Question and Engage
"...when I ask that kind of a question in class, 80 percent of the studentsare still scribbling the last thing I said, 15 percent are zoned out on Facebook, and then there's the smarty pants in the front row who blurts out the answer before anyone else has had a chance to think about it...so the lecture moves on before, really, most of the students have even noticed that a question had been asked.Here, every single student has to engage with the material."
-Daphne Koller
Every children should answer questions, for it allows them to engage with the materials and show that they truly understands what is being taught. However, we are actually killing this spirit in schools. How? We judge people based on how many questions they answer, and we give them a better grade if they "participate" more. We're missing something big here: every single student is different. Some people need more time to digest the material; some people are just shy and don't want to answer any question; some people just aren't as smart, or wants to think things through.
By evaluating a class with such a system, we are practically leaving children behind to perish, and may even promote a wave of people who will pretend to ask and answer questions just to achieve a better grade, killing the opportunity for those who truly do not understand the material or have not achieved their potential yet. Let's provoke our kids to be inquisitive, instead of segregating kids with such a model.
