I see a lot of ties with common core, a current educational trend, and the way education is taught in the book. In the novel it seems that education is geared totally towards consumption, people are taught to be better consumers rather than thinkers.
In regard to teaching, and teaching to the test....it seems that students are often taught to be good test takers rather than thinkers. I problem that I often encounter in college classes is that my students have never really been taught to "think." This doesn't mean that they are not smart, but they have never had to really look at the world or a subject - instead they have prepped for a test. Memorizing rather than learning.
What do you think? Have you noticed this in your own lives? And do you think that Anderson is making a subtle cultural critique about our educational system?
Throughout my educational life different schools and teachers have done things differently and taught us students in different ways. Some teachers taught that homework was important while others stressed that tests were what mattered. It went from them telling us exactly what we needed to know to making think up the other half of things in in-depth thinking. With this, as my age progressed in school, I've been taught to just worry about the little points, then about the big points, think little, then think critically to resolve the best outcomes of situations and problems. I think that Anderson is pointing out the fact that in the future, no matter how far ahead it is, students and people are not going to thoroughly think things through no matter what the situation and why, because everything has been and is going to be given to them, resulting in little thinking by everyone.
ReplyDeleteI have seen this. some of the smartest people I know struggle on test a good example are my brothers. both 2.5 GPA students in high school because they struggled with tests. After high school they attended Nebraska and each graduated with making the Dean's list multiple times. My oldest brother is a lieutenant in the army stationed in Colorado Springs and the other lives in New Jersey. They each have been out of high school ten years and it is amazing to see how much further they went then their friends who got better grades and were "smarter".
ReplyDeleteDrew,
DeleteI'm one of those students. I struggled in high school...couldn't take tests. None of it seemed to matter to me, in order to learn it....I need to know it matters. You know? When I got into college all of a sudden I was a 4.0 and deans list, honors...etc. I even got my master's degree. It's because I could actually think about things, and not worry about a stupid test.
I had similar problems when I was younger I used to have terrible anxiety and was unable to take any test and get a good grade. However as I got older I became able to take tests and guess what I suddenly went from a D an F student to A and B plus my ADHD stuff but the point remains.
DeleteIts a fact anymore its a matter of I say this their is no other answer except the one I am thinking of. Its is like the standardized tests that each State requires you to take now their is a point to these tests and they are needed however a little imagination might go a long way in something like ITEDS. I mean in some subjects its cut and dry like math here is the answer or history this is the date and the people involved. However things like science which should be encouraging children to be creative is stuck as just another right or wrong answer which is a shame since when we were younger we can use science for all kinds of things you can be creative with science and make it your own. However as you get older the use of imagination is all but gone. Think you can actually experiment in chemistry? No of course not because some rum dumb before you in the past went and screwed the rest of you out of any opportunity be creative I mean you work the equations to make sure its safe but still no you will not be allowed to experiment. Anyway if you are sufficiently responsible and can actually work out the chemical equations then why on earth am I not allowed to do a simple experiment? Anyway allow for some imagination in school will help in the long run.
ReplyDeleteGarrett,
DeleteWhat a great point you make about science! Woot!
In high school I did just prep for a test and memorize to the point that when that class was completely over, I did not really retain much of what I learned. However, there were some great teachers that had huge influences on me to the point that I was super pumped when I left class and could go home and say "Guess what I learned today?!" These were exciting days because these are the things I still remember today. Learning these new things usually happened in my favorite classes that I regularly was engaged and hands on in. This is definitely shown in the book because if we are just going through school and then life just memorizing things, then we are not thinking, just retaining to the point when we can throw it all away. The best way to think for yourself is to take what you actually learned and then add your own opinion to it, then talk about it with others. In FEED, they do not think for themselves, let alone talk to each other about important things. The author is warning us about what could happen if we do not learn from the things we are taught.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with it, and think that teachers base most of the student's knowledge on their test scores. I think this is wrong, because some students may know the material and be very smart, but just might not test well.
ReplyDeleteI always had that peoblem! I would do great in homework and in class stuff, but when it came to tests, I stressed out and thought I forgot everything I just learned.
DeleteI highly agree!
DeleteI totally agree there were so many people in my high school classes that were super smart and knew the material but when they went to take the test it was like they froze so their grades were not as good as they could have been. My brother is one of those people and he dropped out because of all the stress that the teachers put on tests.
DeleteI agree too! and also with teachers being sure to tell the students if the material being taught will be on an up coming test.
