Is it just me, or is there a greater-than-average amount of closed-mindedness here?

[conuly]

She homeschools! She doesn't like the idea of tests and homework! She must be stupid!

I love the assumptions:

There's no way to judge how much a student learned unless you give tests and homework. Well, yeah, I guess they could check class participation and classwork - but how could there possibly be enough time??? Because all my classes, which ran on the "tests and homework" idea, were lecture-based, so this class must ALSO be large and lecture based, and there wouldn't be enough time to do classwork. I've never heard of class discussions, or labwork before!

And:

She withdrew her kids over this! She must not want them to learn! This must make her a bible-thumping fundie!

Aside from the obvious WTF prejudice, I have this to say: Of course, you can't learn unless you have homework and tests! This, despite the studies saying that homework and tests can be detrimental to actual learning. Seriously, think back: which did you learn better, the subject you didn't stress out over but instead liked, or the subject which had lots of tests, which you crammed for? Even if you disagree, which is fair, do you *really* think that there's no other way to learn than by lectures, homework, and tests?

Comments

[firingneurons.livejournal.com]

At which point she withdrew her students. I think the idea that she doesn't like homework and tests makes sense, don't you?

Okay, good point.

And as for why for the testing. I don't necessarily mean by traditional tests. You can evaluate the work, and progress of a student without a formal test. I guess I meant more evaluate than test. I think I got something different out of this, I saw it as more of an "Oh, you are going to TEST my child?!" kind of thing. It's sort of hard to explain, I guess I saw it as more of an ignorance for 'traditional' schooling, with testing than an issue with how she preferred her child to be taught.

[conuly]

Yes, you can. That's the point I was trying to make, that schools can exist without tests (in the traditional sense).