Academic dishonesty has become a growing problem in schools today. Though it is a rather infrequent problem at the elementary level, it does transpire at this stage and ultimately transforms into near epidemic proportions by the time students get into high school. We, as teachers or soon to be teachers, need to establish and maintain strict consequences for academic dishonesty. In addition, we must be diligent in our attempts to discourage cheating by catching students in the act whenever possible. This, indeed, can be quite challenging since there are numerous techniques that can be utilized. However, it remains the most influential way to affect the behavior of others and to clearly espouse a zero tolerance policy that must be embraced by the entire faculty. Besides being proactive in our attempts to detect cheaters, we also have to modify the way that we teach and assess students. Ideally, we want to be teaching in a way that allows students to fully understand the subject matter, thus lessening their need to cheat. Some might argue that this may seem too idealistic, given the amount of material and time allotted to cover it. Perhaps that is true. That does not preclude us from seeking to achieve the goal or coming as close as we possibly can.
With advancing technology, students have become much more creative in how they go about cheating. The old standards of looking over one’s shoulder at a neighbor’s paper, copying a classmate’s homework in homeroom or bullying or paying someone to write a paper still do occur. However students have learned much more discrete methods of cheating from the internet. Youtube, a favorite website of many students, actually has videos posted on a variety of methods of cheating. These include hiding crib sheets in the tubes of clear pens, redesigning labels of soda bottles to have test answers instead of ingredients written on them, writing on stretched out rubber bands so that when they not taut it appears to be simple ink blots and so on. With most cell phones today, students have the capability of taking pictures of tests to share with their peers. Some have even resorted to texting questions and answers to friends. In some cases, a student can go online and purchase a term paper on nearly any subject for $9.95 or cheaper. The internet itself, regardless of intention, has become a breeding ground for plagiarism as students often just copy and paste information.
Studies have shown that eighty-six percent of high school students admit to cheating at some point during their academic career, although numbers do vary due to a variety of inquiries (Cheating Facts Sheet). Reasons for cheating tend to vary. Some students feel they have resorted to academic dishonesty due to increased competition, especially when it comes to getting into college. At that point, grades become more of a focus than actual education at the secondary level. The constant pressure to do well from teachers as well as parents or guardians instills a sense of desperation in some. In other cases, some students admit to being lazy, disinterested or just incapable of understanding the material. Students often justify their actions by stating that they are hurting no one but themselves. Similarly, some feel that at if others are cheating, they will have an unfair advantage if they do not do it themselves. An extremely nonchalant attitude about this topic seems to be pervasive at the secondary level of education.
The common answer often given as a quick-fix to this problem is to get rid of multiple choice testing in the classroom. What people often fail to realize is that students are going to come across different types of assessment when it comes to high stakes testing, multiple choice questions included. Also, this “quick-fix” does not address the other forms of academic dishonesty such as the copying of homework and plagiarism. Therefore, we believe teachers need to be more proactive in how they address this problem. Students need to be made fully aware of rules that forbid cheating and the associated penalties for ignoring them. Teachers might also want to consult websites such as turnitin.com, which edits student’s papers for plagiarism, or websites such as youtube that students are utilizing to uncover different ways of cheating in an attempt to keep up with the students. More importantly, teachers should be providing subject matter to students in a variety of ways that are relevant and relatable to them. Constant assessment is the only way to insure that the students are grasping and maintaining information. When this occurs, there is no need for dishonesty in the classroom.
References:
Kennedy, Robert. “Cheating 101 for Private Schools: 3 Reasons Why Students Cheat.” About.com. <http://privateschool.about.com/cs/forteachers/a/cheating.htm>
Oleck, Joel. “Most High School Students Admit to Cheating.” <http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6539855.html >
Rivera, Carlos. “Exam Cheating goes High Tech, But its Causes are Nothing New.” Los Angeles Times. <http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/30/local/me-cheat30>
Sasson, Dorit. “Cheating in the Classroom: What to do When a Student Copies During a Test.” Suite 101.com . <http://newteachersupport.suite101.com/article.cfm/cheating_in_the_classroom>
“Cheating Facts Sheet.” <www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6539855.htmlstle.com%2Fclients%2Fwww-nocheating-org%2Fadcouncil%2Fresearch%2Fcheatingfactsheet.html >
35 responses so far ↓
yanksplaya29 // April 28, 2009 at 1:54 am |
I think that this article couldn’t be more on point. Something really does need to be done about cheating. In one of my undergraduate classes my teacher used this program called turn it in. It basically scanned our entire paper across the internet to see if there were to many hits or it looked like we plagiarized. I know some teachers who make students circle a scantron in ink so they cant change answers. What if you use erasable ink. I think the only way to nip it in the bud is to actually enforce school policies on cheating. I think students know that they can get away with it because they haven’t really experienced actual consequences from it.
