Hey all ,
After a lengthy pause in my blogs , I'm back to munch your time as I did earlier. Before you scroll down I would like to make few aspects of this post clear so that you guys don't end up wasting your precious yet swift gift namely time over this.
A.This is basically for student and parent community the rest can stay out.
B.I assure you that even though the blog is really very lengthy it is worth a reading which wont let you loose your temper.
I concur with the following point of view...
Examinations are, at times, good and necessary ways of testing a student's ability to commit information to memory, to work under pressure and to find out what they know. However, examinations must not become regular. Regular examinations result in students working toward exams and exams only. They do not work in order to learn. Knowledge for the sake of knowledge is rid of in a system where examinations reign supreme. Whilst coursework may easily be cheated on, it is ridiculous to suggest that the only other way of testing a student's abilities and knowledge is through examination.
Class discussions and debates are, with active class participation, one of the most effective ways of learning and retaining information. Through being forced to better one's own views and opinions, theories and answers, the student gains a deeper insight into their own arguments, becomes better at discussing their views, and the class benefits from listening to these views and thinking about how the views of their peers compare to those of their own. Through this they can alter their own opinions or form new ones.
Class participation is a necessary requirement seeing as how even if one person refuses to engage in the discussion, their own ideas are never put to the test of both the peers and their teacher, and so receive no benefit for their own beliefs, and the class also receives no benefit from that particular student. And this is just one student! Full class participation is an absolute requirement.
How do we accurately test students? We test them through what they are best at and what they are happiest with through immediate student and teacher feedback during and after classes. Weekly or monthly the parents/guardians of those students will receive report cards, showing which subjects their son/daughter is best at, and which they need the most help with. It will also be noted which classes are that child's favorite.
Parents and students must also be able to suggest ways in which their classes could be made better, so long as the suggestions are realistic, reasonable and that they contribute to the learning environment in such a way that the students learn more and at no cost to student/teacher and student/student relationships
Examinations should appear annually, but no more than that. If there are discrepancies between one's examination and one's school work, then this must be investigated, as it would be within the current system now. However, discrepancies are far less likely within this proposed framework, as all the progress and learning goes on during school hours and under the supervision and encouragement of the teacher.
Examination as a measure of intelligenceMost people accept an exam as a measure of intelligence. How a teacher looks upon his students' performances in various activities of the school depends upon the theory he believes in.
It is generally accepted that primarily there are three kinds of intelligences- social, mechanical and abstract. Most exams test the last, through the degree of intelligence in its pure form cannot be measured except by following a procedure to do so through a devised intelligence tests.
But these do not point to the size of strength or weakness in each of the particular mental ability that is being measured. Even the IQ tests measure the general status only. Two persons with same IQ can have different mental abilities. For example you can be good in languages but may not be so with numbers. No one's intelligence can be estimated solely on the basis of marks obtained in school subjects.
A child of ten years and another of eleven may be considered equally intelligent if they get the same marks. But isn't the younger one more intelligent? Similarly, an industrious but comparatively slow child may obtain more marks than another who is more intelligent but not as industrious.
Preparation and attitude towards examinationsIf a student and his parents and teachers are aware of the mechanics of stress, they can work together to reduce its emotional and physiological consequences. Self-appraisal of your intelligence potential is very important. It will help you in analyzing the study material for the exams and prioritizing areas that need review. The earlier this exercise is brought in to play, the lesser the pressure as examination time approaches.
We know that the prospect of taking on exam is more stressful than the exam itself. As the exam approaches, the pressure gets compounded with the knowledge that one has not prepared adequately. One of the surest ways to prevent the build-up of pre-exam stress is continuous revision. This gives you a feeling of working in a constructive manner towards a goal and makes you feel less stressful.
There is no substitute for hard work, but how does one go about working smart? Doubts and unclear sections should be jotted down and cleared at the earliest. Never ever hesitate asking for help. Teachers are the best source of information on how to revise and can advise you on what your strengths and weakness are.
Too much information gathered from here, there and everywhere creates stress. Thanks to internet, there is no dearth of reading material. It is important to use one's power of discretion and sift what you need from what you don't.
Discretion can be developed through constantly posting queries in whatever is being studied. Discretionary ability can help you handle various subjects and topics including compositions, summaries, objective questions, and scientific data and so on.
Being able to remember is one of the first intellectual abilities to develop. Memory is the basis for imagining, creating, associating meaning and reasoning. Forgetfulness is usually regarded as a liability and memory as an asset.
A lot of people get unduly worried when they forget something. Forgetting is a psychological fact and should be accepted as such. One way of over-coming this is by over-learning, accepting that a part of what is learnt is going to be forgotten anyway.
According to some of the experiments the speed of forgetting is as follows.
- after one hour-55%
- after nine hour-64%
- after one day -68%
- after two days-72%
- after one week-75%
- after one month-79%
Periodic revision is extremely important as it reinforces knowledge acquired earlier. If you recall most of what you had learnt you feel more confident about handling the next assignment.
Set aside sometime for review daily. A topic must be studied the same day it is taught in the class. Practice recall while reading. Don't think that once you have read a lesson and understood it, there is no need to go over it another time. Repetitive exercises are absolutely essential to not only recall what you have learnt but to express views, effectively for the examiner.
Treat the subjects with curiosity for different fields of knowledge. You will then learn and enjoy the lessons. Willingness to learn and an open frame of mind do half the job for you.
Unless you are mentally prepared to take on the responsibility of study on your own shoulders, no amount of advice or cajoling will help. A broad horizon enables you see a problem in the right perspective and solve it more effectively. This can, however, be done only over a period of time not just before the exams. It is imperative to develop a love for reading, and learning from the world around you.
Banish negative thoughts the moment they enter your mind and distract you. One often hears students, especially girls say, 'I am sure to fail'; 'I will never be able to understand this'. Negative thinking does not get you anywhere. Examination should be considered a part of the on-going process of education. Remember, no matter what, there's always a next time.
Enjoy and let enjoy!
