Dear Sue,
I have a question about how to take exams in U.S., what is important, concepts or mnemonics?
In Iran, Some of professors give an exam and just student who can memorize better or read a lot lessons can give good a mark and it is wrong.
Last term, I had a proffessor who give marks with different methods. Our final exam was open book and that was just one question. The exam take for about 4 hours and take one hour and half to understand the question and after proffessor guidnace we could almost understand what question is.
Indeed, He wanted us to design new thing rather than use the mnemonic and student who understand good can solve the question.
at the end, we must complete a project which it was a calculator,It was hard for us. For the proffessor what important was how much we learn from the project(saying this sentense is difficult, I think I have a lot of mistakes, please say me errors). Some student couldn't display any things on a little LCD but he said: "Don't worry, it isn't important, I want you learn and you almost give completely mark."
I think understanding more important than memorizing and this method is very effective and useful.
Take care, Faranak.
2 comments:
Hi Faranak, I am so glad to hear from you. You describe an argument that educators have had since the early Greeks and I'm sure since the early Persian Empire: To fill the students' heads full of known knowledge, or to ask them to USE that knowledge in a creative way.
I am from the second school of education, but, in a technical, scientific field, such as you are in, one has to expect to memorize a lot of facts and information. It is true in America as well as Iran. However, to have a teacher who asks you to use the knowledge you have learned in a creative way shows him to be an extraordinary teacher. We have the same argument here. There are standardized tests and teachers are expected to teach so that students will pass that test at every grade level. However, we are finding that that doesn't raise academic levels as fast as other methods: Having expectations, working with parents, teaching thinking skills and creative uses of material learned. The most difficult test I had in college was an open book Shakespeare final. I never worked so hard on any other test.
My dear friend, I will talk to you about your English in another post. OK?? Take care, Sue
Hi Faranak, Let me ask you to clarify something for me: The latest Time Magazine published an article critical of US education due to the fact that students are out of school for about 8 to 10 weeks in the summer and two weeks at Christmas. This is a hold-over from the days when young family members had to help on the farm. Now America is more urban, kids aren't needed on the farm and the argument is that the US is behind other countries due to this time off. My questions are:
1. How many years education do you have to have in Iran before you can enroll in college?
2. Is this paid for by the state? For everyone?
3. How much time off do students at the elementary or secondary levels get? Do they have a winter holiday? How long is it?
Your curious friend,
Sue
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