Log 1: 8/29/11
Should teachers give multiple choice exams to be done in a group?
Christine: I don’t think they should. If it was an open ended exam then yes this would be fine because then they can all discuss it and come up with different answers. But if it’s a multiple choice exam then everyone can just copy one kid and not learn the material.
Danny: I agree, because if one kid knows the answer then they are all just going to copy.
April: Yeah I don’t agree because students learn at a different level and it’s unfair for other kids who don’t know the material.
Christine: Exactly because they are not developing any skills. They are just being fed the information and not cognitively thinking, which then leads to them not learning anything.
Danny: Maybe if it was an open book exam instead of a multiple choice exam then it would be ok-
Gabe: It would be better because multiple choice exams are too direct and there’s no interaction to learn from each other. It is just one correct answer and no room for discussion.
Mike: It gives the students an opportunity to give their opinion and be heard. I feel like this is when it is ok to give group exams.
Gabe: Right because they can give different answers-
Danny: and different scenarios.
Ana: I agree to this because in multiple choice exams only the smart kids understand it while the others don’t. The teacher then doesn’t know who’s struggling with the material and who is not.
Christine: This is true, especially because children at this age don’t care about learning the material they just care about getting a good grade.
Danny: If the school system wasn’t based on grades then this would be the perfect way to give exams because then they will all work together to see why it is the right answer and not just worry about the grades.
Christine: Right because collaboration is important and sometimes in these groups they all don’t talk. They just want to know what the answer is.
Mike: It states on the book that children from the ages of 7-11 can’t think abstractly, so maybe instead of giving multiple-choice question that contain abstract answers that are all the same, but in different wording. This will be difficult for them but will start discussion in the group. That way they all have to work together and come up with different answers and reasons as to why this is so.
Christine: Yeah that’s a good idea. They can even be given a pretest because then they are all helping each other understand the material in order to do good in the exam. Plus they also don’t have to worry about the grade factor so it might relax them more and they are able to think better.
Danny and Gabe: (both agreed) that since the situation given is in a group the teacher wont know who’s right or wrong. The teacher only sees the one copy of the exam where more than likely the answers are correct and then assumes that all the students understand the material and moves on to the next lesson.
Mike: Well who knows? Maybe it works, sometimes it allows the shy kid to speak up in situations like these so that he learns how to give his own opinions and share his ideas and knowledge of the material.
Ana: Not really, in some psychological articles it has been proven that when put in a group; people tend to give in to the popular vote. It doesn’t matter if they believe they are right or wrong, they start feeling unsure about their answers and don’t want to speak against everyone. This should be especially true if the kid is usually shy.
Christine: The kid might not want to speak up in cases like these, making them too vulnerable. Another factor the teacher should look into is the environment the students are raised in. Not all these students are raised in the same home environment therefore they learn differently and sometimes don’t grasp the information the same pace the others do.
April: Some students I’ve been teaching don’t work well with others. When put in that predicament sometimes they might open up but other times they won’t. This is something we as teachers are going to have to take into consideration when coming up with group exams. And they don’t always cooperate with each other.
Danny: Some kids take charge and don’t accept an opinion. They are not open to discussing because they don’t want to be wrong. This makes the situation complicated because the timid kid is not going to engage while the other one wont cooperate.
Christine: It is important at a high school level to engage because this is a time they don’t feel self-worth. They can build confidence working in groups but at the same time it can affect it negatively.
Danny: As a teacher it is good to see how they behave in groups. But this doesn’t mean they (teachers) should do this as an exam. This is good to do prior to an exam, that way they can feed off each other.
Christine: It’s our job to make that atmosphere where the students feel comfortable with each other and are learning adequately to their level. This can be hard because they’re so many of them.
Danny: It goes beyond that because there are children issues that have to be taken into consideration. Sometimes they have a lot of drama going on at home or even with the students at the same school. Without knowing you can set up two people that “hate” each other and then it goes down hill from there. This is the tough part.
Gabe: This is the part where we must let them guide themselves. If you just throw them down they will be lost. We have to observe and find out who the leaders are and who are timid, that way we can just group one leader with four timid people so that they’ll work together.
Christine: I have been in that situation and even in college it doesn’t work. Only one person does the talking while the other just sit there and listen.
Danny: It’s different in college though, because you chose to come to here, in high school you don’t really have a choice.
Mike: Ok guys, so how about we move on to the second question, there is more than one you know. Are there specific times when this kind of collaboration could be productive? This can be productive in the middle or the end of the class you should break up the class into groups and have them answer questions together, so they can learn from one another by explaining the reason they each chose their answer. Afterwards, the class should come together and discuss their answers for the multiple choice question and how they came about that. This way they all engage with one another and learn. But it is important to mention that this is not an exam, just a group discussion.
Danny: Right something that doesn’t have a lot at stake.
April: Something like a test prep, that way they can work together and not have to worry about it affecting their grades, which then leads to them communicating more and worrying less about choosing the correct answers.
Christine: Right because they won’t be as nervous.
(Here we realize we were answering the wrong questions and now we are discussing the right ones…)
Christine: I think Vygotsky’s ZPD zone is important because as a teacher we need to be aware of where the students stand so that we can stimulate them to want to learn more.
Danny: This is really hard. As a future teacher my fear is that after being in front of a class for like 15 minutes discussing a lesson, and I ask if they understand it, they just give me blank stares and no one got it.
Mike: This is why I want to make my class mostly about discussion. As an art teacher you don’t really have to worry too much about materials that are going to be covered in state exams or certain lesson you have to make sure to teach them.
Danny: Yeah our class is where they come to relax and enjoy their time.
Gabe: This is true to a certain extent. We still have papers.
Ana: It depends what kind of art you are teaching. A lot of my high school art teachers didn’t give out many papers. Most of the focus was on the actual art work. Even the papers weren’t hard; they were mainly focused on certain artist’s life.
Gabe: I guess it can be different; it’s your own class so it’s your choice as a teacher.
Mike: In order to make mines interesting I want to ask them what they want to learn. That way I can still teach them what I want but also take their ideas into consideration and make them want to come to class.
Gabe: Scaffolding! Meaning teaching through support. You can’t just throw knowledge at them. You have to guide them. It is very important to see where they stand and push them where they need to be pushed.
Christine: Right because high school students are egocentric and think abstractly this is great for art. We can create a great atmosphere with this.
Danny: This is still tough because at this age they might not like critiques. They might feel like they are being critiqued themselves instead of viewing it as constructive criticism.
April: This is where we as teachers have to set a standard. Many of the students don’t know how to give critiques. We have to show them what is appropriate to critique and what wrong things to say are. And to show them that they shouldn’t feel offended but instead take it to improve their artwork.
Mike: This is where we bring in language to our classes.
Christine: Even in college people just don’t speak in critiques. I had a teacher who would make us all say words that described the piece, like confusing, and then explain why. Maybe this can be useful for high school students.
(End of Class)
