| Teachers are all at sea: despite a great | | | | students' errors, mistakes and drawbacks |
| deal of effort over the past 20 years, | | | | in the study area, rather than to give |
| academic achievement among high school | | | | students reasonable chance of |
| students continues to lag behind. In | | | | demonstrating their achievements of |
| their attempt to improve school results, | | | | specific learning goals. |
| the educators are trying to find roots | | | | Needless to say, such attitude creates a |
| of poor academic achievement of high | | | | fearful attitude of students towards |
| school students. | | | | assessment. They are learning not for |
| Some point the finger at the outrageous | | | | acquiring some knew exciting facts, but |
| homework loads students are snowed | | | | for getting a "pass." Education comes to |
| under. Supporters of this idea argue | | | | grades rather than knowledge. |
| that students are overburdened with | | | | 3. Incoherent Assessment Tasks |
| academic demands of questionable value | | | | It is deplorable that the everyday |
| and, as a result, end up indifferent to | | | | practice of most teachers is to set |
| studies, exhausted, and worn out. | | | | numerous, time-consuming and unrelated |
| Probably, there is some grain of truth | | | | tasks that ask for a great deal of work |
| in this claim. However, recent | | | | to be done in the shortest time period. |
| investigations have rebutted these | | | | Consequently, this approach makes |
| suggestions... | | | | students adopt surface approaches to |
| The recent Pew Research Centre poll has | | | | learning by clutching at facts and |
| produced unprecedented results: it's not | | | | memorising them as best as they can in |
| high pressure, but low expectations that | | | | order to pass. |
| are bringing the American students down! | | | | Things would have changed, if teachers |
| This claim was corroborated by Denise | | | | built the unrelated assessment tasks |
| Clark Pope, a Stanford University | | | | into a coherent whole. This way, |
| lecturer who has written about the | | | | students would be able to work on |
| effects of stress on students. The | | | | coherent projects, gain systematic and |
| research she conducted in comfortable | | | | profound knowledge in the subject area. |
| San Francisco Bay Area communities | | | | Moreover, they would be more challenged |
| proves that the reason of poor level of | | | | to do their own research, show |
| knowledge is not the heavy workload | | | | initiative, and be proactive. |
| students are exposed to but the lack of | | | | 4. Lack of Personal Approach |
| challenge in the school environment. | | | | With mass classes consisting of more |
| Thus, it gets straight that the problem | | | | than 20 children, many students feel |
| of low academic proficiency lies with | | | | deprived of the due attention on their |
| what - rather than how much - students | | | | teacher's part. They are placed among |
| are asked to do. And now, the main | | | | the great lot of students without their |
| contributing factors that lead to low | | | | personal interests, and problems with |
| learning proficiency of high school | | | | studying being taken into account. |
| students are wrong approach to | | | | As a result, students don't feel cared |
| assessments, incoherent assessment | | | | about, lose their identity, become |
| tasks, teachers' and parents' | | | | indifferent to studies and lose faith in |
| indifference. Unfortunately, this list | | | | the brighter future. It is a problem of |
| is rather long... | | | | a great lot of students. |
| 1. Incomprehension of the Studying | | | | 5. Parents' Attitude |
| Purpose | | | | Unfortunately, a great number of parents |
| The main reason why so many students | | | | also contribute to the problem of low |
| don't feel interested in what they are | | | | interest in studies. Many of them have a |
| doing at school is the incomprehension | | | | "performance orientation," which |
| of their studying routine. In fact, a | | | | emphasises results such as students' |
| vast majority of teachers are even not | | | | grades, rather than whether they master |
| bothered to explain to their students | | | | the material. On top of that, they are |
| what the learning outcomes are, why they | | | | reluctant to weigh-in and help their |
| need to achieve them and how they will | | | | children with home tasks for the fear of |
| be assessed. | | | | being unable to answer a question and |
| Thus, students read stacks of books, | | | | lose children's respect. |
| write hundreds of essays having no idea | | | | However, these fears are unjustified. |
| of the initial purpose of all this | | | | This way parents mislead their confused |
| hassle and bustle. They accomplish their | | | | children, refuse to give them a helping |
| tasks by command which needs to be | | | | hand with studies and aggravate the |
| bluntly carried out. Studies become a | | | | existing problems. |
| real must, a dreadful duty, which | | | | Thus, it gets clear that children are |
| results in lack of interest, reluctance | | | | wrongly aimed at quantity of knowledge |
| to study and show initiative. | | | | rather than quality. As Denise Clark |
| 2. Wrong Assessment Approach | | | | Pope has put it, "There is too much |
| Another contributing factor to the | | | | content-and-coverage stress. It should |
| downward knowledge proficiency is the | | | | be about challenging and engaging |
| wrong approach of assessment. The matter | | | | students on multiple levels." And if |
| is that assessment is often wrongly | | | | radical steps aren't taken in the |
| intended by teachers as punishment for | | | | nearest future, the situation is likely |
| students, or traps to catch them out. | | | | to be aggravated. |
| Grades seem to exist in order to show | | | | |