Examine This

2 November 2008, 8:35 PM

The time of the mid-semester madness is upon us, and has left none untouched. The teaching profession is beset by one of the most pernicious vices of traditional education: the pattern that emerges around written examinations. Exams tend to send students and educators alike in a counter-educational tailspin that puts us all to shame. And the worst thing is, we never seem to learn.

I should admit that I always loved exams, because I have an irrepressible urge to be applauded and was able to get straight As on reams of exams of which I now remember nothing. Yet as a teacher I have found that exams are endured as a necessary (or even unnecessary) evil by most students, who do not feel that results reflect anything of consequence. In many cases they are right.

Yet much of the educational system, certainly in the developing world, still glorifies the traditional written exam. Where I teach, we are gradually catching on to ongoing assessments, some of them alternative. Yet most of the ongoing assessment still consists of quizzes. While this system has certain virtues, they are not a reflection of students’ real ability to use their learning, particularly in language skills. It is certainly not a reflection of an ability to cope in the 21st century.

But here we are, halfway into the semester, with half our teaching corps on their haunches like performing poodles, and the rest simply on their knees. The next three weeks will be laid on the altar of the traditional written exam, accomplish nothing, upset students and provoke a torrent of flattery, negotiation and attempted bribery.

It is times like these that I truly think we, the educators, are the ones who have a great deal to learn.