Professor Edward Diamond
English 101
6 April 2014 Understanding Students and How To Test Them Children develop early beliefs if education doesn’t force them to examine these early beliefs, then they are limited in their thinking. The way to force students to examine these early beliefs is by making them study topics in detail. Test, should test students ability to think instead of memorizing. Throughout time it has been instilled in our children that any kind or learning is beneficial. Education that doesn’t isolate a child in a particular field, being a well-rounded student. But how is that achieved? Howard Gardner says that “performance of understanding” (635)., which is essentially talking about what was learned to get a better understanding of material. A good way of explaining that is by attempting to understand Gardner’s views on education and child development. Performance of understanding is a great way of looking at a student’s development. It shows how well a student in a particular field comprehends and understands what was taught to them, also it shows how their skills and how it could be applied in everyday life. Challenging a student is the most important way of showing signs of growth in ones intellect, because you wouldn’t want a student doing anything without a sense on as to why it was being done. Situations often arise when a student is not being challenged enough. In that case I believe that students should be tested on the basis of their intellect. The root of their thought process should be tested upon so that the student has a broadened outlook on the task at hand, which can also give them a sense of enlightenment. An example of this would be best displayed by having “pop quizzes” or scheduled tests to show what was understood and comprehended by the student, also an assessment at the end of each learning experience by the teacher to further assist the student in his or hers learning. That way a student can track their own understanding and growth also enabling them to correctly challenge their answers to further understands where they were incorrect. The use of ones apprenticeship causes the student to questions their intellect and forces the student to then grow mentally. It also tackles that certain engraving of a students thought process that arrived in the earlier stages of their education. Learning though ones experiences help shape a students intellect in that it becomes more challenging in learning and with understanding knowledge is gained. It is important because it has a vast variety in ways in which students gain knowledge, lets say you have a young student who aspires to be a carpenter, at first that’s student has little to no knowledge on the different tools and its uses. Through time and experiences with a teacher present that’s particular student masters their ability and are then able to expand on their knowledge. Tested upon by constructing something on his or her own under the teacher’s supervision. This is a great way of testing a student’s comprehension; after the student is done being tested they can then explain the different variables of what was taught. Also expressing the fact that they can now teach someone else potentially becoming a master of their craft. My point is not to say that apprenticeships are the most vital way to test students and most critical, but the depending on a students career goals it is often more successful in my opinion that students grasp an idea or better understanding of the field as to which they want to fall in. Hands-on training and development of muscle memory tends to heighten ones knowledge, which can also provide a more in depth understanding in a student intellect. Gardner expresses his opinion on how students should develop thorough-out school in “Learning from Suggestive Institution”(632). By stating “some ancient institutions, such as the apprenticeship, harbor instructive clues” (632). He