One of my favorite edubloggers, Vicki Davis, published a blog post this morning that made me think a bit about the concept of “cheating.” While it is true that cheating has always been an issue and will always continue to be an issue, for some time now I’ve been having conversations with colleagues about the difference between cheating in school and the nature of how we get our work done. Based on the parameters of what we consider cheating to be, I think I could be accused of cheating just about everyday day of the week at work.
In fact, just this week I “cheated” (using the standard in-school definition) by asking a friend for a copy of something they use at work and then tweaking it for use at a meeting that I was facilitating. The document was a template for a “test case” used when doing user-testing on in-development software or web apps. We were doing some user-testing on a new data collection app and since I don’t have a background in software development I asked a friend of mine who does work in IT as a project manager for an example of what she uses.
In her blog post, Vicki quotes from a recent study on student use of cell phones to cheat on tests in school:
Higher Ed Morning ran an article this week about the Top 5 Ways Students Cheat Electronically, interestingly, all involve the cell phone (surprise!)
They quote a survey by Common Sense Media that states:
“35% of teens use their cell phones to cheat by:
- 26% store info on their phone and look at it while taking a test
- 25% send text messages to friends, asking for answers
- 17% take pictures of a test – and then send it to their friends
- 20% use their phones to search for answers on the Internet
- 48% warn friends about a pop quiz with a phone call or text message”
As I looked at the bulleted list, I realized that I do those things nearly everyday:
- Store info on their phone and look at it while taking a test = storing information in documents (on computer or in binder) and referring to the information during meetings or while working on a project, referring to a users-manual for an application
- Send text-messages to friends, asking for answers = sending tweets to my PLN asking for answers, sending emails or text messages to friends or colleagues looking for answers
- Take pictures of a test and send to friends = share documents and resources with friends and colleagues who are working on similar projects, sharing resources through Twitter (when asked or just as an FYI) for others to use in their work
- Use phones to search for answers on Internet = use phone and computer to search for answers on Internet while working on projects or while in a meeting
- Warm friends about a pop quiz with a phone call or text message = …okay, can’t think of an exact equivalent to this one, but I do recall people sending emails to one another on school campuses to alert others that the superintendent was on site…
So the questions this raises for me is:
- Why do we require memorization in school but not in the workplace?
- Is there a better way to assess learning?
- Where is the fine line between “cheating” and effective use of resources?
I know some of you will probably argue that as adults we do memorize information, but we don’t need to recall for quizzes and exams any longer. Some of you will also correctly point out that to be in our profession we did have to pass standardized exams that required memorization of certain principles or standards (related to the teaching profession).
However, I do think there are better ways to handle assessment than to continue to the fight against cheating. Someone posted a comment on Vicki’s post with one idea:
I just allow kids a 1/2 page sheet of looseleaf with anything on it. I teach Math / Physics. I give them no formulas or constants. By forcing kids to create a “cheat sheet” they end up studying, and often don’t have to look at it at all during the test. And why would they “cheat” with a phone when I allow the sheet? I wonder why we insist on kids memorizing material.
I have also tried different approaches myself including everything from something similar to the above idea to open-book exams and working with one partner.
I know there is no simple solution to this, but it does make me question our curriculum, instruction, and assessment structures.
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If kids can cheat on a test using cell phones, then we may be giving the wrong kinds of tests in some instances. When will we begin to assess students by giving them a problem to solve so they can demonstrate all the skills needed to succeed in life rather than have them memorize facts and answer low-level questions?
You make some excellent points!
Memorization has its place and students need to really know a certain body of information, but in the world they face, it is more important to be able to make use of information that they access than to memorize details and useless facts – ones that the vast majority of adults only learned for a test and quickly forgot. That type of “learning” is not valuable while asking students to manipulate and apply the concepts of study will enable them to manipulate and apply concepts in new situations, regardless of what the topics are.
What does this really look like in our classrooms? It’s such a shift in paradigms that it won’t come easily, but in my opinion it is imperative that it does come.
Great thoughts, Stephanie!
[...] Mehr: Cheating? [...]
i think your second reflective question is dead on – there must be a better way to assess learning than the measures that would allow students to simply pull up an answer on their cell phone. deb makes a good point about assessing students by having them make use of skills (and i would resources as well)to show their mastery of content. i don’t read vicki davis, but i’ll have to stop by her blog.
