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<blockquote data-quote="susiestar" data-source="post: 312503" data-attributes="member: 1233"><p>Sadly this trend does not just apply to nursing school. My parents each taught for decades. My dad for almost 4 in high school and jr high, mom for almost 3 in college.</p><p></p><p>Each of them saw a scary trend towards spoonfeeding the info to students and dumbing down the tests so more students passed. Students are never taught to THINK. They are taught to pass tests. </p><p></p><p>As a child we took standardized tests every 2-3 years. As a parent my kids are taking standardized tests every year. They pass the year if they pass the test. It really doesn't matter what else they do. The tests are the "big deal". The other assignments are there but they require little real thinking. If you don't pass them all you can still pass. If you flunk them all and get 90 or above on the tests you can still pass. </p><p></p><p>The focus of many schools has passed from wanting students to learn to reason things out to wanting students to get the right answers. There is a fundamental difference. There is also a LOT more focus on retention than there used to be. </p><p></p><p>I cannot tell you the number of hours my mother spent on a retention study and committee. WAY WAY WAY more than on the standards committee. This was for the university, not just her department or college. they focused on how to make things nicer so the students would stay and keep spending $$. </p><p></p><p>She was appalled by the whole thing. Most of the other members really wanted to make teachers go easier on kids so that flunking out would not happen. Some thought that if you could put your name on an assignment you should pass. They wanted easier rules on plagiarism!!!</p><p></p><p>Sadly, the students that 10-20 years ago were facing the beginnings of the increased leniency are now instructors who don't know what priorities to set. </p><p></p><p>Now I KNOW not all teachers/schools/universities/students are like this. It is just the TREND, the gradual change in education that is going this way. </p><p></p><p>It explains why every single person who went to school a decade or more ago and goes back to take a class now ends up asking the same questions.</p><p></p><p>Then people get worried about the future of healthcare, or of the business world (Makes you wonder how many of the execs at Enron and AIG were educated after the switch to the increased testing and decreased thinking trend, doesn't it?), or of education or of just about everything. </p><p></p><p>I can remember grading papers for my parents at age 8 and 9. I also remember grading them at age 16 and 19 and at age 26 and 28. The decrease in spelling and the increase in e-spelling (thank you, lol, because, FWIW, etc...) is tragic, in my opinion. The use of grammar is non-existent in many students. </p><p></p><p>Add that to students in a Marketing class who complain about math problems (profit maximization etc...) because "I already passed Math class. This is a BUSINESS class! How can you make math a part of my grade?" or complain to the department head or even DEAN of the college when they lose points for spelling and grammar errors, and what you end up with is pretty dang frightening.</p><p></p><p>I have personally heard those arguments from at least 10-15 students each semester my mom taught. Many times people at parties would stop me and ask why my mom thought they needed math or english in a business class. Asking them how they would know if they made money or if their bill was too high made no dent. They swore that the computer would deal with the money, or their staff would. Cause each and every oen of them would graduate college and go into a job where they had a staff to take care of all the work. </p><p></p><p>Heck, when I worked in a restaurant I had customers stop me to ask me those questions. It was nuts! I got cornered because I look just like my mom. There was no avoiding it.</p><p></p><p>Anyway, I will get off my soapbox. I can assure you that MY kids get a LOT of the basics drilled at home, along with all kinds of things to teach them to think. I just do not trust the schools for even a basic education.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="susiestar, post: 312503, member: 1233"] Sadly this trend does not just apply to nursing school. My parents each taught for decades. My dad for almost 4 in high school and jr high, mom for almost 3 in college. Each of them saw a scary trend towards spoonfeeding the info to students and dumbing down the tests so more students passed. Students are never taught to THINK. They are taught to pass tests. As a child we took standardized tests every 2-3 years. As a parent my kids are taking standardized tests every year. They pass the year if they pass the test. It really doesn't matter what else they do. The tests are the "big deal". The other assignments are there but they require little real thinking. If you don't pass them all you can still pass. If you flunk them all and get 90 or above on the tests you can still pass. The focus of many schools has passed from wanting students to learn to reason things out to wanting students to get the right answers. There is a fundamental difference. There is also a LOT more focus on retention than there used to be. I cannot tell you the number of hours my mother spent on a retention study and committee. WAY WAY WAY more than on the standards committee. This was for the university, not just her department or college. they focused on how to make things nicer so the students would stay and keep spending $$. She was appalled by the whole thing. Most of the other members really wanted to make teachers go easier on kids so that flunking out would not happen. Some thought that if you could put your name on an assignment you should pass. They wanted easier rules on plagiarism!!! Sadly, the students that 10-20 years ago were facing the beginnings of the increased leniency are now instructors who don't know what priorities to set. Now I KNOW not all teachers/schools/universities/students are like this. It is just the TREND, the gradual change in education that is going this way. It explains why every single person who went to school a decade or more ago and goes back to take a class now ends up asking the same questions. Then people get worried about the future of healthcare, or of the business world (Makes you wonder how many of the execs at Enron and AIG were educated after the switch to the increased testing and decreased thinking trend, doesn't it?), or of education or of just about everything. I can remember grading papers for my parents at age 8 and 9. I also remember grading them at age 16 and 19 and at age 26 and 28. The decrease in spelling and the increase in e-spelling (thank you, lol, because, FWIW, etc...) is tragic, in my opinion. The use of grammar is non-existent in many students. Add that to students in a Marketing class who complain about math problems (profit maximization etc...) because "I already passed Math class. This is a BUSINESS class! How can you make math a part of my grade?" or complain to the department head or even DEAN of the college when they lose points for spelling and grammar errors, and what you end up with is pretty dang frightening. I have personally heard those arguments from at least 10-15 students each semester my mom taught. Many times people at parties would stop me and ask why my mom thought they needed math or english in a business class. Asking them how they would know if they made money or if their bill was too high made no dent. They swore that the computer would deal with the money, or their staff would. Cause each and every oen of them would graduate college and go into a job where they had a staff to take care of all the work. Heck, when I worked in a restaurant I had customers stop me to ask me those questions. It was nuts! I got cornered because I look just like my mom. There was no avoiding it. Anyway, I will get off my soapbox. I can assure you that MY kids get a LOT of the basics drilled at home, along with all kinds of things to teach them to think. I just do not trust the schools for even a basic education. [/QUOTE]
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