An educational shift away from "drill and kill" to more creative/critical/scientific thinking is entirely dependent on what we're trying to achieve with public education. What do we want our children to gain? What thinking skills do we want them to carry into adulthood? If the ultimate goal is to teach them how to take standardized tests so schools don't get dinged, to process but perhaps not analyze information in set periods of time, to fill in bubbles on a scantron, then clearly we should continue with standardization. Three cheers for memorization and regurgitation!
On the other hand, if the goal of education is to produce human beings who can think analytically and creatively in order to adapt to all situations and come up with new solutions to old problems, then perhaps we should reevaluate our educational system. Encouraging creative and critical thinking will surely be better for kids in the long run, as standardized tests only get us so far and stay with us for so long. Critical and creative thinking will stick with them throughout their lives. Evidence for the benefits of creative thinking has been seen in children who are bi-lingual, as well as children who have attended Montessori school.
"Drill and Kill" may get schools and students the mark of "proficiency" and approval, but the push for children who can take tests but not adapt to real world problems seems like an awful waste. Creative/critical thinking may not be easily taught, but it can be fostered by the right schooling. Unfortunately, standardization does not encourage creative thinking; standardization suffocates it instead.
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