The Edutopia Poll
by Sara Bernard
Recently, a group of students in Hanover, New Hampshire, broke into their high school at night to steal copies of upcoming Advanced Placement exams. The resulting scandal has turned national attention toward the prevalence of cheating in schools: A 2006 survey by the Josephson Institute of Ethics, for instance, found that 60 percent of high school students admit to having cheated on an exam in the past twelve months. Can anything be done to curb these high numbers? Tell us what you think.
What is the most effective way to prevent students from cheating?
Establish and enforce serious consequences, such as suspension from school.
5% (5 votes)
Make it difficult to cheat: Frequently change test format and questions, ban cell phones or other communication technology from the classroom, and separate desks so students can't see each other's exams.
32% (31 votes)
Create an atmosphere where cheating is not only forbidden, it’s shunned. Character education is key in the prevention of cheating.
51% (49 votes)
None of the above. (Comment below.)
11% (11 votes)
Total votes: 96
Cheating
Submitted by Sara (not verified) on April 11, 2008 - 09:23.
I see kids "sharing" answers in the hallways before school starts or during class. If you ask them about it, they say they didn't have time to get it done and daily homework doesn't count for that many points anyway. I do not condone cheating or "sharing" work when the whole purpose of homework was suppose to be practice for the student. My question as an educator to educators: What does homework mean? Is it meaningful and relevant to the student? Do all kids need homework? If they already get the concept or skill, why should they do more practice? If they don't get it at school with teacher support, then is work sent home where they will have to complete it without support, appropriate?
I think kids cheat because in some schools, the grading system is so broken that grades have become meaningless.
Most effective way to prevent students from cheating?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 9, 2008 - 13:21.
I tell my students to study or fail with dignity. I teach in a Catholic school, so I can also tell them that they may think that they pulled one over on me, but that their cheating is something that they will need to address with God. I am not going to be the "cheating" policy.
I do not necessarily think it is the emphasis placed on grades that is causing many children to cheat. I believe it is the emphasis on sports that is causing the problem. Students spend so much time on the athletic field practicing that they do not have time to properly prepare for their academic work. My students are afraid to miss a practice to come for extra help, because their coach will yell at them or bench them. Academics should be brought back to the number 1 position, and then maybe students will place more value on their education, and realize that sports is not everything.
Prevent students from cheating
Submitted by JohnCyrus (not verified) on April 3, 2008 - 13:53.
None of the list given is appropriate. We need to teach them the Fear of God which is the beginning of wisdom. If students fail to understand that God will reward (judge) according to each ones work - either they will end up in heaven or hell at the end - non other efforts will tame them.
Regards,
John Cyrus
India
What's the most effective way to prevent students from cheating?
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 1, 2008 - 20:16.
Consider working in a class with up to 40 teenagers- I don't think that "collaborative learning" will go over so well with them. Honestly, they don't care!
I know this is stereotypical, but I am one (a teenager), so I don't really care; MOST TEENAGERS DON'T CARE ABOUT SCHOOL. Many of the students in my class(es) just want to play around and make fun of the "nerds"- kids who actually work. Yep. That's the truth. They wouldn't take those new rules very well- just more to break! To heck with studying- why not cheat?
So... just thought you needed a teenager's perspective on things. For those of you middle/high school teachers out there- you know what I'm talking about! (I pity you)
Just be a good all around teacher!
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on November 26, 2007 - 20:43.
Some teachers teach, but do they really know the criteria they are trying to teach? Not always. When a student has a question, do not ignore that child. Children will ask questions, answer them. If you can't you do not need to be a teacher. A child will have no need to cheat if they know the material they will be tested over.
Be creative and intresting. Children learn better if they've had an intersting lesson to remember on the test. It will stick with them.
I do agree with the first two answers. A teacher must set rules in his/her class. When a child does not follow by even the simplest rules, their actions should be followed by consequenes. Because whenever a child cheats in their class, they'll know their acitons will then too be followed by consequences. A teacher must let each child know at the beginning of his/her class their rules and consequences. This way, the child knows what to expcect from the teacher.
A teacher should also go into a disscussion about personal integrity. Let the child know that it is wrong to cheat, and cheating is lying.
If the teacher is a good classroom manager, the children will not try to over power the teacher. However, if the teacher does not know how to control a classroom, that teacher is in for a big disaster.
Preventing students from cheating
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 6, 2008 - 13:53.
I'm tired of the teachers being blamed for poor parenting skills. I'm a public high school teacher and many times calls and meetings with parents go unheeded. Parents are "afraid" of their children: they will not discipline them; they will not give them boundaries; they do not want to admit that maybe, just maybe, their children are not perfect because that would reflect back on the parents. Classroom management is one thing, but cheating comes from a lack of character-building in the home. How many of those cheating students have parents who brag about not paying taxes, or getting too much change at the store and not returning it, etc.?
make different formats of
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 20, 2007 - 15:48.
make different formats of the tests for every student so that the questions are different so if they cheat they're getting the wrong answers.......dont change the questions to the test, just simply change the order.
Different formats for tests
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on April 1, 2008 - 20:05.
They already do! I am in school right now, in the eighth grade, and teachers have been doing that for years now...
Cheating
Submitted by Scott Meech (not verified) on October 9, 2007 - 10:16.
The best way to prevent cheating is to create assessments that require high level skills and not just recall and similar Bloom's Taxonomy levels.
Cheating
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on October 6, 2007 - 06:25.
I agree with many of the comments posted, particularly those regarding the pressure students bear to score high on standardized tests and earn grades that are nothing less than 'A'. The current environment does create a "me against the world" mindset rather than the kind of "we can do this together" collaborative learning experiences that are more meaningful and effective.
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