Reluctant Students
Alessandra De AcetisMr. GellertENG4U0-A
9 September 2014
The Reluctant Student “Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves”-Ernest Dimnet. Grades do not make children educate themselves, but rather educate for the sake of good grades. Kids are not going to school to learn but are going to school to get good grades so that they can make their way into university to receive a well-paying future occupation. Students are ill prepared and uninformed about post-secondary education due to a focus on grades, job preparation, inflated self- esteems and false praises.
Students do not focus on learning. Instead, tend to focus more on high grades, and job opportunities for the future, disregarding learning and developing a greater knowledge. When in class, students do not see a link between their course materials, tests and possible jobs, for example a grade 12 student sitting in math class may wonder when they are ever going to encounter a parabola in reality. This leads students to less likely value their practical use of their courses and instead, obsesses over their end result grades, rather than about learning. Instead of students sitting in class wanting to learn about the required skills for their potential job, they memorize the information long enough to result in a good grade in the course. It is shown through students that a future job is priority of education rather than education being of and for itself. Students are more satisfied and motivated by the promise of a high grade, rather than the love of learning. Using university as a "stepping stone" for something for something in the future rather than having satisfaction from the potential learning experiences, of the moment.
Due to the importance of grades and their effect on students, teachers will inflate grades to show a student’s improvement or effort, this however is a problem. The inflating of grades causes false feedback to the students about their
9 September 2014
The Reluctant Student “Children have to be educated, but they have also to be left to educate themselves”-Ernest Dimnet. Grades do not make children educate themselves, but rather educate for the sake of good grades. Kids are not going to school to learn but are going to school to get good grades so that they can make their way into university to receive a well-paying future occupation. Students are ill prepared and uninformed about post-secondary education due to a focus on grades, job preparation, inflated self- esteems and false praises.
Students do not focus on learning. Instead, tend to focus more on high grades, and job opportunities for the future, disregarding learning and developing a greater knowledge. When in class, students do not see a link between their course materials, tests and possible jobs, for example a grade 12 student sitting in math class may wonder when they are ever going to encounter a parabola in reality. This leads students to less likely value their practical use of their courses and instead, obsesses over their end result grades, rather than about learning. Instead of students sitting in class wanting to learn about the required skills for their potential job, they memorize the information long enough to result in a good grade in the course. It is shown through students that a future job is priority of education rather than education being of and for itself. Students are more satisfied and motivated by the promise of a high grade, rather than the love of learning. Using university as a "stepping stone" for something for something in the future rather than having satisfaction from the potential learning experiences, of the moment.
Due to the importance of grades and their effect on students, teachers will inflate grades to show a student’s improvement or effort, this however is a problem. The inflating of grades causes false feedback to the students about their
Cited: Cote, James E. and Allahar, Anton, L. Ivory Tower Blues: A University Systerm in Crisis. Toronto: University of Toronto Press Incorporated. 2007.