Is there anything more infuriating than a kid blatantly turning in something they copied directly from the internet? What is cheating?
Academic integrity has long been a hot topic in education and one of the things that teachers feel most passionately about. Like most things, there is a large grey area and vague rules are often open to interpretation. Violations range from kids looking over to another students tests to paying another student to write an essay for them. This begs the question of what actually constitutes cheating and whose responsibility it is to stop it.
I was at a bar about a year ago now and the waitress, a girl that was kicked out of townview then graduated from Sunset, said her teacher would walk around, during what was then the TAKS test, and give all of the students the correct answers. Obviously that is a big no no, but what about students collaborating on a take home essay?
My alma mater had a scandal along these lines a few years ago.
It's an interesting argument to consider that perhaps it is the assignment that is to blame and not the students themselves. Is it cheating if they are all using the same notes given to them by the teachers? I took the class the year prior and while I didn't belong to any study groups because I was generally surly and antisocial, I did go to lecture and use many of the examples and ideas from those lectures. Is the expectation that all thoughts are pure originals?
"If you don't want students to work together, don't assign take home exams" is an argument that puts the responsibility on the teacher just like the "make multiple versions of the test" or "active monitor" expectations that some administrators set for their teachers. At what point do we shift to the "you know with your whole heart what you decided to do was wrong" paradigm and put more responsibility on the students? Is failing to cite something cheating? What about improper citations? I'm 100% sure I don't know how to do MLA or Chicago style by heart. What about asking what is on the test next period or using old tests to study?
We're quick to slap a 0 on a kid but slow to examine our role in that dishonesty as well. We tend not to ask "Why?" There are also those who are far too lax and thing that the undeveloped brain of a student excuses them from any and all responsibility. As we seek to find a middle ground, it's important we look at things from all sides including but not limited to the following: Teacher, student, school culture, and district culture.
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Related Articles:
Why do Dallas students cheat?
Testing anxiety in Dallas Students
Dallas Teachers assuming kids are cheating just because they do well
Active monitoring during Dallas tests
Reflecting on DISD Teacher Coaching
Changing our view of success in Dallas schools
I was at a bar about a year ago now and the waitress, a girl that was kicked out of townview then graduated from Sunset, said her teacher would walk around, during what was then the TAKS test, and give all of the students the correct answers. Obviously that is a big no no, but what about students collaborating on a take home essay?
My alma mater had a scandal along these lines a few years ago.
It's an interesting argument to consider that perhaps it is the assignment that is to blame and not the students themselves. Is it cheating if they are all using the same notes given to them by the teachers? I took the class the year prior and while I didn't belong to any study groups because I was generally surly and antisocial, I did go to lecture and use many of the examples and ideas from those lectures. Is the expectation that all thoughts are pure originals?
"If you don't want students to work together, don't assign take home exams" is an argument that puts the responsibility on the teacher just like the "make multiple versions of the test" or "active monitor" expectations that some administrators set for their teachers. At what point do we shift to the "you know with your whole heart what you decided to do was wrong" paradigm and put more responsibility on the students? Is failing to cite something cheating? What about improper citations? I'm 100% sure I don't know how to do MLA or Chicago style by heart. What about asking what is on the test next period or using old tests to study?
We're quick to slap a 0 on a kid but slow to examine our role in that dishonesty as well. We tend not to ask "Why?" There are also those who are far too lax and thing that the undeveloped brain of a student excuses them from any and all responsibility. As we seek to find a middle ground, it's important we look at things from all sides including but not limited to the following: Teacher, student, school culture, and district culture.
Follow us on Facebook; Twitter; iTunes; Soundcloud; Stitcher
Related Articles:
Why do Dallas students cheat?
Testing anxiety in Dallas Students
Dallas Teachers assuming kids are cheating just because they do well
Active monitoring during Dallas tests
Reflecting on DISD Teacher Coaching
Changing our view of success in Dallas schools
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