http://www.teachersmonthly.com/index.php/2010/02/more-matric-woes/ Education News, Articles, Reviews & Resources Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:09:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.teachersmonthly.com/index.php/2010/02/more-matric-woes/comment-page-1/#comment-133 Dereck Marnewick Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:23:25 +0000 http://www.teachersmonthly.com/?p=291#comment-133 For most of the first 6-9 years of schooling parents land up doing much of the 'project' work for their children. If the first 9 years of schooling relied more heavily on well designed tests, for completion at school, then 1. it be preparing learners for the reality they will face from Grade 10 upwards 2. it would be a more accurate reflection of learner ability vs parent input. In the past 10 or so years, the system has focussed on skills, forgetting that most skills require knowledge in order to be practised - the doctor uses her skill to diagnose a patient - this skill is based on a great deal of knowledge! Without the proper assessment of knowledge retention by our learners, we think they are developing skills, but who is being fooled? For most of the first 6-9 years of schooling parents land up doing much of the ‘project’ work for their children.
If the first 9 years of schooling relied more heavily on well designed tests, for completion at school, then
1. it be preparing learners for the reality they will face from Grade 10 upwards
2. it would be a more accurate reflection of learner ability vs parent input.
In the past 10 or so years, the system has focussed on skills, forgetting that most skills require knowledge in order to be practised – the doctor uses her skill to diagnose a patient – this skill is based on a great deal of knowledge!
Without the proper assessment of knowledge retention by our learners, we think they are developing skills, but who is being fooled?

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