One Question Quiz

Mr Miller’s one question quiz is hands down the most stressful yet rewarding part of J1. The past two quizzes have gone beyond explanations of topics discussed during lectures. The questions ask for application. Sure I can tell you all four binary models or the types of communication filters, but unless I can apply these topics and standards to the real world I haven’t actually learned anything.

Today in class we took a quiz on the printing press, rather than asking the impacts the printing press had on society at the time it was invented, we were asked to invision what the world specifically our lives would be like if the press had never been invented. Mr Miller then called on everyone in class to describe one of the ways their life would be different. 

As we went around the room the following question was posed; What is the purpose of highschool?

Most of the room responded with to learn or prepare us for jobs. Mr Miller however made an interesting point that has been in my mind since. 

While it is true that highschool or school in general is used to teach us basic knowledge, we are missing out on key learning opportunities. Mr Miller listed cooking, sewing, farming, and other skilled labors as things that are subjects of education. The above skills are not taught in school unless they are taken as an elective. This made me think.

I believe that rather than learning what pi is and how to conjugate verbs we need to be taught more basic life skills. While the world has modernized and children no longer need to learn skilled labors we do need to learn how to write a check, do laundry, conduct a formal conversation, write a resume , and have other basic life skills if we want to make it in the real world. It is important that we learn how to calculate pi and conjugate verbs, but those skills are virtually useless if we can’t apply them. 

In the end it all comes down to the lack of application to the real world that is required in school.  If a one question quiz that takes ten minutes can lead me to apply a standard and have a revaluation, then why dont we see more of this in school? I might be able to list all of the elements on the perodic table  but unless I can tell you where elements can be found in everday life I haven’t learned anything.