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I was asked by friends who were not in education a rather interesting question. They asked if exams and the education system is becoming irrelevant.
Now, to be clear, there are many countries out there who are trying to change, better preparing the next generation for the realities of the world. I'm not talking about just merely scoring well, but being able to problem solve effectively as well as being able to create new ideas. Other skills also include leadership and the ability to interact in a world that is changing so rapidly.
However, there are many education systems in the world that are stuck in the past. It is my opinion that the main reason that stops them from moving forward, is exams. Now, I can go on and show you the research behind it. But, I would prefer using Game of Thrones as a reference.
If you have not been watching Game of Thrones, please stop reading.
But if you are curious, let us continue. One of my focus in this article is on how exams are currently being conducted. I'm referring to the pen and paper tests where you have to memorize an insane amount of knowledge to answer. This is because exams and some parts of the education system has not change much. Bringing us to the first point.
Exams are like Ned Stark
Exams, like Ned Stark, follows an idea, a principle. That principle is that exams determines how smart a person is. People often use exam as a measure to test if knowledge is understood. If a person does well in the exam, that person will be associated with the word 'smart'. Ned Stark is similar, but I would argue that what he thought was right and true was ultimately not applicable in his situation. Which cost him his life.
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As much as exams are good in principle, and the idea behind it is great, one has to wonder if how it is being implemented, is relevant. There are many dreamers who did not finish their tertiary education and went on to becoming CEOs of large companies. Of course, some may argue that there are also many who do not succeed. However, lets look at why those who succeed are able to do so. They did so because they knew what the problem was and how to fix it. They had a dream and an indomitable entrepreneurial spirit to realize that dream.
We are however not testing that form of skill.
Exams are like the red wedding
From my experience, exams are there because it has been there for a long time and it feels weird getting rid of it. I remember being in a meeting where all the stakeholders wanted to know was, how will the exams be like. No one was interested in the skill that was taught, nor what the students were learning.
This is similar to the red wedding in Game of Thrones. The whole reason why the Starks were unsuspecting and let their guard down was because tradition. This tradition states that no guests should be murdered at a wedding or there would be a curse. Similarly, many people I know believe that without exams, we are lost. Thus, holding on to a tradition that keeps something that can be irrelevant, in place.
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While it is important to test the students, we don't require pen and paper tests all the time. If a student is studying a business class, would you measure the student by a pen and paper test instead of having the student run a business for a week?
Sadly, many systems still follow that trend and test the students with pen and paper tests instead of practical tests. Perhaps, many of these traditions and beliefs on exams should be reexamined. We can do so by observing the students who graduate. This can be done by examining if the many years of exams and testing has prepared them for the working world. This is because if exams has not prepared them for the world. It is likely, irrelevant.
Exams should be like Varys
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Varys is able to adapt to the winning side in Game of thrones all the time. Similarly, exams should do the same, being adapted to suit different roles and jobs that the students are being tested for. This means that instead of testing the students in a traditional, pen and paper way, we can do so via assigning more marks to projects and internships.
There are many tests that takes this into account via projects and internships. However, a huge emphasis is still placed on pen and paper tests. As such, we should be adaptable to do away with tests that are not relevant as to not place too much of a burden on the students.
In addition, one of the best ways of how Varys maintains power and influence is with his network of spies. In other words, you don't know you are being spied on until you are being spied on. This can be done in a less sinister way in education via observation. With the right guidelines, observations of the students performance in class over an extended period of time is a good indication if the student is ready for the working world.
Exams should be like Jon Snow
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Jon Snow is many things but for this article, lets highlight the following, he is hands-on, he sees the big picture and he is passionate about his objectives. Not all exams are hands on and a lot of emphasis is given to the academic aspect of testing. As such, many are graduating with an ideal way of seeing things and not a practical way. Perhaps the education system and exams can be changed to better meet those needs and better prepare the students for the future through real life experiences as compared to being in the classroom the whole day.
This preparation for the future includes seeing the big picture and being passionate about what one does. Unlike the other players in the game of thrones, Jon snow was the only one who saw the bigger problem and was passionate about it. He knew that despite all the bickering, the White-walkers were the immediate threat. Exams should take a similar stance, sometimes academics forces us to study something in an in-depth manner. Going deep is good, but sometimes we can lose sight of the bigger problems that plagues that field of studies. To overcome this, being passionate about what one does is important. That is something that should be inculcated in education and assessed in tests. As a teacher, I think being academic is great but being passionate towards my work is more important.
Unfortunately, exams are like Jon Snow, if you kill it, it will come back to life. This is because, we need a way of testing and measuring to prove that students are able to comprehend a certain skill. So like it or not, exams are here to stay. However, I hope that like how Jon Snow is here to stay (I hope), he and exams should grow and adapt to the coming challenges of the world, just to stay alive... I mean, relevant.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed my post. I would like to stress that this is all spoken from my experience as a teacher, a teacher trainer and a postgraduate student. If you have any comments, feel free to drop one bellow. Thank you for reading.
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