jenks
thread death
I think there are two different debates occuring here. One is about the actual process of plagiarism, which most seem to think is wrong/pointless and the other is about modes of assessment.
The second is the gordian knot of education and the plagiarism issue could well be linked to the attempt in the eighties to move towards continuous assessment and coursework and away from terminal examination.
Luka's points are all about original thought and the ability to construct an informed personal response, something that the examination specifications are incapable of rewarding (and that most students are incapable of producing). When this is allied to something akin to payment by results (league tables and ofsted) then it is no surprise to see schools 'teaching to the tests' and turning performance into a straitjacket of exam technique. On top of this, most students are happy to do this because they do not necessarily value education in any other way than in how it will help them to get a job.
I don't know the solution but asked a upper sixth literature class how they would like to be examined and they all thought the old fashioned idea of a viva would be fairer and more accurate.
The second is the gordian knot of education and the plagiarism issue could well be linked to the attempt in the eighties to move towards continuous assessment and coursework and away from terminal examination.
Luka's points are all about original thought and the ability to construct an informed personal response, something that the examination specifications are incapable of rewarding (and that most students are incapable of producing). When this is allied to something akin to payment by results (league tables and ofsted) then it is no surprise to see schools 'teaching to the tests' and turning performance into a straitjacket of exam technique. On top of this, most students are happy to do this because they do not necessarily value education in any other way than in how it will help them to get a job.
I don't know the solution but asked a upper sixth literature class how they would like to be examined and they all thought the old fashioned idea of a viva would be fairer and more accurate.