jackiehali29 // April 28, 2009 at 3:03 am |
I definitely agree that as future teachers we need to be aware of how far students will go in order to cheat. They have certainly gotten creative and have found ways to store information in clothing, under desks and in phones or other electronic devices. The best way we can ensure that our students are really understanding the material are by doing performance based assessments through presentations, group work, projects and essays. There will always be a need for exams as well but by decreasing the amount of multiple choice and increasing the amount of short answer questions, students will really need to understand the unit and not just store definitions to cheat. Either way, we will not be able to rid of the problem completely but we can take steps to prevent it from happening so frequently in the future.
amebec23 // April 28, 2009 at 3:54 am |
I anticipated this article to be the common text about how cheating is wrong and how educators should encourage students to stray from cheating. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they offered information I was not familiar with prior to reading this article. The idea that students can watch you-tube videos to learn about cheating is disturbing and alarming. I believe it is the job of the parent or guardian to block sites like you-tube for their young children. Although blocking inappropriate sites is important, it is necessary for a parent and teachers to instill a sense of good citizenship into this generation. If a child has the proper values that they should never cheat or be dishonest, they are less likely to partake in such shameful acts like cheating. This article is thought stimulating and important for teachers, students, and parents to be aware of.
infinity238 // April 28, 2009 at 10:42 am |
Cheating is definitely out of control. It’s a shame that students focus so much on cheating rather than actually doing their own work. I think the creativity, time, and energy that is used to strategically cheat should actually be used in drafting an honest paper!
How are these kids going to function in the real world when they actually have to do something impromptu without the aid of a computer or a close friend? They will certainly get a rude awakening . Many employers are administering their own tests to assess the skills of potential new hires.
Pervasive action does have to be implemented to put a stop to this problem
missorangesweetness // April 28, 2009 at 6:06 pm |
Cheating continues to be a problem that teachers have to address before tests all the time, but can we really stop it? I feel no because whether the test be multiple choice or in the form of a written essay students will find ways to beat the system and also they will come up with different techniques to cheating on exams. No matter how thorough a teacher you are there’s always one sneaky student that will find someway to slip through the crack. Can cheating ever be monitored 24/7? Well maybe not 24/7 but for the most part if students have a firm understanding of the material of study chances are they wont feel the need to cheat. Teachers need to take the time to observe how well her student’s show levels of understanding on the topics discussed in class. In doing so he or she would be able to determine the areas needed to review to ensure students are understanding what’s being taught.
mot86 // April 29, 2009 at 12:02 am |
I agree with missorangesweetness. Having teachers control internet cheating is easier said than done! There are thousands of other things that need to get accomplished in a short amount of time. There are ways that teachers can decrease internet cheating but erasing it complete will be a very hard task.
mtg103 // April 29, 2009 at 2:49 am |
I found this article very interesting. I think we as future teachers need to find ways in catch these students in the act. It has become a growing problem and needs to end. In my undergrad courses we had the website turn it in and we had to summit our papers through this site. It would calculate and see if we plagiarized our papers. I think this is a great idea, students won’t do it because they will have the fear of being caught. I also think that teacher should assess the students more than they do. If the teacher is always walking around the room and giving assess worksheets you can get a feel of what the students really know and what they don’t know. However I think there will always be cheating going on in the classroom especially with the high technology teachers just have to be aware and on the look out for it!
sdmiller27 // April 29, 2009 at 3:27 am |
As technology advances, academic dishonesty will increase. At the same time, ways to counter academic dishonestly will also increase. As you mentioned, one tool that teachers can, and have, utilize is TurnItIn.com, which will automatically check for plagiarism. As far as in-class testing, I think that staggering tests (creating different versions of the same test and passing them out) can help decrease the possibility, or advantage, of cheating.
