tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post3008178450361349098..comments2023-11-17T08:28:34.015+00:00Comments on The m-factor: Gov't to put the kibosh on traditional exams?Wilhelmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08120996976638555064noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-34657902860078071572009-03-19T09:42:00.000+00:002009-03-19T09:42:00.000+00:00On second thought, maybe not. It's not like you'd ...<I>On second thought, maybe not. It's not like you'd every consider taking extra credits in a soft science or anything like that.</I><BR/><BR/>LOL..touchéWilhelmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120996976638555064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-23413248929395353392009-03-19T09:28:00.000+00:002009-03-19T09:28:00.000+00:00we want to accomplish this by lowering expectancie...<I>we want to accomplish this by lowering expectancies for high-school students (and earlier) and raise expectations for university students, while simultaneously lower the workload for both categories.</I><BR/><BR/>Well, at least now my plan to became international rock star, triple Nobel price winner and supreme ruler of the world doesn't sound as far fetched anymore...<BR/><BR/><I>Does it appear from time to time like I've got a soft spot for soft sciences?</I><BR/><BR/>On second thought, maybe not. It's not like you'd every consider taking extra credits in a soft science or anything like that.Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07766751546432262892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-3205442997309700932009-03-19T08:04:00.000+00:002009-03-19T08:04:00.000+00:00You compared it to religion history. If that isn't...<I>You compared it to religion history. If that isn't an insult, what is?</I><BR/><BR/>How right you are - I apologize to carpenters everywhere.<BR/><BR/><I>I think we need to add some more hours to the day, 'cause the student ani't gonna have time to all that in a 9-to-3 day.</I><BR/><BR/>Not to mention that it's also an expressed goal tio have Norwegian universities soar on international rankings. Apparently, we want to accomplish this by lowering expectancies for high-school students (and earlier) and raise expectations for university students, while simultaneously lower the workload for both categories.<BR/><BR/>Yes; I love mutually exclusive goals<BR/><BR/><I>*Yeah, can bad-mouth religion history. I'm not wokring in an academic institution**, so I'm not obliged to sweet-talk the soft sciences. ;-)<BR/><BR/>**On second thought, maybe I am. Damn.</I><BR/><BR/>Does it appear from time to time like I've got a soft spot for soft sciences?Wilhelmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120996976638555064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-63622193258645716392009-03-19T07:42:00.000+00:002009-03-19T07:42:00.000+00:00I'm not, actually - au contraire as they say in le...<I>I'm not, actually - au contraire as they say in less civilized regions of the world</I><BR/><BR/>You compared it to religion history. If that isn't an insult, what is?*<BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/>But to summarize, the "new" school will have no exams and no <A HREF="http://m-factor.blogspot.com/2009/02/homework.html" REL="nofollow">homework</A>, the student should learn everything they learn during the school hours and be evaluated at the same time. Right?<BR/>If that's where we headed, I think we need to add some more hours to the day, 'cause the student ani't gonna have time to all that in a 9-to-3 day.<BR/><BR/><BR/>*Yeah, can bad-mouth religion history. I'm not wokring in an academic institution**, so I'm not obliged to sweet-talk the soft sciences. ;-)<BR/><BR/>**On second thought, maybe I am. Damn.Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07766751546432262892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-32755403518315433042009-03-18T15:20:00.000+00:002009-03-18T15:20:00.000+00:00Hey, hey, HEY! No bad-mouthin' carpentry here! I'm...<I>Hey, hey, HEY! No bad-mouthin' carpentry here! </I><BR/><BR/>I'm not, actually - au contraire as they say in less civilized regions of the world<BR/><BR/><I>Did you also read that memo? "Proactive" and "can-do-attitude" were words I learned to use a lot there...</I><BR/><BR/>Dlbert is more a documentary than a comic stripWilhelmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120996976638555064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-1218579377562146932009-03-18T15:11:00.000+00:002009-03-18T15:11:00.000+00:00..so why act as if the pursuit of carpentry etc. i...<I>..so why act as if the pursuit of carpentry etc. isn't at least as noble/valuable/useful as getting a masters degree in religion history?</I><BR/><BR/>Hey, hey, HEY! No bad-mouthin' carpentry here! <BR/>:-D<BR/><BR/><I>But at least you proactively networked in order to leverage your synergies, something I'm sure the stockholders would've been delighted to hear.</I><BR/><BR/>Did you also read that memo? "Proactive" and "can-do-attitude" were words I learned to use a lot there...Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07766751546432262892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-2063592785625118112009-03-18T14:28:00.000+00:002009-03-18T14:28:00.000+00:00That's one way of looking at it. Another way is th...<I>That's one way of looking at it. Another way is that it can't be any worse then those reforms, and we need to undo them as soon as possible...</I><BR/><BR/>Undoing them and coming up with other random reforms in feeble attempts to increase student learning are two completely different things. The process of elimination is a crappy way to implement changes when there are many, many, many new ways to fail and some very documented and measurable ways to do something right.