The Importance Of The New World And Old Education

In his article “College Students Need to Toughen Up, Quit Their Grade Whining”, Robert Schlesingner addresses the emerging issue of grade inflation, and more specifically, the greater sense of entitlement that seems to prevail in the modern scholastic realm. Mr. Schlesingner begins his address by presenting his background and what standards and expectations were common during his time through both lower-level education and college. During his time [time in what?], a grade of C represented “adequate” or average work, B correlated with “an above average job”, and obtaining an A required “spectacular” performance by the student. [more concise] However, as cited by Mr. Schlesingner, an investigation by the University of California-Irvine seems to indicate that the values of each letter grade has changed, at least in the mind of the modern student with more students now believing that A’s and B’s should be more easily obtained and that the amount of effort put into a task should be considered when grading. Next, Mr. Schlesingner presents his opinions on this topic of grade inflation and the proper influence of student effort on grade. To conclude,

Robert Fried, professor of education at Northwestern University described in his book The Game of School the situation that some students are in with their education as that, “The environment of most schools regularly produces a crop of ‘losers’, either temporary or permanent. Temporary losers… are children whose talents go mostly unrecognized by their teachers and fellow students“ This is very important because if someone is depressed about who they are in school, grades it is extremely important for them to realize that they are not necessarily doomed to failure for the rest of their lives. There is a not insignificant chance of them fitting into the “temporary loser” category, in which case they can succeed in the real world. I have had several classes so far where the grades I get do not reflect my competence with the subject. It isn’t the student’s fault that this happens because it is the responsibility of the teacher to give relevant grades and the school system’s responsibility to allow the teachers to give relevant grades for their students. As I have the same teachers as my peers, it is not unreasonable to assume that it must be the same with them too. If this is the case, then it is important to keep in mind that the class grades might be misleading as to how successful you will be

For years, there have been many theorists who have shared their views on how individuals learn. Such research has determined that individuals have different learning styles. It is important for teacher to understand the learning styles of both themselves and their students because it helps them to relay the subject knowledge to the students. The teacher is in a position where they must be able to assess the learning styles of their students. This means that the students and teachers are both in a process of learning.

In the article A’s for Everyone, Alicia Shepard recognized a pattern in which her students placed too much emphasis on the letter grades received as opposed to the actual understanding and retention of the curriculum being taught. To understand this phenomenon, Shepard drew upon both the historical catalyst which led to it and her personal experience as a college professor. The systematic indoctrination of the importance of letter grades originated during the Vietnam War when "Men who got low grades could be drafted," (p. 3, par. 4). This having occurred, the pressure to obtain a higher grade became less about gaining knowledge and more about regurgitating information to receive an A. Subsequently, future generations stressed to their offspring

In Brent Staples' story, “Why Colleges Shower Their Students with A's” he explains how grades have gotten higher in colleges over the past years. Students and parents seem to demand for grades because of what they pay for college. Professors sometimes have no choice but to give in, because it might look bad on them or to avoid classes from being removed.

Furthermore, the author points out that grades are not improving because students and education are improving but rather because parents and students are demanding grades to be adjusted according to what they think it is needed not what it is deserved. “Students and parents are demanding -- and getting -- what they think of as their money's worth” (Staples, 216). Students are not receiving the grade they truly deserve based on their work but what the parents and the students themselves

Students have their own best way in effectively learning the lesson. With the diversity of students, the problem is each student has a preferred learning style. It becomes undeniably one of the reasons that make it difficult to achieve the best expected outcome out of teachers’ effort. However, teachers try to incorporate various teaching techniques to make every learning opportunity become productive, meaningful, and relevant for the learners.