I think that the larger concern is why so many students feel the need to cheat. Is it because they are too lazy to do the work? Do they not know the material? Are the requirements too difficult? Why is the occurrence of academic dishonesty on the rise? Or has it been this way for years and we just have not noticed? For me, it was only a few years ago that I was a high school student and I did not cheat. I also do not remember any of my friends cheating. If we are raising a generation of cheaters, what kind of future does our country hold?
pbssteno // April 29, 2009 at 7:10 pm |
In an ideal world, everyone would know that cheating is morally wrong and wouldn’t engage in that kind of thing. The sad reality is that it is a competitive world out there and people do what they think they need to do to survive. I think the most important point is that as teachers, we need to reduce the incidence of cheating by allowing students to be successful learners on their own. You can supplement this idea by vigilantly being on the lookout for cheating students. Unfortunately, like it goes in the movies, it seems the robbers always manage to stay a step ahead of the cops.
thoneboylan // April 30, 2009 at 6:12 pm |
Cheating, unfortunately, is pervasive in our society and it’s no surprise that it is so widespread in our schools. It’s in sports(performance enhancing drugs used illegally by professional athletes), in politics (so many politicians and others have cheated on their income taxes), and in marriages, those famous and not so famous. Govenor Spitzer cheated, was ousted, was replaced by Paterson who immediately upon taking office admitted to his previous adulterous activities. Mix together a lack of morals, a lack of self-discipline, and an extremely competitive atmosphere and you have the perfect storm for cheating. The “zero tolerance” approach we often see publicly is encouraging and will hopefully have a trickle down effect, especially if we adhere to the same approach with cheating in our schools.
darwinsbeard // April 30, 2009 at 8:01 pm |
I found this article very interesting. I like to think I’m pretty aware of what’s going on in classrooms, but some of the cheating methods you mentioned are amazing. With technology I thought it was more of the copy and pasting of information from the internet and passing it off as their own, but taking pictures of exams with cell phones is something I never thought of. With all this hard work and creativity students use to cheat, with the rubber bands and soda bottles, it’s a shame they don’t apply it more in learning. Though to be fair this could easily be the fault of an unimaginative or naive teacher as much as a dishonest student.
tammyt91 // May 1, 2009 at 12:57 am |
This article brought up a very important topic. In my opinion I think the problem is not cheating but rather a result of a much bigger issue of values. I really believe that we need to instill in children very early good moral judgement, honest, self respect, and character. We as teachers nee to demonstrate this characteristics. Unfortunately, the popular culture of todays media society do not often times reflect this characteristics. I do agree with being proactive and taking a zero tolerance attitude when it comes to cheating but just i do believe we need to look deeper and start bringing back good old fashion values in our young people. Don’t cheat! why? beacause it’s wrong, not because your going to get in trouble!
alexistrudel // May 1, 2009 at 3:15 pm |
I feel that the to combat this problem teachers must fight two battles. The first is the act of cheating its self and the second are the values that the students hold in regard to integrity. To address the first issue teachers need to be just as creative as the students in their classroom. Maybe have all students place cell phones in baggies at the front of the room (similar to what is done when teachers take the LAST or ATSW ). teachers can also assign new seats the day of the test. Papers and plagiarism and projects are much harder to combat how ever if the teacher sends a clear message that cheating will not be tolerated at any level and follow through disciplinary action when needed I think that this can help to control the problem. I don’t know if it is possible for a teacher to make a child want to have integrity but as a teacher you can uphold the principals of higher education and not tolerate dishonest work in your classroom. I think as a teacher it is important to have discussions with your students about cheating why it isn’t fair and how it could effect them further down the road in their academic career and in life.
tvic4 // May 2, 2009 at 3:52 am |
As I read this article, the thought that kept popping into my mind is WHY has cheating become such a wide spread problem? I do not recall this being such a problem when I was in high school and college. So, for me I think we need to address the cause instead of concentrating on how to catch the cheaters. Yes, students need to understand that if they cheat they will be held accountable for their actions. However, I am really concerned that students are cheating because they are overworked, not being properly taught, or dealing with test pressures that have come in the wake of NCLB. Being lazy and cheating is unacceptable and must be addressed, but so should the high expectations that we place on students that may lead to this type of behavior.
acirnigl // May 3, 2009 at 5:09 am |
Cheating has always been a serious issue in schools, but I do not believe that it is that pertinent among elemenatary school students. In high school and even college, many students did whatever they could to recieve higher grades, regardless of the method used. These students acted this way because they felt pressure to earn higher grades so that they could go to better schools and stand out. I do not believe this is the case in elementary school level because I believe these children are still too young to have the awareness of what their tests and grades really mean. If they did have this understanding, theyd actually realize how little their grades mean at this point of their life. I think these creative mehtods mentioned by the author are more so used by older students as well. I think the goal of elementary educators should be to teach students about consequences of cheating and about values within our culture. Having ideas such as honesty and integrity instilled within children is the only way students are less likely to cheat. They need ingrained beliefs and not external motivatons.
