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The tests that were being done by Shayer are things that according to Piaget
Simplistic answers(a
like too much testing (or too high stakes--although I would prefer higher
stakes, but with the consequences firmly on the students), lack of recess
pitiful one), or the catch all "it's George Bush's fault" (soon to betechnology
unavailable), miss the complexity of the interplay of society and
and the effects on individuals.
I agree that stakes for testing need to be mostly on the students,
but they can also be so high there that either they discourage the
students or further encourage cheating, or both. I still feel that by
placing so much emphasis on current learning of factoids we miss the
most important aspect of education, and that is what remains after
all the factoids have long since been forgotten. Of course, that is
difficult to measure, especially in the short term, and we as a
society seem to be mostly interested in the short term, believing
(hoping?) that the long term will take care of itself.
But I would like to focus on the issue of recess. Rick denegrates it
as an issue ("pitiful"), but, at least at the primary and middle
grades, I think it is terribly important. High school is probably
different, because they have never, in my memory had recess, as such,
although I do decry the dramatic decrease in physical education
requirements. Teenagers, especially, are bursting with energy, and
they need someplace to burn that off, or they become increasingly
restive in class. Our kids are far too sedentary now, and the absence
of recess only makes that situation worse. I think it has been pretty
well establish that a reasonable degree of exercise is necessary to
make learning effective. Completely sedentary students tend to have
short attention spans, either wandering off to mischief, or to sleep.
All students need some activity, just to keep an adequate supply of
blood moving through their brains. And as John C. has pointed out,
much of the students' social education comes from interactions at
recess. So I see recess as something much more than Rick's "pitiful."
Without exercise, mental activity suffers. So I would argue to bring
back recess in primary and middle grades and daily physical education
classes for high schools.