EWU Campus 1963
In
1962 Victor Goertzel, a physiologist specializing in psychotherapy, and Mildred
George Goertzel, director of a school for emotionally disturbed children wrote,
“Cradles of Eminence: A Provocative Study of the Childhoods of over 400 Famous
Twentieth-Century Men and Women.”
In the book they relate andidotes from many highly productive people
like Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, and Winston Churchill. These prominent people of the Twentieth
Century liked teachers who supplied materials for various projects about which
the students were passionate. When
it was time for testing, what was learned by memorization of various facts and
statistics in their preparation for testing, caused them to loose focus,
creativity, and their passion.
Einstein
is quoted as saying, “Why should I memorize something I can so easily get from
a book.” Now it would be said, “that
I can so easily look up on the Internet.”
All
this is to ask-- is there an answer to the right balance for testing and for
learning? Educators, parents, and students rely on tests to determine how
students are progressing in their educational pursuits. But if these tests are detrimental in
the long run should they be relied upon to determine success in school?
It
has been reported that the United States is falling behind in our ranking in
relation to other countries. This standing
has been disputed. In an article by Marion Brady, veteran
educator who has long argued that public education needs a paradigm shift, he writes:
“An illustration:
As I write, my wife is in the kitchen. She calls me for lunch. The small
television suspended under the kitchen cabinets is tuned to CNN, and Time cover
girl Michelle Rhee is being interviewed.
“On
international tests,” she says, “the U.S. ranks 27th from the top.”
Michelle Rhee,
three-year teacher, education reactionary, mainstream media star, fired
authoritarian head of a school system being investigated for cheating on
standardized tests, is given a national platform to misinform. She doesn’t
explain that, at the insistence of policymakers, and unlike other countries,
America tests every kid — the mentally disabled, the sick, the hungry, the
homeless, the transient, the troubled, those for whom English is a second
language. That done, the scores are lumped together. She doesn’t even hint that
when the scores of the disadvantaged aren’t counted, American students are at
the top. If Michelle Rhee doesn’t know that, she shouldn’t be on CNN. If she
knows it but fails to point it out, she shouldn’t be on CNN.”
So
what is the truth? In my own
experience I don’t recall testing being such a big deal. I attended public
schools in Alexandria, VA. My aunt
and uncle, college professors in Wisconsin, believed that my siblings and I had
an inferior education. But of the five children in my family we all attended
these schools through high school for my older brother, my younger sister, and
me, and through Jr. High for my two younger brothers. All five of us are college graduates.
The
only testing I recall was when I was in 10th grade and then again
when I was a senior. I don’t recollect being prepared for these tests. The tests I took in Virginia were the
ACT and the SAT. When I decided to attend college in Washington State I was
required to take their CEE or the Washington Pre- College Test. Again I do not remember any preparation
for the test.
When
our son was applying for academic and music scholarships for college we sent
him to a class to teach him how to take the SAT. He believes the class was of no help in raising his scores.
In
some cases these tests add to stress for teachers and students in the public
schools. In certain schools each
month, 18 or more students will move in, or the same number, will move out of
the school. It is unlikely that the new students will be in the same place on
the test. Another problem is using
computers for the tests. There are
not enough computers. Worse yet,
some students don’t know how to use computers, and also may not speak English.
So
the conversation will continue.
I’m still impressed with Marva Collin’s Socratic teaching
technique. She started with no
books. Her students were children
who lived in a ghetto. All learned
and became productive members of society.
Maybe we just need good teachers and not bother with the tests! What do you think?
