| Teachers are all at sea: despite a great deal of | | | | study area, rather than to give students |
| effort over the past 20 years, academic | | | | reasonable chance of demonstrating their |
| achievement among high school students | | | | achievements of specific learning goals. |
| continues to lag behind. In their attempt to | | | | Needless to say, such attitude creates a fearful |
| improve school results, the educators are trying | | | | attitude of students towards assessment. They |
| to find roots of poor academic achievement of | | | | are learning not for acquiring some knew exciting |
| high school students. | | | | facts, but for getting a "pass." Education comes |
| Some point the finger at the outrageous | | | | to grades rather than knowledge. |
| homework loads students are snowed under. | | | | 3. Incoherent Assessment Tasks |
| Supporters of this idea argue that students are | | | | It is deplorable that the everyday practice of |
| overburdened with academic demands of | | | | most teachers is to set numerous, |
| questionable value and, as a result, end up | | | | time-consuming and unrelated tasks that ask for |
| indifferent to studies, exhausted, and worn out. | | | | a great deal of work to be done in the shortest |
| Probably, there is some grain of truth in this claim. | | | | time period. Consequently, this approach makes |
| However, recent investigations have rebutted | | | | students adopt surface approaches to learning by |
| these suggestions... | | | | clutching at facts and memorising them as best |
| The recent Pew Research Centre poll has | | | | as they can in order to pass. |
| produced unprecedented results: it's not high | | | | Things would have changed, if teachers built the |
| pressure, but low expectations that are bringing | | | | unrelated assessment tasks into a coherent |
| the American students down! | | | | whole. This way, students would be able to work |
| This claim was corroborated by Denise Clark | | | | on coherent projects, gain systematic and |
| Pope, a Stanford University lecturer who has | | | | profound knowledge in the subject area. |
| written about the effects of stress on students. | | | | Moreover, they would be more challenged to do |
| The research she conducted in comfortable San | | | | their own research, show initiative, and be |
| Francisco Bay Area communities proves that the | | | | proactive. |
| reason of poor level of knowledge is not the | | | | 4. Lack of Personal Approach |
| heavy workload students are exposed to but the | | | | With mass classes consisting of more than 20 |
| lack of challenge in the school environment. | | | | children, many students feel deprived of the due |
| Thus, it gets straight that the problem of low | | | | attention on their teacher's part. They are placed |
| academic proficiency lies with what - rather than | | | | among the great lot of students without their |
| how much - students are asked to do. And now, | | | | personal interests, and problems with studying |
| the main contributing factors that lead to low | | | | being taken into account. |
| learning proficiency of high school students are | | | | As a result, students don't feel cared about, lose |
| wrong approach to assessments, incoherent | | | | their identity, become indifferent to studies and |
| assessment tasks, teachers' and parents' | | | | lose faith in the brighter future. It is a problem of |
| indifference. Unfortunately, this list is rather long... | | | | a great lot of students. |
| 1. Incomprehension of the Studying Purpose | | | | 5. Parents' Attitude |
| The main reason why so many students don't | | | | Unfortunately, a great number of parents also |
| feel interested in what they are doing at school is | | | | contribute to the problem of low interest in |
| the incomprehension of their studying routine. In | | | | studies. Many of them have a "performance |
| fact, a vast majority of teachers are even not | | | | orientation," which emphasises results such as |
| bothered to explain to their students what the | | | | students' grades, rather than whether they |
| learning outcomes are, why they need to achieve | | | | master the material. On top of that, they are |
| them and how they will be assessed. | | | | reluctant to weigh-in and help their children with |
| Thus, students read stacks of books, write | | | | home tasks for the fear of being unable to |
| hundreds of essays having no idea of the initial | | | | answer a question and lose children's respect. |
| purpose of all this hassle and bustle. They | | | | However, these fears are unjustified. This way |
| accomplish their tasks by command which needs | | | | parents mislead their confused children, refuse to |
| to be bluntly carried out. Studies become a real | | | | give them a helping hand with studies and |
| must, a dreadful duty, which results in lack of | | | | aggravate the existing problems. |
| interest, reluctance to study and show initiative. | | | | Thus, it gets clear that children are wrongly aimed |
| 2. Wrong Assessment Approach | | | | at quantity of knowledge rather than quality. As |
| Another contributing factor to the downward | | | | Denise Clark Pope has put it, "There is too much |
| knowledge proficiency is the wrong approach of | | | | content-and-coverage stress. It should be about |
| assessment. The matter is that assessment is | | | | challenging and engaging students on multiple |
| often wrongly intended by teachers as | | | | levels." And if radical steps aren't taken in the |
| punishment for students, or traps to catch them | | | | nearest future, the situation is likely to be |
| out. Grades seem to exist in order to show | | | | aggravated. |
| students' errors, mistakes and drawbacks in the | | | | |