Fear is an unpredictable motivator.
I have been given the task at Taktse to edit and update the student/parent handbook. As I was reading through it I noticed that there was not a single section in the book addressing the act of cheating. There was a vague reference to the expectation that all students be honest with their work, but in all the other handbooks I have ever worked on the section on cheating thoroughly detailed all the ways a student might cheat, the school's significant disapproval regarding cheating and the carefully delineated ways a cheating incident would be handled in the disciplinary process.
What are American kids afraid of that lead them to cheat? What are Sikkimese kids afraid of that lead them not to cheat?
I asked the person in charge of the handbook about the lack of reference to cheating and she responded fairly nonchalantly that there were probably cases and yes it would be worth putting in the handbook. At another time, a female student told us that her sister had offered to do her homework for her but she wouldn't "feel right" handing in and taking credit for work that someone else had done. She would feel ashamed if she got caught and wouldn't be able to lie about it.
In America, kids want to "get ahead" so badly they will risk a lot to do so. Many times they care less about actually learning than they do about getting good grades. Carol Dweck has shown that kids work best when they are complimented for working hard instead of being smart. The American kids I have worked with are told by their parents that if they just work hard they will get good grades. Well, school isn't actually like that. So what options are they left with? Copying homework and plagiarizing are ways to 1) look like they worked hard and 2) get a good grade, especially when they have a lot of other work to do or they are afraid that working hard won't automatically lead to good grades. What I want to know is what happened to feeling ashamed or afraid as an inhibitors to cheating for American students?
I have been given the task at Taktse to edit and update the student/parent handbook. As I was reading through it I noticed that there was not a single section in the book addressing the act of cheating. There was a vague reference to the expectation that all students be honest with their work, but in all the other handbooks I have ever worked on the section on cheating thoroughly detailed all the ways a student might cheat, the school's significant disapproval regarding cheating and the carefully delineated ways a cheating incident would be handled in the disciplinary process.
What are American kids afraid of that lead them to cheat? What are Sikkimese kids afraid of that lead them not to cheat?
I asked the person in charge of the handbook about the lack of reference to cheating and she responded fairly nonchalantly that there were probably cases and yes it would be worth putting in the handbook. At another time, a female student told us that her sister had offered to do her homework for her but she wouldn't "feel right" handing in and taking credit for work that someone else had done. She would feel ashamed if she got caught and wouldn't be able to lie about it.
In America, kids want to "get ahead" so badly they will risk a lot to do so. Many times they care less about actually learning than they do about getting good grades. Carol Dweck has shown that kids work best when they are complimented for working hard instead of being smart. The American kids I have worked with are told by their parents that if they just work hard they will get good grades. Well, school isn't actually like that. So what options are they left with? Copying homework and plagiarizing are ways to 1) look like they worked hard and 2) get a good grade, especially when they have a lot of other work to do or they are afraid that working hard won't automatically lead to good grades. What I want to know is what happened to feeling ashamed or afraid as an inhibitors to cheating for American students?
I think that the American culture gives very mixed messages about cheating and the value of honesty. Its almost as if the message is, winning is the most important, and if you can't do it honestly, you better be really good at doing it dishonestly! Look at the presidential race and the manipulation of fact, on both sides that occurs. As an Obama supporter, I struggle with my urgency for a democratic win vs. my discomfort with the attack adds, dramatic voiceovers etc.
ReplyDeleteAlso, we put so much focus on the outcome/end product in education instead of the process of learning...perhaps due to the heightened emphasis on standardized test score, among other stressors. Now teachers are held accountable for their students test scores and may even be fired, without much consideration for all the factors influencing why a student does poorly on standardized test score. (thinking of the Chicago teachers today)
Wow..I think I drifted way off topic there...just letting my brain wander a bit!
I also find it challenging to write in these little boxes where I can't see the whole piece! I'll have to ask my computer savvy teens to help me with that one!