Exposing the Cheat Sheet, With the Students' Aid (School Cheating Pandemic)

New York Times ^ | 25 November 2003 | JANE GROSS

[bdeaner]

If students don't have to memorize things, how are they going to recognize them in the future? All they're doing in these situations is learning to mindlessly follow procedures and/or get along with the "team".

I see where you're coming from. I teach statistics, and generally it is considered important that students learn the formulas. The problem is, students spend so much time learning formulas that they never really come to a good understanding of the meaning and purpose of the formulas. So, memory isn't everything either. If I had to choose, I'd prefer a student have a formula on hand, but be prepared to tell me exactly what it means, conceptually. When the student really understands the concept behind the formula, then they don't have to memorize it, because they will already know it. There is a difference between rote memorizing and a synthetic learning that grasps the contextual meaning of the material. We should aim for the latter, in my opinion. I think that's good teaching. Max Wertheimer called this "productive thinking," and he had something there.

[bdeaner]

In his essays and books, John Taylor Gatto explores the depths of the meaninglessness in modern schooling and the lengths kids will go to fill the meaning void in their lives.

I haven't heard of Gatto. Can you tell us more about his work? Are you familiar with Ivan Illich's "Deschooling Society" that argued these points a half-century ago? Great stuff.

[Lil'freeper]

Gatto was definately influenced by Illich.

Gatto was the Jaime Escalante of NY City, a self-styled guerilla teacher who managed to get his underprivledged, at-risk students to excel. He was too good; he made the status quo advocates look bad and they ran him out. He now writes and has become an icon of the home/unschooling movement.

Do a google search on him for his essays and the first few chapters of The Underground History of American Education are online at his website: www.johntaylorgatto.com. His "The Seven Lesson School Teacher" was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

[Lil'freeper]

er, I guess I should put that new spell check button to use. *blush*

[gcruse]

Cheating. Is that anything like bold-facing parts of an article so the reader assigns importance to areas the poster, rather than the author, or even the reader himself would find most interesting? Or does it tempt the reader to read only the bold and think, by the end of the article, he really understands what he might have taken away had he read the whole thing? Damn. Cheating really is contagious. LOL

[gcruse]

unless they're teaching morals, absolute right and wrong

When I want my kids to go to Sunday School, we'll go to church.

[winker]

An obvious Teddy Bare Kennedy carry over problem!

[Tax-chick]

When I want my kids to go to Sunday School, we'll go to church.

So you think, "Cheating in school is wrong," is a lesson that belongs in church? Obviously lots of students take your point of view, and probably a good many parents.

[gcruse]

It's absolute truth and morals as opposed to ethics that differentiate between what schools should teach and Sunday School is for.

[Tax-chick]

So you are saying that schools shouldn't teach that cheating is wrong. Or do I misunderstand you?

[Poohbah]

I'm 56. Last year I took a college geology course for fun. By the end of the term every member of my class knew that I knew the material. Waiting for the final to start, several wanted to sit by me and cheat.

I had that same experience. I told 'em to go ahead.

I then systematically wrote down wrong answers. Then I stayed to "double-check" my answers while they headed off to have fun.

I then corrected my test and turned it in. (c8

[Sloth]

All they're doing in these situations is learning to mindlessly follow procedures and/or get along with the "team".

Isn't that what school is all about? Anyway, memorization of formulae is "mindless", too.

[tracer]

My term for this is "virtual steroids"......

[tracer]

"If students don't have to memorize things, how are they going to recognize them in the future? All they're doing in these situations is learning to mindlessly follow procedures and/or get along with the "team"."

Hey, don't knock it. One million MDs can't be wrong......

[gcruse]

" teaching morals, absolute right and wrong"

If you are saying that there is no reference in the above to religion, then I will retract my comment.

[Tax-chick]

I was not speaking of religion. Maybe we agree, then, that in the context of a public school, MORAL ABSOLUTES such as "Cheating is wrong," "Stealing is wrong," "Assault is wrong," "Destruction of property is wrong," etc., would be appropriate lessons.

My experience with "ethics" is that you couldn't expect a firm statement such as, "Cheating is wrong," and in that case, "ethics" wouldn't do much for the school's cheating problem.

[gcruse]

We agree. Sorry for the detour. ;)

[Tax-chick]

No problem :-).

[CaptainK]

What is the difference between the TI-83 and the 89?

[dawn53]

Evidently the main difference is you can program in more info into the TI-89. The T1-83 comes, "as is" and the functionality can't be enhanced.

I guess kids are programming in all kinds of standard formulas that in the past they have had to committ to memory.

Here's a link on each of the TI calculators



http://education.ti.com/us/product/tech/83p/features/features.html


http://education.ti.com/us/product/tech/89/features/features.html