Paradigm Shift in Education
The extent to Which I Agree or Disagree With the Recommendation and My Reasoning for the Position I Take
The argument supports that students’ learning should be based on their ability to explain ideas, trends, and concepts, but not on grasping facts. Below are holistic approaches to support this statement.
Firstly, the current world is dynamic and requires students to be equipped with abilities to cope and compete. Employers now consider job candidates based on their ability to illustrate concepts and predict future trends while adjusting effectively. Grasping facts only depicts a short-sighted approach to assessing future dynamics, especially in the business world. On this note, students who can explain concepts and articulate ideas stand a better chance to compete in the dynamic world than those who grasp facts without the ability to analyze. Crystallizing concepts and trends provides a broader platform for further understanding of a phenomenon and hence implement essential measures (Suskie, 2018). In this regard, grasping facts present a shallow standard for assessing learning performance, and thus abilities to predict, elucidate, and explain ideas better approach.
Supposedly, assessing learning through grasping facts encourages rote learning, which kills students’ creativity. On this basis, students lack the motivation to analyze a phenomenon and instead concentrate on the mastery of facts. Consequently, students’ motivation to think critically, explore, and discover more concepts for creativity becomes short-lived (Suskie, 2018). Such a deficiency of creativity initiates the loss of drive for societal development. In this regard, instead of burdening students with tons of assignments in a day, it is essential to allow them sufficient time to explore ideas and concepts which open their minds and thinking capacity towards the broader world with freedom. However, although grasping facts is an essential aspect in lower-grade pupils, it should not form a basis for assessment in the long run.
Circumstances in Which Adopting the Recommendation Would or Would Not Be Advantageous and How These Examples Shape the Position
Admittedly, exam-oriented education, which depicts assessing students based on grasping facts, is an approach used in China. Consequently, students fail to adopt strategies for explaining ideas and phenomena. Opponents of this policy reproach it for depriving the students of their creativity and imagination abilities (Suskie, 2018). In this regard, educators should establish a profound basis for long-term benefits to students and the nation at large. Students’ aptitude is essential in aiding them to apply concepts in a real-world situation.
Assessing students’ learning based on the ability to explain ideas and concepts has various benefits. For instance, this policy expounds on students’ motivation to learn and conduct research on existing literature. As a result, they find and invent new concepts which earn them the pride of realizing a new concept. As students deeply indulge in performing scientific experiments, they find new concepts, and hence the world entitles them as intellectuals (Suskie, 2018). In other words, students are motivated to think out of the box through creativity. Seemingly, the facts learned with understanding through live experiment results, last in mind forever, and foster innovation in young minds. Additionally, this policy helps students broaden their minds and be able to tackle complex activities in life. For instance, a student memorizing the fact that hot water rises to the top of a container while cold water shrinks is easy. However, if a student can crystallize ideas and concepts, he will still find it easy to decide whether a steel ball bearing will rise or shrink in a container with sand (Suskie, 2018). Some learning activities require critical thinking, and it is through this policy that students adopt the tendencies to explore the concepts taught in class for future benefits.”