Some people claim that they forget a foreign language if they don't practice it regularly. For instance, people stay one year in a foreign country, learn to use the local language, but forget how to speak it when they do not practice it anymore. If short-term memory maintained through daily practice is a general phenomenon, what is the long-term usefulness of exams testing knowledge based on memory of which >90% will not be used anymore in individual future careers (e.g. BAC or university exams)?
NIce list, but the first aim of studies is how to perform my profession. The wisdom in life is not teachable, it must be experienced.
The only purpose of exams is to test the student's ability to perform under pressure!
Strangely, that is the corollary!
More seriously now: For educators, it is still important for the course (and exam) to provide enough material for the student to be able to "hang new learning on". Think Velcro.
The truth is that no course or lecturer can ever fully anticipate the knowledge and skills that are required for the new jobs that the students will have invented for themselves in 50 years time. And weirdly, our exams do not test important generics like how to learn, how to do creative and critical thinking, develop curiosity, and become a life-time learner.
Don´t agree with Ian´s statements. You are right, students possibly won´t learn if there is no pressure. But the contents are really important. So exams and the connected stress is used to show students: "thats what you have to learn. Important contents!"
There is a similar debate at http://debatewise.org/debates/1215-are-examinations-a-fair-way-of-testing-our-knowledge/
And here is a nice quote:
“I've been making a list of the things they don't teach you at school. They don't teach you how to love somebody. They don't teach you how to be famous. They don't teach you how to be rich or how to be poor. They don't teach you how to walk away from someone you don't love any longer. They don't teach you how to know what's going on in someone else's mind. They don't teach you what to say to someone who's dying. They don't teach you anything worth knowing.” - Neil Gaiman
And here's my own private list:
What we we not taught at school:
- How to choose your life partner
- How to be a good husband / wife
- How to be a good father / mother
- How to be an entrepreneur
- How to cope with adversity in life
- That you will have many jobs in life
- How much fun grandchildren are!
NIce list, but the first aim of studies is how to perform my profession. The wisdom in life is not teachable, it must be experienced.
@Henk, you are telling my personal history. Please apply your knowledge, then you will keep all you´ve learned.
@Marcel, et al.,
You say 'If short-term memory maintained through daily practice is a general phenomenon, what is the long-term usefulness of exams testing knowledge based on memory of which >90% will not be used anymore in individual future careers...'
Perhaps it's only for some of us (teachers) where knowledge is indeed used in our career. There has been little change in school science!
https://www.researchgate.net/post/Did_you_notice_that_there_has_only_been_little_change_in_the_topics_taught_in_school_sciences_for_the_past_20_or_30_years
@Marcel. My major was Biochemistry, and I had a minor in Biology. All the time in varsity I was a book worm. To make sure that I could remember, I used music mnemonics, the Funnier, the better. Now I'm still doing mnemonics research to help my students. The idea is that Mnemonics convert short term memory to long term memory more efficiently :) An example here:
Data Electron Transport Chain (video recording)
@Ian: many of those things in your list are taught at Church. So are Creation and Redemption :))
That's fine. Great minds think alike : -)))
Check out my Krebs Cycle that uses 'Old Mac Donald had a farm' and 'Papa loves mama'. You have to upload to listen, ok?
I told you, the funnier, the better :)
Data The Krebs Cycle (video-recording)
@Marcel, in my place here, I had to do very well so that at any time, I could continue to do my MSc and PhD. During my time there was a quota system, but now with globalization, it is slightly better (towards meritocracy). I will send you a link soon.
What is the usefulness to memorize 90% of the learned knowledge early in life will be forgotten later in life? Are these figures correct? Are there any stats showing this?
The more you are forced to retrieve/recall information the more hardwired the neural networks for long term memory become.
In my opinion, exams are only problematic if they are memory tests and/or speed tests. Memory tests (perhaps) make sense for learning something like basic number facts at primary school but not in higher education. In the university context, exams should assess higher order thinking skills about the subject matter that has been taught, thus students should be expected to demonstrate deep understanding about the subject, and, therefore, the ability to analyse, synthesise and evaluate applied material (such as a case studies). Students should be given a generous amount of time to complete exams as well as access to basic information such as equations or formulae.
@Tony: You are right, everybody hopes that the simple facts are in memory during your uni time. But please imagine some medical docs who don´t know the bones, the whole anatomy and the most important relations between illness and infecting bacteria or virus. They - and not only the docs - need a long term memory of simple facts.
@Hanno: Genau so! You make a good point! I still think university exams should emphasise higher order thinking, so maybe 'vital' knowledge could be tested in shorter quizzes and/or in other contextualised ways connected to real-life.
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