Do you like standardized testing or do you think it stifles the creative mind?

1. 71

   Ciel Clarkposted 12 years ago

   Do you like standardized testing or do you think it stifles the creative mind?

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   Docmoposted 12 years ago

   I used to think that... But without standardised testing to assess the level how can we move the learners towards higher learning goals. It 's not the testing but 'the teaching for just doing the test' that is the problem. Having an 'outcome goal' ( ie., I just wanna pass the exam) instead of a ' performance goal' I want to be good in this subject' is what stifles creativity. If the teachers had the confidence to teach creatively and widely while giving the learners the confidence to treat tests as a mere benchmarking exercise- creativity minds will thrive... I have been teaching to this end and have had good feedback from learners and good outcomes& performance!

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   1. 71

      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There are many ways to move towards higher learning (doing!)without grades and tests.  & I agree-- not everyone thinks this!  I'm a prof at a university and when I tried to give students comments instead of grades, it did not work for some.

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      Yael Eylat-Tanakaposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      True, as someone said, that tests only test what has been learned as rote, to regurgitate back into the test.  Sadly, tests can be so much more - they are an aid to learning, to cementing knowledge, but are rarely used for that purpose.

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   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Of course it stifles the creative mind. But that is not what it is for. Standardized testing is exactly that, a test. There is nothing creative about tests. It is just to see what you know, how you test, your critical thinking skills, etc.

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      Kommadantposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I totally agree with you.  I am currently studying for the GRE and as much as I oppose it; I know that it is beneficial for the schools to see the scores so they can gauge their incoming students.

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      lburmasterposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I'll be where you are in two years. Good luck on the GRE! I'm sure you'll do fine!

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   whonunuwhoposted 12 years ago

   Standardized testing has always been an unfair and inappropriate way to test children in our school systems all over the country. This is mainly due to the different cultures, and diversity of the kids being tested. Some are from low income families and not exposed to all that other kids in more middle class families are, some are new immigrants or children of parents who don't speak English fluently and have a great difficulty in understanding the directions of test, much less, the content. Tests of all kinds, are usually originated in California systems and make their way slowly across the country eastward and by the time they reach the east coast, they are obsolete and thrown away by California testers as being outdated.The East keeps right on using the tests, and teaching techniques,though, or other similar educational precepts, that may arise as time moves on, and educational funding is chopped out be various regions of the country. Standardized testing needs to be changed to tests that are appropriate for children's culture, race, and levels in society, that may have a great influence on each's ability and knowledge. With a little care, tests may be much more fair in assessing a child's true capabilities and levels in subjects such as reading and math.

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   1. 71

      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Very true...   Do you think there is a good way to do (semi) standardized testing while taking into account different backgrounds?

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      whonunuwhoposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      There needs to be adapted tests for ethnic groups or tests that do not confuse and have material that kids are not exposed to in schools districts .

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   relacheposted 12 years ago

   Standardized testing does not stifle creativity.  Creative skills are something that exist independently of tests.
   
   However, it is a limited way of guaging a person's abilities which tends to "reward" people who are more skilled at taking those types of tests and which does not accurately reflect the broad spectrum of ways in which different people think and problem solve.

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      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree that it doesn't stifle creativity except in cases where it is the main form of education.  One of my students from China said that there have been no recent inventions in his country because creativity is not an encouraged trait there.

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   Trish303posted 12 years ago

   I agree with docmo it is teaching to the test that is the issue not the test its self.

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   1. 71

      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I agree.  We need the tests, but we also need....   What do we need??  Maybe for teachers to have time to do inspired learning depending on their students?  What do you think?

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   Rebecca2904posted 12 years ago

   I think that for most people (children mostly) standardised testing is important as it allows people to learn properly and prepare for tests, and everyone is judged in the same way so it is mostly fair. I think where it does fall down and other factors need to be taken into consideration is when it comes to disabled children, or children with learning difficulties. For those children, they are probably not going to be able to do the same tests as everyone else and do as well, so there should definitely be a system that supports them and recognises where their individual talents lie.

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      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You bring up a very good point--  how can we test differently-abled children while still encouraging them to be able to "fit in" with the rest?

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   WritingPromptsposted 12 years ago

   Yes.
   
   I think standardized testing is a good thing.  There are some things we just need to know - creativity doesn't enter into it.
   
   At the same time, focusing too much on standardized testing can force creativity out of the classroom.  So I don't think it's the tests that stifle creativity, but the push that everyone has to pass the test and so we don't have time to let kids explore other interests.

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   1. 71

      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      True-- I agree we should all have a certain knowledge base...  But how to decide what is most important when there is so much to know??  (And still let kids --and adults! -- play and be creative...)

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      WritingPromptsposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      2+2=4 is a great piece of knowledge for standardized tests to measure.  If you are an artist, a portfolio is a better measure of your ability.  Being on a test or not isn't about being important as much as how many  "right" answers are possible.

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   manicpanicpleaseposted 12 years ago

   Standardized testing has both pros and cons. The good things about it, is that is teaches children how to take tests and can be used to more or less gauge the intelligence of a group or individual. Standardized testing fails however, to provide unique testing. Different people learn different ways and express their knowledge differently for example, some people are linear thinkers, some are more "creative. It all depends on your type of intelligence. Since these tests are always exactly the same for every person, test takers of close intelligence might earn drastically different scores simply because one of them thinks the same way that the test was presented, and the other thinks in a different way. This method of testing can be unfair and inaccurate in most cases.
   
   Standardized testing is important for collecting data and information, but it should not be the ONLY was of testing because it will prove to be inaccurate.

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   1. 71

      Ciel Clarkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Good point!  I would love to see some creative/imagination/idea based questions included in standardized tests.  Interesting...

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