[etni] Fw: Re: Bagrut: Sharon Tzur's post on modeling our Bagrut on the math modules
- From: "Ask_Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "ETNI" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:12:47 +0200
----- Original Message -----
From: David R. Herz - davidrherz@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Bagrut: Sharon Tzur's post on modeling our Bagrut on the math
modules
I read Ms. Tzur's post, and continue to wonder about the insanity of it all.
We continue to relate to the question of how to make the poison the most
palatable.
We've lived so long in the asylum that we think this is the way it must be.
The Bagrut system does not need to be a foregone conclusion. I graduated
High School, got into an Ivy League University, and went to law school
without matriculation exams. Research fails to show a correlation between
performance on these exams and success in the "real" world. Research
continues to highlight the damage we do with these tests, including the
killing of innate motivation, the focus on superficial knowledge to the
detriment of deeper thinking (can anyone say HOTS), damage to self-esteem
and mental health and in some cases life (in countries with even higher
stakes matriculation exam systems, such as those with comprehensive exams at
the end of high school, there are suicide rates related to these exams).
My goal as an educator is to inspire lifelong learners and active citizens,
people who question authority, have a moral compass, care about others and
look beyond themselves when they participate in this world, not people who
are victims of the system, complaining about how corrupt it is and why it
cannot be changed.
A handful of people can make a difference. Israel is here because a handful
of dedicated Jews decided to be a thorn in the side of the British, not
because of the accommodationist local Jewish authority. This handful put
their lives on the line for us.
What I am saying is that if we really want to teach our students something,
we should give up whining about the Bagrut, or even trying to tweak it so it
is a little better. We should say no to suffering endless exams and not
teaching after Passover, and should dedicate ourselves to real learning and
the abolition of the Bagrut, which interferes with the educational goals we
hold dear and serves mostly to sort students out and often gets them to
believe less of themselves.
If you are interested, I am organizing this handful of people. Contact me
so we can move this forward.
David Raphael Herz
Bet Rimon
www.educatingisrael.com
drherz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
052-579-1859
-----------------------------------------------
** Etni homepage - http://www.etni.org
or - http://www.etni.org.il **
** for help - ask@xxxxxxxx **
** to post to this list - etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx **
-----------------------------------------------
Other related posts:
- » [etni] Fw: Re: Bagrut: Sharon Tzur's post on modeling our Bagrut on the math modules
