My husband who teaches at the college level can identify the time period that the thinkers disappeared - 2005. Until then a large percentage of his students were willing to engage and play with ideas. They were willing to challenge, debate and consider alternatives. Those thinkers disappeared after 2005. A new kind of student appeared. He calls them recipe followers. They no longer desire to challenge ideas; they merely want to be told what to do so they can complete the course.
What he is seeing is the end product of the standardized test movement. In order to improve test scores our programs became focused on how to answer questions developed by others. As long as a student could restate, give an answer, make an inference or a connection (or even 2 for level 4) they were doing OK. What was never considered was the quality and validity of the thinking that went into the development of the inference.
You'll see it in the structure of your children's writing if you look carefully.
Why did Edward hide the chicken?
Edward hid the chicken for several reasons. First he was afraid that the farmer might kill the chicken. I know this because on page 8 it says, "I don't want the farmer to kill the chicken." Also, the chicken was his friend. This reminds me of a story I read about a pig. (At this point the writing stops because the student has run out of room and he knows that nothing gets marked past the 5th line)
Take the key phrases and substitute according to text.
....... for several reasons. First ...... Also ... I know this because .... This reminds me of ...
Follow the formula. No real thinking required.
Students were actively discouraged from writing more or further developing their ideas because ... what was the point?
And we have spent months and years and millions of dollars drilling this into our students. And as educators we wept.
There is good news. In Ontario we are moving past this insanity. We've shifted our practice and are once again teaching critical thinking.
What he is seeing is the end product of the standardized test movement. In order to improve test scores our programs became focused on how to answer questions developed by others. As long as a student could restate, give an answer, make an inference or a connection (or even 2 for level 4) they were doing OK. What was never considered was the quality and validity of the thinking that went into the development of the inference.
You'll see it in the structure of your children's writing if you look carefully.
Why did Edward hide the chicken?
Edward hid the chicken for several reasons. First he was afraid that the farmer might kill the chicken. I know this because on page 8 it says, "I don't want the farmer to kill the chicken." Also, the chicken was his friend. This reminds me of a story I read about a pig. (At this point the writing stops because the student has run out of room and he knows that nothing gets marked past the 5th line)
Take the key phrases and substitute according to text.
....... for several reasons. First ...... Also ... I know this because .... This reminds me of ...
Follow the formula. No real thinking required.
Students were actively discouraged from writing more or further developing their ideas because ... what was the point?
And we have spent months and years and millions of dollars drilling this into our students. And as educators we wept.
There is good news. In Ontario we are moving past this insanity. We've shifted our practice and are once again teaching critical thinking.
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