flaviama // May 3, 2009 at 5:25 pm |
Turnitin.com is a great resource and should be used by all teachers. This is especially important in high school and college. I also think the strict forms of citing works puts a lot of pressure on students and overwhelms them leading to a lack of citing. Perhaps asking for a more simplistic form of citation may help in including the source of their works. Another problem is students who take presentations, papers, etc. from former students. I have seen this done in college numerous times and no one ever gets caught. I believe this is due to lack of organization by teachers, professors who not keep record of work done by previous students.
lbeach // May 4, 2009 at 1:34 am |
Unfortunateley regardless of how much teachers, parents, administrators, and whom ever else may be concerned cheating will always occur. It’s a fact of life that if there is an easy way out people will take it. It doesn’t matter if you are 12 or 40 you can always find someone who took the easy way out. I do believe that it is important that as teachers/parents we emphasize the importance of honesty, and make sure that the rules are known with all our children. But how much can we really do? When I was growing up I knew all the tricks, some I USED and some I didn’t. From my experence just giving multiple choice questions didn’t prove that I knew the answers or not,but rather where to find them. If we want our children to really know anything we need them to prove it, not on a test but through conversation. My parents and my teachers both preached the importance of being honest but children don’t always follow those directions. As adults it’s important that we constantly talk to the children about what is right and wrong. People, not only children, will always find ways to bend the rules but if we can teach them to think before they act then we have actually done our job.
keisha1 // May 4, 2009 at 4:01 am |
I too agree with missorangesweetness. Giving teachers the task to monitor internet cheating. If one way is illiminated, students will some how find other resources into cheating. Maybe ensuring that students are grasping and understanding the materials being taught will not so heavily encourage them to cheat. This a very controversial subject and will possibly never find the end result to.
grlsofn1 // May 4, 2009 at 2:17 pm |
I also agree with how important of an issue cheating is. Many students don’t see the big deal in cheating, they do it because they feel the amount of work they have to do is unfair. It is very difficult to elminate cheating, because students will always find other ways to cheat. However, as teachers and future teachers, we need to find ways to try to make it much more difficult, if not eliminate it altogether.
Hopefully students will understand that cheating doesn’t really get you ahead. I feel if more strict consequences are given to cheaters, more people will become much more aware of how serious an issue it is.
vdreye1 // May 4, 2009 at 2:29 pm |
The cheating in schools has become way to much to handle. I feel as though it is important for teachers to really watch children when they are given tests and to tell them the severity of cheating.
hsiax // May 4, 2009 at 5:28 pm |
Cheating in schools has gone out of control and students think it is ok because they are getting away with it but they do not realize that it is harming them in the long term. Children are not spending time on their studies and depending on cheating techniques to get them by but what happens when they go out into the real world with no real knowledge? What happens when they enter college? The consequences of cheating are more dangerous in college and professors do not stand for it. They are unaware of this and feel as they an breeze by all their lives. I think teachers need to be more aware of the technologies that help students cheat and come up with new and creative ways to assess their students.
mitchsteinberg // May 4, 2009 at 9:06 pm |
This is definitely a problem that will not be completely solved. With new technologies and students becoming more creative, its near impossible to completely stop. It is definitely the teachers job to come up with creative ways to asses students in a way that it is not possible to cheat. For example the assessment can be informal, and you can judge a students level just by classroom discussions. I feel that the age of testing as we know it will soon be diminished. Their are so many flaws and so many new discoveries and theories that go into assessment that seem to be much better options. Ways to asses where the students wont even think about cheating because it doesnt seem like work to them, its more like “fun learning”. Maybe thats all just wishful thinking on my part.
brittsalina // May 5, 2009 at 1:42 am |
Regardless of how much teachers tell students they are familiar with all of their tricks or how much parents try to block out Internet websites, students are still going to cheat. They have always found ways, and they always will find ways.
Maybe teachers can offer different means of assessment which require a far more in depth understanding of information. If students are encouraged to study more into a specific area they may establish a connection with the material and feel more intrinsically motivated to do well.
tsaul07 // September 20, 2009 at 8:08 pm |
I agree with this article that academic dishonesty is growing in todays society. Cheating does not exempt a particular race, age or class. There is always someone who is trying to find the easy way out for one reason or another. I believe if a student understands and is interested in the subject matter, the probability of cheating would significantly decrease.
