It was the night before the math CCT. Swimming through the seas of undated notes, sprinting fingers through MSN Messenger to answer my doubtful mind, munching Milo powder in a desperate attempt to hold up my heavy eyelids. Ah, the sleepy odor of déjà vu. It was the night before the physics CCT. Swimming through…… Ah, you get the point.
If this is what happens before every CCT, what is the point of having CCTs? But first, what is the point of CCTs? Or rather, what is the school’s aim of having CCTs? From the word ‘test’, we can infer that the school is trying to test whether we have absorbed what we have learnt in class. Unfortunately, for all of us, in our CCT filled lives, we don’t remember everything we’ve learnt everyday in class, and what’s more unfortunate, is that a majority of us don’t have to pay attention in class, study last minute, and still achieve commendable results. This can be seen from, well, almost everyone. Why is it that the night before the CCT, instead of your MSN Messenger contact list being empty and dead, everyone from class is online, with the status ‘busy’? Obviously, everyone is asking each other about things like what would be tested, or what have they learnt, or what notes are useful, etcetera. Is this what the schools really want? Sleeping in class, rushing information into your head at the last minute, still getting 4.0, is this what our Singapore’s world renown educational system is made up of?
Not only have schools missed out on the students’ point of view, they have came up with a solution, but it is not widely use. The solution? Performance tasks. Learning how to work in a group, researching on information by yourself from libraries or the internet, learning how to make full use of Microsoft Office, speaking in front of your class, designing posters, writing reports on your project, aren’t these skills more essential than trying to memorize information by heart, and spilling it all out the next day on a piece of paper? In the near future, when all of us will be most probably working, will the skills acquired from the doing performance tasks more practical or memorizing skills acquired from last minute memorizing of information? Okay, some of you might say that “Hey, I don’t memorize stuff last minute, I listen very attentively in class, and only need to flip through my notes for a few minutes.” Fine. Granted that not everyone is like me, let’s make a comparison: Firstly, we can acquire new knowledge, from atomic bonds to algebra, from both CCTs, and performance tasks. However, the practical skills acquired from doing performance tasks can never be touched by studying for CCTs!
Based on the knowledge that the students of today won’t improve as much doing ALL CCTs, as compared to ALL performance tasks, I strongly propose that we scrap the CCTs, and instead, replace them all with performance taks.
Isn't this an example of the fallacy of sentimental appeal? While some evidence is used, you also distract the audience by appealing to their emotions, sidestepping the issue. I think you should include more facts instead of rhetoric.
ReplyDeleteThis essay is incredibly elitist in the sense that it only applies to the students achieving good grades. what about the students who fail? you should consider why the CCTs are not the best method of determining intellectual standards for both the high achievers and more importantly the average or lower achievers.
ReplyDeletePerformance tasks are sure better than CCts. but you have try and address the counter-arguments of how PTs can be bad as well.
ReplyDeleteFor example, when YiZu agreed to do the physics project with Dehn, Yi Hua and Ryan, and then YiZu was to do the poster then the rest of the group supposed to do the presentation and write-up.
So yizu did his job in doing the poster, and the write-up was done, but needless to say, the presentation was epic fail because nobody printed a script, and nobody except yizu actually looked at the powerpoint ryan made.
And the yizu had to suffer bad marks because of the rest of his group members. Quite unfair right?
Perhaps, can't blame anyone, but the fact is that when if anyone of the group members dont give 100%, it will bring down the rest of the group.
Ya. I want my penny for my thoughts =P
There should be a bit more stuff on the opposition's side...? Also, like Guan Hao says, less sentimental appeal.
ReplyDeleteThe weaknesses of CCT (last minute mugging) was quite well done, though.
YiHua
What if I came up with the counter-argument that the student should have had better time-management and studied earlier before the CCT to avoid studying late the night before.
ReplyDelete-benedict
o_p
ReplyDeleteYour blog header hurts my eyes.
I like your introduction, but coffee powder is cheaper and more efficient than milo.
Bitter and sweet at the same time.
guys guys guys. instead of providing rebuttals to his commentary (which will only lengthen his edit) why not tell him how to improve on the points he already has in order to gain as many marks as possible? more conducive right?
ReplyDelete