Education has always been a serious issue that gained a lot of attention from people all over the world. In Vietnam, most school thinks more highly of “teach to the test” lessons more than experiential lessons as they believe that such classes can make it easier for students to enter their desired universities with superb results. From my perspective, I think this trend can pose some detrimental problems to students.
One of the consequences of teaching to the test is cheating in exams. Since their whole course is focused on the test, students may withstand higher pressure of passing exams along with the growing fear of failure. Such anxieties will stimulate students to try any possible cheating method just to make sure they get a passing score. As a result, students become too dependent on cheating to pass tests regardless of the knowledge they actually acquire. Crucial information and skills being skipped is another negative impact of “teach to the test” lessons. It is such an inextricable problem that many teachers can accidentally miss some of the key, relevant information owing to their planned teaching program of test plan or practice exams. For example, if students are strictly taught the six hands-on skills they need to know for the NOCTI Medical Assisting exam, they will be able to do those skills easily; but medical assistants need to know how to do more than just those six skills. Consequently, this way of teaching can hinder students’ future work as it does not provide them with complete vital skills as well as knowledge to perform the needed tasks.
Teaching to the test can help students do better on their exams, but it often results in students learning based on memorization instead of practice or critical thinking. Not just by memorizing knowledge, students also need to know how to carry out processes, use technology, and solve problems for a well-rounded studying. Furthermore, if students are learning only for passing a test, they are likely to encounter barriers that preclude them from not only having a long-term retention of information they have learnt but also a profound understanding of the lessons. Additionally, such method of teaching reduces students’ exposure to real experience and application of the lessons. This can be tremendously prejudicial to students as they may pass a certification exam, but they’ll end up lacking numerous essential skills and having to re-learn a lot of information on the job after they’re hired. Thus, students might be qualified as substandard or even worse, face the risk of dismissal.
To sum up, teaching to the test is a negative trend that needs to be taken into serious consideration before being put into actual use according to its devastating influences on students’ education.
Education has always been a serious issue that gained
a lot of
attention from
people
all over the world. In Vietnam, most school
thinks
more
highly
of “teach to the
test”
lessons
more than experiential
lessons
as they believe that such classes can
make
it easier for
students
to enter their desired universities with superb results. From my perspective, I
think
this trend can pose
some
detrimental problems to students.
One of the consequences of
teaching
to the
test
is cheating in exams. Since their whole course
is focused
on the
test
,
students
may withstand higher pressure of passing exams along with the growing fear of failure. Such anxieties will stimulate
students
to try any possible cheating method
just
to
make
sure they
get
a passing score.
As a result
,
students
become too dependent on cheating to pass
tests
regardless of the knowledge they actually acquire. Crucial
information
and
skills
being skipped
is another
negative
impact of “teach to the
test”
lessons
. It is such an inextricable problem that
many
teachers can
accidentally
miss
some of the
key, relevant
information
owing to their planned
teaching
program of
test
plan or practice exams.
For example
, if
students
are
strictly
taught the six hands-on
skills
they
need
to know for the
NOCTI
Medical Assisting exam, they will be able to do those
skills
easily
;
but
medical assistants
need
to know how to do more than
just
those six
skills
.
Consequently
, this way of
teaching
can hinder
students’
future work as it does not provide them with complete vital
skills
as well
as knowledge to perform the needed tasks.
Teaching to the
test
can
help
students
do better on their exams,
but
it
often
results in
students
learning based on memorization
instead
of practice or critical thinking. Not
just
by memorizing knowledge,
students
also
need
to know how to carry out processes,
use
technology, and solve problems for a well-rounded studying.
Furthermore
, if
students
are learning
only
for passing a
test
, they are likely to encounter barriers that preclude them from not
only
having a long-term retention of
information
they have
learnt
but
also
a profound understanding of the
lessons
.
Additionally
, such method of
teaching
reduces
students’
exposure to real experience and application of the
lessons
. This can be
tremendously
prejudicial to
students
as they may pass a certification exam,
but
they’ll
end
up lacking numerous essential
skills
and having to re-learn
a lot of
information
on the job after they’re hired.
Thus
,
students
might
be qualified
as substandard or even worse, face the
risk
of dismissal.
To sum up,
teaching
to the
test
is a
negative
trend that
needs
to
be taken
into serious consideration
before
being put
into actual
use
according to its devastating influences on
students’
education.