Adults tell us the American Dream is not achieved without our hard work in school. The countless hours slaving over what seems to be pointless work, this must be the meaning of life. Students, once hopeful and brimming with aspirations such as CEO or astronaut, are pitted against each other in this war zone of education. This war zone is not about the importance of garnering knowledge, it is all about class ranking and a GPA. Oh, what a thing this GPA represents. Educators grade our assignments on how much we “understand” and then average them. This average is translated to another number, bonus points if the class preludes with AP or ends with “H”. The GPA coupled with the ACT or SAT, standardized tests that students take to measure their

Imagine living in a world where one cannot think freely. Everything a person knows is predetermined by the government; any further knowledge is nonexistent. Any like or dislike that a person has is due to conditioning, not by their own choosing. People aren’t thoughtful individuals; they’re robots, programmed to the government’s liking. Everyone is simply a cog in its machine. Now, many folks might take comfort in the belief that this could never happen in real life. Unfortunately, the dystopic society depicted in Aldous Huxley’s novel Brave New World is shaping up to quite possibly be the future of the world that we know today.

It is important especially when it comes to education. These types of strategies help engage students by learning how to become great critical thinkers, and develop different type of skills that keep them on task. By allowing this to take place, we must know that different learning styles do exist. Every student has his or her own way with learning. This is what makes them unique. Being able to use different learning styles in education is highly recommended. It is highly recommended because; it helps educators assess the learning styles that students use to help them be successful at learning. Teachers then adapt to their strategies that help them teach the class with the proper curriculum that is provided by the school. This is for the best to fit student needs. “A teaching strategy comprises the principles and methods used for instruction” (Boundless, n.d., para.6). The teaching strategies that teachers use rely on the message that is being delivered the right away. The information and skills that are being taught daily are under the influence of learning styles, aptitude, attitude, and excitement from the students. Students learn by teaching which allows them to teach their peers by working in groups. This helps with student engagement and keeping them on task while they are gaining more knowledge by the skills and information that they are

Have you ever received a grade that did not reflect to how much work you put into the class? This is a struggle for some students. Grades determine if students can pass on to the next grade level and where one student is compared to the class. A student should not be measure how intelligent he or she is because he or she made a bad grade. That student could have multiple reasons why he or she did not do well on the test or in the class. A grade that a student receives may not reflect him or her and should not define him or her as a good or bad student. Also, some students are so worried about getting a good grade they stress out over the test and do not focus on learning the class material.

Television and movies portray college to be one big party with lots of kegs and girls who go crazy. While there is that, the main reason for college is to academically evolve and get a higher education. Without the necessary grades, one cannot stay in college. High school graduates tend to forget about this requirement and focus on the partying more than the studying. For example, at the University of Tampa it is required for most majors that students maintain a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) if they wish to stay in the institution. There has been the case where students cannot keep up with this lifestyle, juggling between schoolwork and excessive partying; forcing them to drop out during their first two semesters. According to Reuters: “The United States has the highest dropout rate in the

By having a complete understanding of this can be used to minimize problems in the classroom making it a great learning environment. By incorporating different learning styles into the curriculum a teacher will be able to recognize which learning style works best for each child and also be able to recognize any learning problems or delays that may exist.

Many studies stress the effect of teaching style on learners' achievements (Conti, 1985; Miglietti & Strange, 1998). Teaching style refers to "a predilection toward teaching behavior and the congruence between educators’ teaching behavior and teaching beliefs" (Heimlich & Norland, 1994, p.34). In fact, teaching styles are reflections of a combination of teachers' theoretical assumptions and actual teaching practice. Jarvis (2004) provides a more vivid account of teaching style and believes that a style “is the totality of one’s philosophy, beliefs, values, and behaviors, and it incorporates the full implementation of this philosophy; it consists of substantiation and support of beliefs about values and attitudes toward elements of the student learning and teacher learning exchange” (p. 40). According to the results of the mentioned studies about teaching styles, it is obvious that by being aware of these styles, teachers can improve their effective teaching and their students’ learning by using the appropriate style in specific

Many students attend college with hopes of earning an education and pursuing a better life. Little do they know the large amount of effort a student must place in their schoolwork in order to receive high grades. When I began attending Shasta College, I understood that because of my age I may be treated differently than the average student. I did not want to be given high grades, I wanted to earn them and to be proud of my success. As a result, I aspired to place a large emphasis on every assignment I received. I deserve an A grade in my English class due to my persistence, hard work, and regular class attendance.