knowledge. We may excel in the test there and then, but what is more important is our ability to recall and make use of the knowledge ten years down the road. That is what I would say is successful education.

Then again more and more subjects require us to think on spot in the exams. "Thinking questions" are appearing, so as to make the exam more of a challenge and less of a memorising affair. Besides, subjects like Literature require us to voice our own opinions, our own stand and take on the literary text, and we can never develop our original opinions on pure memorising.

I do agree that time is tight in the exam period and I admit to slipping into last minute memorising many a time, but I also agree that this kind of memorising will not contribute to long term memory of the subject.

Next year I think I'll be faced with more "research the topic yourself" stuff, rather than basing only on textbook material, so it'll really enrich me as a student. I think it'll not be easy to make the transition, but I try to look forward to it.

So, that's all I have to say for now.

[roriegurl]

I don't really have an opinion on this, because only one of my teahers actually does that, and I am not that intrested in the subject.

What most of my teachers actually do is give us a revision booklet just before the mayjor exam. In this booklet is the information needed to pass the exam, but also a lot of other things not needed. As we do not know whats on the exam, it is always best to complete the whole booklet.

There is one teacher though, as I said before, who does that. Infact, on the day we had to revise, she practically told us what we needed to know, right down to the page numbers we should be studying. Of couse, I did pretty well in the test, but I still find it rather strange that we are practically given our answers.

[Killix]

It depends on the teacher I suppose.

Before I got to high school, I was a failing student with terrible grades, but when I went to High School I liked my teachers a lot more and had an easier learning experience because they taught me in a way I understood the subject and I passed the tests with ease. I was actually at the top of the class

[Rishiy]

I like it when teachers teach us 'real' things. The only example I can think of is when our sex ed teacher just randomly blurted out that we did't need to be taught most of this, and started rambling about penis sizes and 'fun methods'. It was fun, and we saw that teacher more as a real person.

I'd really like an English teacher to global studies teacher to branch out and tell us THEIR oppinion. I'm always told to think of my oppinion, but I wanna know what they think.

[Orginalcliche]

Guest-Rishiy said:

I'd really like an English teacher to global studies teacher to branch out and tell us THEIR oppinion. I'm always told to think of my oppinion, but I wanna know what they think.

My social studies teacher tries not to express her opinion, but all I really need to say is that our nation is getting better and better by the day, and that G.W Bush is a great president and I just watch her face crinkle up.