This describes the learning environment of far too many school systems and classrooms. No wonder that many kids "become frightened of being wrong." Students are being taught in school that there is one answer, one correct way to solve a problem, and if you do not state the correct way, then you are WRONG! How disheartening? I recently witnessed this while tutoring a child one-on-one in math. She had missed several questions on a math worksheet, and the teacher had simply marked them all wrong. The student told me, "I didn't understand this." Maybe the teacher should help with understanding instead of lowering self-esteem by marking every question wrong?
All of this does tie into the subject of creativity. As stated in the video, "We don't grow into creativity. We grow out of it." This could not be more true. Students are scared away from creativity because it is taught that there is one way of doing things and everything else is WRONG! So why would a child risk finding other solutions when the result is obvious?
When I become a teacher, I plan to encourage activities that allow children to think creatively and explore possibilities. I am aware that there will be certain times when a worksheet or a test will have to be used, but I am at least going to consider what the student could have been thinking instead of simply grading a paper right or wrong. Teachers have a much more important job than just achieving good scores. We are to love, nurture, and invest in every child. By doing this, we can educate and create a positive learning environment.
I really like how you used scenarios of what happens in everyday classrooms. I definitely think only having “one right answer” makes students shy away from guessing, especially if it’s short answer or essay. Now, I know we don’t want our students to guess, but it’s better than not writing anything at all because they’re afraid of being wrong.
ReplyDeleteThe story about the girl not understanding her math assignment is really disheartening. The teacher should have looked at the child’s answers more in depth to figure out what it was that the student was having trouble understanding. The teacher could have looked at the side work or the answer to discover exactly what the student was struggling with, rather than marking them all wrong. How can that teacher assess that specific child if they’re not even looking for the problem?
Although it’s essential to have worksheets and tests inside the classroom, I do think it’s important to encourage creativity throughout assignments. It’s true that there will always be right and wrong answers, but teachers can always make room for creativity as well.