Carl Singleton's essay takes a very distinct attitude toward solving America's educational problems. Look again at his essay. Discover his underlying assumption(s).
Decide whether you agree or disagree with him. In class on Wednesday, we will, I hope have a free-wheeling discussion, but we won't have one unless you are prepared.
Consequently, please blog a set of discussion notes below. The material doesn't have to be in paragraph (or even sentence) form. Just imagine arguments and counterarguments against his position and write them down.
Also, include some evidence for your point of view. If you are on Singleton's side, note that he does a pretty poor job of providing supporting evidence. Help him out.
If you want to argue against Singleton, thing of arguments and examples that would fuel a refutation.
No worries here. Just get some material down that you can use during the discussion.
- I agree with Singleton
ReplyDelete- students should get the grade they deserve
- giving a student a higher grade than deserved does not help the student
- forces parents to help with academics
- forces principals and teachers to become better
- students would self-motivate themselves
-classrooms would be set at a higher standard
- “ The results of giving an F where it is deserved would be immediately evident. There would be no illiterate college graduates next spring – none”
“The single most important requirement for solving problems of education in America today is the big fat F”
-Singleton has a valid point
ReplyDelete-F’s generally get more people to try harder
-Teachers would need a job so will have to teach better
-Admin want state money, so need school district to do well
-Parents want kids to succeed in life, so will push them to try harder
-Students would be self-motivated to do better because of grades
-Arguers against might say grades don’t measure intelligence
-Getting good grades will force students to actually learn material so it would actually correlate into more intelligence
-More F’s would improve the national educational system
-I disagree with Singleton
ReplyDelete-Although he has many goof points, some things could be changed
- Could hurt students confidence seeing an F
-Could effect a student mentally
- If anything, it would lead to more frustration then adjustment
-Although teachers would reevaluate themselves, they might just make the course easier.
-I think it would hurt the educational system and hurt the reputation of schools across the country
-Some schools are evaluated based on how well the students are doing in the schools, if students are doing poorly so is the school.
-Could make students study more, or just make them collapse mentally.
-More kids would not be able to get good jobs with multiple fails
-Would effect the amount of kids going to college
- Agree with the ideals of Singleton
ReplyDelete-However, I just find this being too difficult to implement properly
- All teachers in the country would have to be on board with this, and all teachers would have to be of high quality, or else certain kids have a huge advantage
-If this is not implemented throughout all schools, the kids following this type of education are severely disadvantaged when it comes to being competitive for colleges
- They have to make more of a safety net, or else the kids with F's have no way of transcending, as it could permanently destroy ones record
- However, it would bring the overall standard of education up
- It would push students and parents, for that matter
- Teachers would have to be at a higher quality
- It would be counterintuitive as some teachers rely giving students easy A's so they can get a good reputation as a teacher
-I understand where Singleton is coming from, but too much to fast
ReplyDelete-grades are so important to people because they mean so much to an individuals future
-gpa means so much to colleges and graduate schools (med school, vet school, law school, etc)
-until gpa doesn't mean everything in the eyes of employers and undergrad/graduate programs, giving more F's isn't the answer
- some students would work harder when getting an F, others get discouraged and give up
-different teachers have different views of what is considered work deserving of a C, or work that reflects an F
-this would make some students have a disadvantage over others depending on which teacher they recieve
-Giving F's has the exact opposite effect
ReplyDelete- People do not actually care if they get an F
- Less people would be working because the majority of people will fail out of school
- Less people working will lead to higher crime rates
- Parents may do the exact opposite and instead of making sure their children learn the material, they are most likely going to try to get the teacher fired
-Unless this is an epidemic, teachers will get fired and there is no way this will be able to succeed.
- Also there will not be that many teachers because majority of the people were not able to graduate
- Singleton should try a different approach
- higher quality teachers would translate to better students, but there is another way to do it
-I strongly agree with Singleton
ReplyDelete-“Let me make it clear that I recommend giving those F's-by the dozens, hundreds, thousands, even millions-only to students who haven't learned the required material.”
-More F’s won’t let students cost by during school
-More F’s will make parents get more involved.
-Education is the key to success and a stronger country.
- Knowledge is power and if we have a more rigorous school schedules the United States will be ranked higher in the world in education
-Makes students study more and try harder.
- This will improve our national ranking around the world.
- Forces teachers to go more in death with their teachings so all could understand.
-I disagree with Singleton.
ReplyDelete-Negative reinforcement doesn’t guarantee desired results.
-If students initially got better grades than they deserve they might feel so good that they study to continue getting good grades.
-Giving out more F’s might discourage people to not even try
-Might cause low self esteem
-Bad grades might prevent students from going onto higher education
-Might give education a negative stigma
-Are grades really a representation of a student’s intelligence?
-Giving out low grades doesn’t necessarily mean people will be more motivated and try harder
-singleton have good points but it's a lot just to start giving kids F's.