There is always so much pressure in our society to receive a higher education and to fulfill your families expectations of who to become. Students feel the need to have the highest GPA and they become more worried about their grades than the amount of knowledge they gain from their classes. Students care about the numbers on a piece of paper because they know this is what schools look at when admitting students into their school. The internet has become a breeding ground for plagiarism. I think tools for preventing academic dishonesty would include informing students of academic standards and consequences for each class. Take visible action in detecting dishonesty so students understand there will be consequences. With advances in technology there will always be new techniques and ways of cheating. It is our job as teachers to try our best in preventing academic dishonesty.
troi2336 // September 21, 2009 at 8:28 pm |
In general, I found this article very informative. I had no idea that there were YouTube videos on how to cheat, and I had never even heard of some of the methods of cheating that this article discusses.
However, this article does have a major problem. Unfortunately, it is not cited properly. How can we expect students to take academic honesty seriously if their teachers are cutting corners?
rlasher2 // September 23, 2009 at 11:20 pm |
Personally, this all began for me when I was only in 7th grade. Our assignment was to write a poem, very simple and to the point. There was no large difficulty in the assignment, it was just for homework. One student in my class gave in someone else’s work as their own. Little did they know it was EDGAR ALLEN POE’s work. My teacher recognized it immediately and the child was disciplined accordingly.
Dishonesty in the classroom is an issue that should be dealt with at an early age. We (as teachers) need to address this promptly and let students know what happends when this occurs. Even in college, professors would give us threats about what would happen if one was caught plagarizing. And of course, as soon as it would happen, the student be proverbially, “slapped on the hand” to continue on their college career, probably to strike again.
I do, however, agree with the statement that those students who do not cheat are feeling cheated. Although i do not know how to deal with it, yet, a student who is NOT cheating is certainly at an unfair disadvantage as compared to those who are cheating.
Teachers need to take action against this. Do not sit infront of the classroom while your students are taking a test. Do not allow water bottles, cell phones etc. on the desk while tests are being taken. Be proactive.
jesscannella // September 24, 2009 at 1:58 am |
I think this article hit the nail on the head, students need to experience the consequences of cheating. My high school and college used “Turn It In” as a way to control for plagurism and it was relativly effective. Once students saw others get in trouble for copying, they began to reign themselves in and use their own work. Overall, I think schools need to step up their consequences and start enforcing stricter rules for this. Plagurism limits learning, and as teachers we must control for this factor.
lisapratt17 // September 26, 2009 at 2:56 pm |
We need to start earlier to impress upon students that plagiarism will not be tolerated. Software programs are a start, however, students soon realize that if they are asked to submit a paper without an electronic copy they will be less likely to be caught.
Parents continue to be in denial regarding their children’s access to and use of plagiarism sites. Teachers spend too much time defending their grades to parents who refuse to believe that their children are guilty of stealing.
Although I know that some students cheat because it is easy and available I think that many children do not know how to do research. Perhaps school and district librarians can work with 4th and 5th graders to help them learn about legitimate search sites before they start middle school. They can in turn share their information with the class and help eradicate plagiarism while learning an essential educational tool.
jrosbash // October 1, 2009 at 2:44 am |
How can we seek to achieve the goal of overcoming dishonesty in the classroom? Although in today’s day and age, there are more creative methods for cheating with the advent of advanced technology, (such as the internet), students have long found ways to cheat and be dishonest. I ask myself, have students resorted to academic dishonesty because of increased competition? In addition, there is also quite a bit of pressure put on students from not only teachers, but also from the parents and friends too. One thing we as teachers can do to perhaps help mitigate this problem is to provide subject matter that is relevant and relatable to them. This would inevitably help to entice the students and keep their interest level high. Teachers, more now than ever before need to make sure they’re proactive when dealing with this issue.
teacherjustin // October 9, 2009 at 1:42 am |
Academic Dishonesty On The Rise
By: Janine LaBoyne and Antoinette Miller
Academic dishonesty has certainly changed since I was in high school. The “big cheat” was simply cheating on a test. Now a days, student’s are redesigning labels on soda bottles with the answers displayed as ingredients, as well as information written on stretched rubber bands so when it is not taut the information appears to look like ink blots. Students today are looking for success with out doing any work. The article also mentions that many students choose academic dishonesty because of increased competition in the scholastic arena, and also because of the constant pressure of doing well from teachers and parents. I was extremely distressed to learn that the wonderful World Wide Web not only has a site to teach student’s how to cheat but also has a site for teacher’s to check on papers plagiarized by student’s. There are many fingers pointing in different directions for the reasons why students are cheating. I personally believe it’s because students today don’t have any work ethic and they have the world at their finger tips by using the computer instead of the library. The teacher’s and school board must come up with a harsh policy for cheating. College’s are intolerant of cheating and plagiarism. Learning the lesson of not cheating on the college level will be a costly one. Implementing a strict policy that will be maintained by all the classes in all grade levels in the School District will definitely be a deterrent with regard to cheating. Instilling in the student the consequences of cheating will turn academic dishonesty into academic honesty.