DeleteIn high school, I studied and memorized before a test. I didn't retain much of what I learned. Everyone learns differently, though. In order for me to learn, I actually have to do problems from whatever subject I'm studying. Reading material isn't going to help much. And yes, I think M.T. Anderson is making a subtle cultural critique about our educational system. I personally don't like our system at all. The elementary in my town combined classes. Like my niece is in third grade but she's in class with second and third graders. And since then, the ITEDS scoring went down. Also, hearing about schools getting IPads.. Sorry, but that's ridiculous. My niece doesn't even know how to write in cursive yet. I started learning in the second grade how to. I remember last year when my sister complained about how my niece's teacher told the class that they didn't have to do the homework, it was optional. Even sent a paper home stating so. So I definitely understand where the author is coming from if he really is talking about our educational system.
ReplyDeleteIn high school for me it was all about the tests and getting a good grade on the test. I remember that all they pushed was the ITED testing we had to do each year to make the schools and teachers look good. I really wish that had not been so because then I would not have struggled so hard in nursing school because not only did you need to study and memorize information you also had to be able to apply it to the big picture. I felt really bad when I went from being an excellent student in high school to being average in nursing school. I think Anderson is saying that the more we rely on technology to teach our children the less they will think for themselves and be able to solve problems. This in the end will ruin society and make it so everyone just expects things to be handed to them and when they hit that "brick wall" they will not know how to achieve what they want and give up.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with you there Rachelle. I have seen people do that now, let alone in the future.
DeleteI believe that is very true. When I was in high school that's all I saw. I watched some of my smartest peers get mediocre results because they and they're teachers were worried about that end score, that final test score, and ultimately they were working against themselves. A real thinker, a real critical thinker, doesn't have to study to be a good test taker. It comes with having a creative, thoughtful mind. Imagination is key to anything and everything in life. The kids in this book? They have little to no imagination, whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI agree. They have no imagination
DeleteI think it's true. I never really thought about it until we started talking about the book in class. It seems like everyone else really thinks about the book and I'm just reading it. Some of the things you guys think about the book, I never would have thought of.
ReplyDeleteIt's definitely nice have class discussions on a regular basis. Seeing how other people look at the same situation in a different light really gives us a better idea as to what message the author is trying to get across.
DeleteWhen I was in middle and high school especially, the emphasis was usually on test results which I usually did very well in. Though not all teachers put the emphasis on tests, many did. However, I did not have much trouble thinking critically either. It is just how my mind tends to work. I do not want to just memorize facts, I want the story behind it all. I want to know who, what, when, where, and why. It helps for things to stick better in my head because I have something to associate it with. I do not think the kids in this book have the natural curiosity that we as people have because they never had to work to find out anything. All they have to do to find information on any subject is think about it.
ReplyDeleteI found two spots that were interesting in the book. One spot was when Violet and Titus got to talking and you learn about Violets family a little. I found it interesting that she is not willing to talk about what her family does in detail. I was not all that surprised to read that she could write and read the old language. She seemed different from the others. I also find it weird that they were all ok after getting the feed back. I would feel so bombarded with all the action going on that it would take me a few minutes to figure out what was going on I would probably get a headache. I also realize that it would not be that different for them because they were used to it before. I was also surprised that the withdraw from the feed didn't seem as bad as I had pictured due to how much they rely upon it.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. The mentality of the average student today is to simply have a report card that looks good while doing as little work/studying as possible. Students feel that as long as there is a letter on a piece of paper that says they did well then that is all that matters and I feel that that is so not the case. If students would learn information rather than simply learn how to test well, the grades that are given would be far more accurate and students would retain information that otherwise is quickly forgotten after taking an exam. I do not feel that Anderson is simply making a culture critique about our education system, rather, I feel that he is making a more broad critique of our culture about how we are all essentially sheep who are willing to follow blindly even if it does not benefit us and/or ends up causing us harm.
ReplyDeleteI see a lot of students that also just want to have their report card look good instead of actually learning the information. My brother is like that. Always just wanting my parents to see his report card but not to actually learn the information.
DeleteI had some really good teachers in high school. One of my teachers had us go over multiple problems so that we would retain the information and how to do it. Not just for the test but for the future. At the same time, I had other teachers that just wanted to prepare us for the test instead of actually teaching us and helping us retain the information. Our educational system is very poor today in my opinion. Anderson wants us to think about our educational system and how it isn't exactly what it should be today.
ReplyDeletei agree. our education system isn't what it should be. we need more teachers that make you think about the answer, and less that just tell you the answer.
Deleteyes he he was definiatly trying to tell us something about our education system. i agree we need to be learning how to think instead of just memorizing things so that we'll get a good grade on a test. unfortunatly though it seems to me like good grades are what get you a good job eventually, and not good thinking.
ReplyDelete