What’s it like out there?
March 17, 2008 by claguna
(Mass and Volume, above, were the culprits in the case of why the clay boat sank. Together they determine the density of the clay, and the amount of water displaced by the boat.)
I have been exploring links to tutorials for Science and Mathematics and was reaffirmed to see some of the lessons I try to teach my 8th graders in the lessons of a high school class and a college class. One was a lesson on how to do your homework so that it impresses your math teacher, and the other was on the expectation for “academic honesty” at MIT. I wonder if the students really understand why teachers in middle school, high school, and college value academic honesty (not cheating) and homework.
Here’s your chance to tell me what you think. Read the links and let us know if you think it is important to learn to do homework well and if you believe students should be disciplined for copying their work from another student.
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When we read these articles in class, I was VERY surprised to find out some of the consequences. For example, we learned that if you see someone cheating on a test and you don’t turn them in, you will get expelled. At first I didn’t really understand, but when I thought about it, I came up with this little theory: if a college student would cheat their way through all of their classes, then they would have a diploma handed to them without doing anything. So, when the pupils show their acedemic honesty, they show that they are not taking the easy way out, and that they are working hard to exceed. After reading this, I now always try to not take the easy way out and show my teacher that I am honest with all of my work.
Monica,
Thanks for that insight. Many people put so much pressure on themselves in school that they end up compromising their integrity in order to succeed. It’s not always easy to take the path that you describe. Maybe the answer lies in learning to forgive ourselves when we don’t quite reach our goals instead of feeling we have to be dishonest to get by.
~Mrs. L.