<BR/><BR/><I>Actually, I'm kinda feel like there is a shift on this from the mainstream media. This was the case a few years ago, but no people are more concerned about other subjects, like reading ability etc.</I><BR/><BR/>Perhaps in the mainstream media, but when it's talk of how high school students struggle during their first year at universities, it ain't 'cause they don't read so good, if you know what I mean. And these stories come up in mainstream media like clockwork following the first-year exams in math each and every year. If the year-round focus has shifted towards reading ability, it just means that the bar has been lowered further....<BR/><BR/><I>For what it's worth, I've always considered this a political choice. You can't be good at all subject, so the questions is how early are the pupils/ students start to specialize? And of course at what age are children start school.</I><BR/><BR/>Damn straight. So why should people who want to go to agricultural school have the study duration tripled, the extra curriculum being due solely to traditional academic subjects, in case they want to take a M.Sc. in astrophysics? <BR/><BR/>Good craftsmanship is invaluable, while mediocre academics with a B.Sc. are a dime a dozen, so why act as if the pursuit of carpentry etc. isn't at least as noble/valuable/useful as getting a masters degree in religion history?<BR/><BR/><I>That, and because not many in my English class wanted to do a project on Muddy Waters...</I><BR/><BR/>Imagine my shock<BR/><BR/><I>there weren't any problems, only challenges</I><BR/><BR/>..not to mention issues and learning opportunities. But at least you proactively networked in order to leverage your synergies, something I'm sure the stockholders would've been delighted to hear.<BR/><BR/><I>I actually manage to talk my Norwegian(?) teacher into a project where he did not check my homework, while some of my other class mates had the homework checked before every class.</I><BR/><BR/>You silver-tongued weasel. All that amounts to is that you were able to dupe your teacher into believing that you were more trustworthy than the other students, while the fact remains that you crammed everything the night before any test. As did I, I should mention.<BR/><BR/><I>And surprisingly, your conclusion was as expected.</I><BR/><BR/>That's just one white man's opinion :-)Wilhelmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08120996976638555064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5654649659503386270.post-12164660157596814402009-03-18T13:44:00.000+00:002009-03-18T13:44:00.000+00:00Read this yesterday, and I've been waiting for you...Read this yesterday, and I've been waiting for your take on this. And surprisingly, your conclusion was as expected. ;-)<BR/><BR/><I>We wish to measure student knowledge in a way which more closely resembles what they will encounter at universities..."). </I><BR/><BR/>Yes, I couldn't believe my eyes when I read this. Like Universities doesn't use exams to evalute students...<BR/><BR/><I>The people who'd be implementing this reform would be the same geniouses who have implemented every other education reform since the massive failure sometimes known as "Reform 94".</I><BR/><BR/>That's one way of looking at it. Another way is that it can't be any worse then those reforms, and we need to undo them as soon as possible...<BR/>;-)<BR/><BR/><I>There's lots of talk about how Norwegian students are slipping compared to other countries, especially in natural sciences and math.</I><BR/><BR/>Actually, I'm kinda feel like there is a shift on this from the mainstream media. This was the case a few years ago, but no people are more concerned about other subjects, like reading ability etc. <BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I've always considered this a political choice. You can't be good at all subject, so the questions is how early are the pupils/ students start to specialize? And of course at what age are children start school.<BR/><BR/><I>While teamwork is a fine activity, it's not exactly a secret that there are some differences with respect to how much weight each student pulls</I><BR/><BR/>For that reason, back in highschool, I used to ask if I could do team work projects by myself. That, and because not many in my English class wanted to do a project on Muddy Waters...<BR/><BR/><I>With respect to how exams induce stress; what types of jobs don't carry an element of stress related to maximum performance during short burts up against deadlines etc.? </I><BR/><BR/>Mine. Why do you ask?<BR/><BR/>Seriously, when I had a real job, one of the things I learned, was to deal with stress in such situations. Though we weren't allowed to call it stress (too negative), we called in pressure. In the same way there weren't any problems, only challenges...<BR/>:-)<BR/><BR/>On a sidenote, back in high school, I did have an ongoing debate with my teacher of whether the students was given enough responsibility. My position was that when you're 18, you should be able to take responsibility for your own learning (and thus preparing for the University style of learning). I actually manage to talk my Norwegian(?) teacher into a project where he did <B>not</B> check my homework, while some of my other class mates had the homework checked before every class. Theory being that I should be resposible to plan and prioritize my own work, while some of claimed they didn't do any homework unless it was checked.<BR/><BR/>Cudos to my old teacher for being willing to try new methods, though.<BR/><BR/>Ps: Too wordy, can't bother with proof-reading, so sorry for spelling-errors, half sentences and smiliar...Andershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07766751546432262892noreply@blogger.com