During my schoolyears I had exams since the age of 7, going from testing the basic skills three times a year at 7 to actual serious three week, all subjects included, thrice a year exam sessions from age 10 to 18.
Whilst it wasn't always fun and sometimes nervewracking, it certainly helped build a broad knowledge-base for further education.
Why do people nowadays seem hell-bent on keeping children away from educational hard work? How are they ever going to learn discipline?
2007-06-10 03:30:29 · 10 answers · asked by Elle Dee 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
Educational hard work and exams are not necessarily cohabitees.
It is easy for a teacher to test the breadth of knowledge of a student without them losing precious learning time revising and sitting exams.
The only true knowledge is that which you can, some thirty years later, dredge up from your memory and as a parent present to your offspring when they need answers for school. Or you want to be on Mastermind....!
Not every student can be successful at exams and those who excel at rote learning ( brain power and comprehension not a pre-requisite for that one trust me)often have the upper hand.
I have learnt from years of long experience not to put too much trust in certificates when employing people ( and I have a heap big bunch of them myself so my bias has just cause!
Stuff exams . Concentrate on making learning an experience that has flow and purpose.
2007-06-10 04:33:42 · answer #1 · answered by Christine H 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They Prob Realizd That The Stresss Is 2 Much For Young Kids, And That The 16 Year Olds And Over R Better Able To Cope With The Stress.
2007-06-10 10:47:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Working in a school, I find that the children get too stressed when you mention doing exams. Therefore for under 16's, I believe that there is too much pressure on them to do well. If a child was to fail an exam too, their belief in themselves would not be high and this would not prepare them for future exams.
I also feel that the exams that are sometimes taken are pointless. Year 9 sats for example are only used to make predictions for target grades at GCSE and state what class the student should be in.
However on the positive side, doing the exams, even if the children do fail, prepares them for their GCSEs and the children have an opportunity to improve on their education.
2007-06-10 17:27:00 · answer #3 · answered by Honey!! 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
What's the big deal? When I was at primary school we had tests several times a week (spelling, arithmetic etc) and formal exams every term. Nobody got stressed or excited; it was all part of the business.
The only reason kids get stressed nowadays is that they aren't used to actually having to learn something or to demonstrate that they know it. More learning would actually be relevant to life.
A couple of examples. When learning a foreign language, if you don'y know it by heart, you don't know it at all. When chatting to a German guy you can't suddenly break off & check something in your little book before speaking! Similarly, English vocabulary and spelling need to be learned to be used correctly and fluently. We don't all carry a dictonary around, and would look proper dumbos if we did.
The problem is one of (a) attitude, and (b) educational style.
2007-06-10 14:07:19 · answer #4 · answered by Michael B 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think that the idea is to stop the centralisation of results which have served no real useful purpose.
I take it that the end of year/term tests will take place because they will show what pupils have learned and more to the point what they have not taken on board. These tests are a useful tool for teachers and also allow for off syllabus work, which whilst covering the subject adds interest
2007-06-11 17:38:59 · answer #5 · answered by Scouse 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there are many ways to instill discipline into children terrifying the wits out of them and causing them more than enough pressure isnt one of them.
My poor little 8 year old has had a horrid couple of weeks with her sats to the point its made her ill.!!
these are their formative years and they need to be emotionally grounded as well and putting so much pressure on them at an insignificant time is wrong, when we went to school we didnt get any home work until we were going into secondary school besides learning for your weekly tests of spelling and numbers, and yet both my husband and me are educated people and we didnt need to experience that pressure until near adulthood.
In other countries , i beleive though i could be wrong places like canada , germany and switzerland they are in kindergarten until around 7 or 8 , and they have excellent educational rates.
School is tough enough for kids and takes up all of their time
they need to just be free to develop the education if taught properly will come......im not anti education , i just think it should be done differently having a few mocks at 13/14 isnt the end of the world in primary we personally think its wrong , and in case your wondering my husband and i are both graduates him having a masters and all without an exam in sight before the age of 13......it should be re addressed.
2007-06-10 19:06:47 · answer #6 · answered by britchick 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Me personally I hate exams I cant do them my mind goes to pot I can't think straight and consequently I don't do very well in them. Give me a vocational qualification I will do much better. 7 years old is too young for children to have so much pressure on them to perform. It is not for the benefit of the child but a measurement to see how well the teachers are doing. If we are not careful in 20 years time we will have a load of neurotic adults walking around unable to cope as they have had too much pressure piled on them in early life.
2007-06-10 13:58:03 · answer #7 · answered by dmbz2000 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
coz every year the rate of pass percentage has kept going up especially in getting A's and A*'s.
so obviously people have started saying that they've made the exams too easy now and its not challenging anymore, or differentiate between the really "clever" A's and A* kids.
2007-06-10 10:36:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They did ban course work because people keep plaidgurising it ... + to tell u somethin ... now teachers have a website... they can type up allll ur homework and they will see if u plaidgurised it ..
2007-06-10 10:45:51 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dunno but they are banning coursework as people can cheat and buy them on the internet so they can get the grades they want personally I don't think its fair as my year group are going to be the last ones to do it :(
2007-06-10 10:40:51 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