Today, many school classes are taught where a teacher stands in front of the class and rattles off facts for the students to memorize and regurgitate on a test. After the test, the students often forget what they have learned. How successful is teaching to a test? Teaching to a test does not produce successful people.
Finland has one of the top education systems in the world. In a recent interview with Finish teachers, the teachers talked about how one of the top 5 reasons why the United States education system has not improved is because of standardized tests. Important information, like civics and debate, get lost because they are not tested in a test.
Teaching students how to think does produce successful people. In law schools, students are taught how to think critically about the facts. Students are given a case to study outside of class. In class, the law professors ask hard questions that require students to think critically about the case. There is a reason why this method is how law schools prepare the people who become our lawyers and public servants. Law schools teach students with a purpose; how to think. Because of this purpose, they produce successful people.
Many high schools teach with the purpose of having higher test scores. This purpose does not produce successful people.
My American History teacher taught us how to think. She gave us the facts to study, and in class she asked us questions that required us to think critically and draw our own conclusions. I am a much better student and person because of this method of teaching. I learned how to think for myself, develop my own opinions, and defend those opinions. This is the purpose of school; to learn how to think and fight for what you know.
In her class, I not only learned that the Civil War started on April 12, 1861, but also that there were many issues leading up to the Civil War like state's rights, succession, and nullification. My knowledge of the Civil War does not end with the basic facts. My teacher encouraged me to form my own ideas and opinions about whether or not nullification and Lincoln's decisions were justified. I honestly can't tell about every Civil War battle and every political decision of the time, but I do remember why I think about about those battles and political decisions and how they effect our world today.
In the work place, not many people will care that about 620,000 solders were killed during the Civil War, but they will care if a person is able to solve problems that the company is facing by critically thinking. Critical thinking is the single most important thing that schools can teach.
Another important aspect of having a purpose driven education that produces successful students is learning how to express those individually developed opinions. "Writing is thinking." Learning how to share those opinions by writing changes the life of a student.
We praise Aristotle and Socrates because they showed people how to think differently. We praise John Locke and Thomas Jefferson because they showed people the impact of sharing their ideas-- revolution. "No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world."
What is the purpose of education? Is it to create an army of kids who just do well on standardized tests to ensure that the school gets funding? Or is it to teach kids how to think and defend what they love and believe in?
Thank you Mrs. Denton, you have changed my life.
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