kkcassidy // October 9, 2009 at 6:58 pm |
I truly agree that cheating is becoming a huge problem in schools and by the time of high school it becomes an epidemic among students. I agree with several of the proposed solutions; imposing the zero policy, and revising our teaching styles in order to teach the students so that they feel as though they do not have to cheat. It is amazing that the internet is such a gateway into this world of academic dishonesty. I heard of getting papers offline, but I was never aware of sites that provided strategies for cheating, it is quite alarming! I agree that fighting cheating and plagarasim can only really be fought through constant assessment. We need to realize, when theres a will, theres a way and students will always find a way to cheat. We as teachers just need to be aware of this and prepare solutions to deal with this problem.
eohara // October 11, 2009 at 12:24 am |
The internet provides amazing access to information. How we utilize the information is a question of good vs. bad. I believe most people want to do things properly, however many of them fall victim to the idea of an easy fix. They don’t realize what a risk they are taking. At least the technology is used both ways; one to cheat and the other to catch the cheaters. In that regard one can be hopeful that cheaters will ultimately be dettered in their actions.
godsproperty2006 // October 13, 2009 at 5:41 pm |
Academic dishonesty has escalated and has become a major problem in high schools today. The teachers need to catch students cheating by catching them in the act. Schools and teachers need to have a zero tolerance policy in regards to cheating by students. As educators it is important for us to educate students in the best possible way so they understand the subject material. This would alleviate the need for cheating.
The advancement of technology and the availability of websites for online research allow students to cheat more creatively. On youtube, students can actually post videos on how to cheat. There has been a increase in the use of cell phones today and students are taking photos of tests and sharing it with their friends. There are some students texting questions and answers to their friends. A student can go directly online and purchase a term paper on almost any subject for $9.95 or less. With the internet, students can just copy and paste data and the resulting in plagiarism. The statistics show that eighty-five percent of high school students admit to cheating at some point during their academic career. Reasons for cheating include increased competition among peers, wanting to get into a good college, and pressure from parents and teachers. According to the article, students “ admit to being lazy, disinterested, or just incapable of understanding the class material.”
Teachers in the schools need to make students aware of the serious repercussions of cheating. Teachers should also check “websites such as turnitin.com which edits student’s for plagiarism or websites such as youtube that students are utilizing to uncover different ways of cheating in attempt to keep up with the students.”
The author stresses that there has to be constant assessment to make certain that students are learning and retaining the information. If this occurs there will be no need for dishonesty in the classroom.
I feel that the author had many strong arguments relating to the causes and methods of cheating. All schools starting at the elementary level should have a zero tolerance policy in order to discourage cheating from the start. I would be interested in the way the author would change the way we teach and assess students in order to eliminate this problem.
bendollo // October 14, 2009 at 2:58 am |
This was so interesting and eye opening. I never realized all the creative ways kids cheat these days and like the article said, as an educator, it’s our responsibility to be aware of these new techniques students are employing so that we can stay ahead of the curve. However, I think the point about reaching the students on another level is more important. In addition to being aware of their possible cheating strategies, educators need to have open communication with their students about their expectations of honest work. Teachers should talk about the ethical part of all this and try to reach them on that level and get to understand their motivations so they can persuade them or explain to them why cheating is so detrimental.
nicolem1126 // October 14, 2009 at 2:43 pm |
I agree that cheating is a problem and that there should be a proactive approach taken in order to help correct the problem, but I also believe that part of the the reason students cheat is because of the pressure they are under. We often focus too much on a students results and grades when we try and assess their intelligence and what they have understood. I think that education should be more about the process of learning and the love of knowledge than whether they will write an “A” paper or achieve the perfect score on a multiple choice test. I understand that testing is a way that the state tries to determine the level of education a district is providing and that students should be able to communicate effectively through writing, but I think that the enormous amount of focus that we put on those things pressures students to perform at a high level and can make them turn to cheating in order to stay competitive.
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