Frazz by Jef Mallett for May 14, 2024

You learn from when you try to fool Mrs Olsen.

And yet another bad assumption. Pretty sure no one has proven that we learn from our mistakes – and I’ve seen plenty of evidence that says the opposite.

The idea is that you make your mistakes in worksheets and homework, the grades show you what those mistakes are, so you learn from them and don’t make them in the test.

He has a point. You’re not supposed to make any mistakes in the American school system. You’re supposed to pay attention in class to the point that you do everything perfectly the first time, every time, or pay a price that lasts until you get into college.

No, no you are not Caulfield.

Just remember, If you dont make msstakes, you dont get dinged!

If he really cared about grades he would do the work

Quiz grades were an indicator of future performance. Consistently low grades from students who appeared mentally average generally indicated lack of interest and/or study, regardless of the subject. Given enough quizzes with similar results, one probably could predict their final numeric averages within about 3 points.

However, with students like Caulfield, that went out the window. Kid with his mental abilities could tool along, making mediocre grades and showing little interest, then hit a near perfect score on the finals. That would boot his gpa for the year into the top bracket and also leave a very frustrated teacher [and probably parents], who had recognized his talents, and who had tried every strategy under the sun for him to get better grades along the way.

So, in all, those students were a joy to teach, but very wearing on the rest of us.

Think that Caulfield is trying to steer the discussion in another direction.

Because if there are no consequences in making mistakes, then people will not learn to stop making them.

It’s the dinging that lets you know you made a mistake, and remember it.

Getting dinged for your mistakes is what incentivizes a person to learn from them.

Just fail to make mistakes, is all….

Kids got a point

So, are homework, quizzes and tests to show how SMART we are? Or how dubm? (misspell intentional)

If a kid makes consistent mistakes, as revealed in tests, quizes, etc, a smart teacher (and Mrs. Olsen is certainly that!) will know what needs to be worked on.

I’ve never made a mistake. Of course, there was that one time as a teenager I said, “Nobody’s perfect.”

His point is valid. Not everyone learns the same way, the current methods are not working for everyone, things need to change. If you don’t agree do some research in favour of my claims instead of dismissing it outright. As an autistic who grew up in a neural typical world, expected to toe the line.

To smart and snarky for his own good

You don’t learn from mistakes. You learn from consequences.

We learn from our mistakes.

We get dinged for making them so we know they’re mistakes.

Grading homework and worksheets? If that’s true that is indeed stupid and off the point of such labor.

If those are graded it should be by completeness and effort, not content. Their grade of correctness should help the teacher understand what a student is in need of help.

While he isn’t particularly wrong the weight of those mistakes decreases as his list continues. Homework contributes a lot less to the final grade than say a major test or final. Making any mistake isn’t consequence free else sadly.