I love how you say that you’re “cheating every day.” Certainly LEARNING is important, but to me, learning how to find answers and solve problems is the MOST important skill. Some teachers and I were discussing how some kids have book knowledge but fumble at doing science experiments! The practical knowledge eludes many that are good memorizers and what is a good education. To me, rote memorization precludes many from “feeling” educated (because of their poor grades) and makes many think they ARE educated (because of their great grades) when in fact we are indeed testing the wrong thing!
Great points here!
You’re spot on, Stephanie. As I said as part of my response to Vicki’s post, kids (and adults) live up or down to our expectations of them. As for that list of what kids do with their cell phones, I think they are showing great enterprise, citizenship (by sharing information), efficiency (why bother to memorise facts when you can look them up? You’d have to be a moron to think that’s sensible beyond a few basics!!).
In fact, shouldn’t all that behaviour be praised? After all, one of the so-called 21st century skills is flexibility; another is self-management; yet another is collaboration. That behaviour demonstrates all of these!
Furthermore, as John Woodring (@teacherbytes ) just said in a tweet: “one thing I have thought would logical is to change the way we test kids which include using electronic research.”
To quote from Shakespeare: “The fault… lies not in our stars, but in ourselves”
You’re absolutely right about the insanity of insisting on memory at school but not at work.
But there’s also a more insidious ‘spirit of cheating’. Teaching workplace Plain English and report writing, I often came across managers resistant to the very idea of formal writing because of half-remembered lessons (in the UK) on the importance of rephrasing and ‘using your own words’.
I found the same thing while teaching the unemployed managers about searching for work. The company would be looking for somebody very specific. The managers would be that specific person. But would do their best to hide this fact by approaching the application form and their CV using creative writing techniques.
In the 21st century, the ability to find, store, and use resources quickly are much more important and useful skills than memorization. If we use authentic assessments for real world application, there are very few industries in which employees “memorize”. It is amazing though, that when we store and use relevant information often, it moves quickly into long term memory(no cramming, no all night study sessions).
Testing bodies are also transitioning into less regurgitation and more application oriented approaches to assessment.
[...] http://www.ed421.com/?p=976 [...]
[...] that could be used in the classroom with the latest model of the iPod. I was also intrigued by an article by Higher Ed Morning discussing a poll conducted by Common Sense Media on the top 5 ways …. Some of the ways students cheat using cell phones (and 35% of those polled do by the way) made [...]
I totally agree with what you said that we cheat everyday as well. The fact that we want to cut corners and make things as quick and easy as possible is just lazy to me. We should take the time to do things ourselves and make them our own and have pride in what we do.
SOOOO very true!!
I don’t know if it’s the cold medicine I’m currently doped up on, or the fact that I’ve spent a lot of time in the past year that I’ve taught independent study thinking about my six years in the classroom and what really didn’t work for students, but your post sparked my following post here: http://community.livejournal.com/real_teaching/56548.html
Thanks for such a thought-provoking post. Seriously–something about this really made something click in my brain!
This blog makes some really good points. Especially, “Why do we require memorization in school but not in the workplace?” Students are required to memorize certain information for tests, but in the real world when can a person not look up an answer for something? With all the technology in today’s world, it’s almost too easy to find the answers. I think the focus needs to be more geared towards the “how?” of problems instead of the “what?”
Hello,
I have found that cheating is a very common problem with students having no confidence on their own skills and learning. Today, technologies have brought tremendous changes to the learning concepts. One can easily find answers to the problems. Regardless of memorizing one should try to understand what is being taught.
Way to put it in perspective! There are some serious issues with our current assessment system. Why are we teaching students “skills” that are totally useless in the real world? How many of those memorized test questions are they going to remember 1 year after graduation? Or even 1 hour after taking the test? I think you’re right that we should be teaching students how to best use their resources. We live in a world where resources are getting easier by the day to access. Why not use them? Memorization HAD its time and place. The world is different today. Thanks for putting it into perspective!
I think returning to apprenticeship will be a be best for students. I’ve always found the idea of examination a cheap way of deciding if a person is knowledgeable, and thought that those who cheat, in one way or another, are really playing a system (school/classroom education) that is in many way playing them.