Thursday, March 5, 2020

Testing what has been taught

Lynn posted these in Facebook.  They seem to be repeated in several places, not just Diply.

https://www.google.com/search?q=in+which+battle+did+Napoleon+die


To see these items, click on the link and then "Images" in the line below the search window.

  1. In which battle did Napoleon die?  His last

  2. Where was the Declaration of Independence signed? At the bottom of the page

  3. The Ravi river flows in which state?  Liquid state

  4. What is the main reason for divorce? Marriage


I used to teach educational testing and these answers seem correct to me.  I do suspect this was never a real exam because of the wide diversity of the questions.  It can be embarrassing for a teacher to directly ask "What did I teach you about Napoleon's death?" The usual stance is that we want the student to know and understand, not simply memorize.  Memorization can be surprisingly valuable, but educational evaluators run into the problem that the teachers don't remember what they were taught in grade 8, the principal doesn't remember and gets angry when we ask him to.  


Much data supports the value of traditional education, especially for those who like school and try.  Some people advocate the use of Benjamin Bloom's categories

Knowledge or Memorization - literally, what was taught

Comprehension - what is the meaning of what was taught

Application - how can what was taught be used

Analysis - find what was taught in materials or ideas

Synthesis - create something that uses what was taught

Evaluation - consider how valuable what was taught is likely to be


P.S. Napoleon didn't die in battle but in exile.

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