The Educated Person Exam

The Education Unit test will have two portions, one section of paragraph response and one section of essay response. The details of the test are below. Click “read more” to get the specific questions.

The paragraph responses should consist of 5-7 sentences demonstrating knowledge of the text, our discussions, and the other material we have discussed in class. They will come from this list:

  1. Explain how elenchus is the cornerstone of true education, according to Socrates.
  2. In his article “Dehumanized,” Mark Slouka argues that our current educational focus undermines civic life in America. What is his problem with current educational trends and what does he propose to do to reverse them?
  3. Explain how Paolo Freire’s “subject-object” metaphor drives his beliefs about education.
  4. How, according to Jonathan Kozol, does the belief in “adequacy” undermine the promise of Brown v. Board of Education?
  5. Both John Dewey and Kenneth Robinson discussed the futility of trying to prepare students for specific jobs. Why does each believe this cannot succeed?
  6. Summarize Sol Stern’s critique of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed.
  7. How can the work of Eric Hanushek from Stanford improve American schools?
  8. Explain Paolo Freire’s banking metaphor and summarize why he thinks it damages students.
  9. Defend/refute/qualify the idea that students are the best evaluators of their teachers.
  10. “Waiting for Superman” argued that charter schools offer better education because they face less restrictions and interference from unions. What are these restrictions and are the critics right?

The essay response will come from this list of topics. You will answer one of these questions with a well-developed response that includes a clear thesis and 2-3 detailed paragraphs. You will be able to choose from a list of 2-3 options.

  1. Using at least three sources, make an argument for how schools can achieve the ideological goals of deschooling without eliminating the schools.
  2. Using at least three sources, make an argument for public education not being focused on vocational training.
  3. A number of the articles and videos we have watched suggest that public education depends on tracking at the least, and failure of some students at the worst.  Analyze this argument and defend, refute or qualify it, using as much evidence as you can.
  4. Defend, refute, or qualify Jonathan Kozol’s argument that American schools are engaging in “apartheid.”
  5. There are two schools of thought about curriculum reformed we have discussed: programmed learning, like the KIPP schools and individualized instruction. Using multiple sources, make an argument that one of these approaches is likely to be more effective.
  6. Using at least three sources, make an argument for how we should change standardized tests like the ACT, SAT, and CRT exams. Explain how your test would better measure student achievement and likelihood for success.

Materials Covered by the Exam

Film: Waiting for Superman

Readings: The Six Lesson  Schoolteacher, Dehumanized, Learning to Read, Still Separate–Still Unequal, excerpt from Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Pedagogy of the Oppressor, Most Likely to Succeed, My Pedagogic Creed

Notes: Socrates

Videos: Kenneth Robinson on Do Schools Destroy Creativity and New Education Paradigms

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