ReplyDelete-I find is being too difficult to implement properly
-some students would work harder when giving an F, other get discouraged and give up
-less people working will lead to a higher crime rate
-I feel like if we do what singleton say we will hurt our economy also hurt our education system
-there will be not that many teachers because majority of the people were not able to graduate
-singleton should try a different approach
-less kids will go to college Making tuition increase ridiculously high
•Agree with Singleton (for the most part, not 100%)
ReplyDelete•Giving out more failing grades will ultimately lead to students putting in more effort to pass
•Teacher fear giving out Fs because it will make them look bad
•Fs would catch a parents attention but the parents would need the skills and willingness to help their children to make a difference
•Giving out Fs could have different effects on different types of students, may force some to give up (could make the school system better by weeding out “bad” students) or force students to work harder or repeat a subject/grade
•Agree with “I don’t claim that giving Fs will solve all the problems, but I do argue that unless and until we start failing those students who should be failed, other suggested solutions will make little progress toward improving education”
•https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/04/27/professor-fails-his-entire-class-and-his-university-intervenes -- talks about how it is not acceptable with the University to allow the professor to fail the whole class, even though the Professor thought they all were deserving of the grade
•^ Shows how the grades / reputation of the university are more import to the University than the students actually learning (Texas A&M)
•Horwitz said that based on the academic and behavioral issues in class, they do not deserve to graduate with degrees in business fields (the majors for which the course is designed and required).
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ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI disagree with singleton in some ways
ReplyDelete- I believe that negative reinforcement does not yield positive results it , instead forces the student to shut down which in turn causes him to ultimately lose
his/her will or want to learn
-however, I do think that giving someone a lesser grade would push the students to work harder and more diligently
- I do also believe however that if the student is being incompetent and not putting forth any effort whatsoever he does deserve the F simply because I am a firm believer in the philosophy of " you reap what you sew "
I agree with Singleton because...
ReplyDelete-For MOST case scenarios it will be a wake up call for kids.
-It will also teach kids that life isn't just going to be full of handouts and easy A's.
-Also teaches discipline.
HOWEVER.....
-We also live in a world where GPA isn't everything
-Studies have been done on psychological issues with kids and a direct correlation to academics.
The amount of testing in schools should not increase, but the quality tests and how they are graded should increase
ReplyDeleteF’s become D’s, D’s become C’s, C’s become B’s, and B’s become A’s
Teachers and parents should be more responsible for making sure that their students and children learn the material enough to have a lasting effect on them
Grading should not be done on a pass/fail basis, grading should determine how well a student knows the material
Teachers who “teach to the test” are low-quality teachers and no teacher should do this, they should make sure that their students are actively learning
All students are different and they should receive individual accommodations for their learning
Education quality should be the number one priority
For schools, a large number of students who fail do not look good, but administrators should not pay attention to the statistics and ratings of their schools
-Failing students can be motivational
ReplyDelete-Allows students to learn at the highest quality possible; avoids having more and less advanced students in the same class
-Teachers must be innovative in presenting new material, testing students, and enforcing information
-Parents will have increased responsibility in making sure their children are prepared and comprehending material
-Shows strengths and weaknesses
-Increase critical thinking skills, understanding, and application of information
-Form of positive punishment-failing a class will lead a student to work harder to prevent failing again
-Fully understanding material presented in classes will prepare students for employment in multiple or overlapping fields
-Students will be prepared for or will be able to adapt to any job, not just one specific career
-Increases level of preparation for employment opportunities
• I disagree with Singleton
ReplyDelete• F’s will just be a motivation killer to some students
• Some students may have a harder time learning some material and should receive a little leniency
• Students should be graded on the amount of work they put into the class not just how much knowledge they retain
• Grades are what run the world now a days and if more people are failed, jobs hirers will look down upon them
• More stress would be put on the students by either their parents or by themselves
• If more people receive F’s they will more likely not even try because they believe that even if they try hard enough they will not see the results they want.
• They might see school as worthless if all they are receiving are F’s
• Parents will just bombard their children with more pressure which cause dramatic actions
• The acceptance rate at colleges will be a lot lower because more people will probably not even apply.
• According to psychological theories, giving of F’s is seen as punishment in consequences of operant learning. Punishment usually leads to decrease in behaviors and motivation to learn.
ReplyDelete• Discouragement and lose in confidence.
• Pressure instead of encouragement from parents cause less active role in student’s life
• Negative incentive
• Decrease in self-esteem, self-awareness, and self-efficacy
• School Reputation
• Students deserve the grade they earn; failing hard workers is not an achievable solution to betterment of school system.
• I agree with singletons perspective
ReplyDelete• Teachers will be forced to teach quality material in class.
• Parents need to partake I their children’s education.
• Grades should be an indicator of how ell the student understand the information being taught, not their intelligence
• If people perceive Fs as a sign of someone’s lack of intelligence, this new system of education will be very unpopular.
• Higher salaries, more stringent certification procedures, getting back to basics will have little or no effect on the problem of quality education unless and until we insist, as a profession, on giving F's whenever students fail to master the material.
• If students ae struggling they shouldn’t bee given leniency, rather, they should be given accommodations that can aid them in their learning experience.
• One way of teaching is not necessarily the right way of teaching.
I disagree with Singleton, his ideas are too straightforward and not necessarily take all of the situations into account.
ReplyDelete-Grades are supposed to be an accurate representation of the student’s understanding of the information, should students be penalized for not fully understanding all of the material? Especially since he said borderline grades deserve to be given F’s
-Getting failing grades in subjects that students struggle in can negatively affect morale and confidence in themselves and their performance in school. As well as relationships with family members that except the most from them.
-Students have different ways they retain information, therefore teaching styles by teachers that they have may not help retain information required even with extra studying and going to other sources to better understand the material
-Especially in public and liberal arts educational curriculums, students are forced to take other courses that they are not interested in-may play a role in grades.
-Also, students have preferences in subjects (such as what they want to major in) and if you force them to take other requirements that are not part of their major (or just to get a basic education and telling students to go above and beyond) like telling an art major to take calculus or a political science major to take appreciation to music courses and expect them to get A’s if they have no interest in such topics.
- I disagree with Sigleton.
ReplyDelete- There shouldn't be much of requirements. In order for students to focus on their course materials, they should at least have some interest in them. Instead of spreading seeds in multiple distant areas and not looking after them, it is better to make one or two blossom.
- The society shouldn't require an unnecessary degree.
- I don't think that giving more F's would help engage more parents in their kids' education. Parents' trying to help their kids could be perceived as another pressure by students.
- An A+ student isn't necessarily good at delivering the material that he or she knows to other people.
• For the most part, I disagree with Singleton’s main idea
ReplyDelete• I Believe he does have a good start of something but giving more F’s would not solve the problem in our education system
• It could also help by certifying teachers who are more passionate about teaching
• Giving more F’s would discourage most and hurt the future of the students
• Just because a student receives an F, doesn’t mean their parents/ guardians will become more involved
• Most school boards, I believe, wouldn’t want more F’s assigned because it can affect the school’s funding
• Instructors could notice that maybe their teaching methods are working well for students and could change their ways of teaching
• Some people have bad anxiety when it comes to test taking and doing graded material so their grade might not fully reflect their retention of the material
“think for a moment about the implications of a massive dispensing of failing grades. It would dramatically, emphatically, and immediately force into the open every major issue related to the inadequacies of American education” (p. 2)
ReplyDelete“Giving an F whenever and wherever it is the only appropriate grade would force principals, school boards, and voters to come to terms with cost as a factor in improving our educational system” (p. 7)
- I agree with this statement in that there are many wrongdoings that occur in our country every day, and they often aren’t confronted until something drastic happens, like the water supply in Flint.
“Illiteracy among high-school graduates is growing because those students have been passed rather than flunked; we have low-quality teaching because of low-quality teachers who never should have been certified in the first place; college students have to take basic reading, writing, and mathematics courses because they never learned those skills in classrooms from which they never should have been granted egress” (p. 3)
- Carleton is acknowledging that the inadequacies in schools operate at multiple levels
“I don't claim that giving F's will solve all of the problems, but I do argue that unless and until we start failing those students who should be failed, other suggested solutions will make little progress toward improving education.” (p. 9)
- Carleton views giving F’s as a means of improving the education system, using what seems like the only tactic he knows left. I suppose I agree that it is an effective way to imbue change, but his arguments are extremely general. When he implies that parents have turned a blind eye on their kids he’s describing a generalized stereotype of the 21st century parent. I think his arguments are sound, addressing that problems exist at multiple levels, but fails to back it up with any hard evidence
- I also think there’s an obvious race/class dimension to his argument that he fails to address.
-I disagree with Carl Singletons concept.
ReplyDelete-He believes that teachers let students get away with passing, when they do not understand the concept completely.
-Some kids might not fully understand all subjects, but as long as they put effort into trying to understand the work I think teachers should give them a passing grade for putting in the effort, even if they don’t fully understand it.
-If you fail someone I believe that grade will discourage the persons attitude towards trying.
-Learning doesn't come as easy for some people, so he should take that into consideration.
-Singleton makes a very persuasive argument
ReplyDelete-Receiving an F causes students to panic and seek extra help to understand the material they missed
-A teacher on the other hand sees that their teaching may have been flawed and may reevaluate their teaching plan
- For the school district to succeed, the students need to perform well
- Parents see an F and will attempt to motivate their kids
-People who make points against Singleton say that grades don’t measure intelligence; however what they do measure is effort
-More F’s would causes the bottom percentage of students to work harder to improve
I disagree
ReplyDelete-Failing students who don't learn the required material leaves them helpless
-Unfair to students with learning disabilities
-failing students can encourage them to work harder, but it can also discourage them as well
I disagree with Sigleton point because
ReplyDelete1. Giving more F's would help engage more parents in their kids' education. Parents' trying to help their kids could be perceived as another pressure by students.
2.Most school boards, I believe, wouldn’t want more F’s assigned because it can affect the school’s funding
3.If you fail someone I believe that grade will discourage the persons attitude towards trying
4. it would hurt the educational system and hurt the reputation of schools across the country
5.Would effect the amount of kids going to college