Cleaning up the files reveals some interesting threads. At least, I found them interesting. Bon appetit.
MBTI Again??
As if my recent four part screed about Myers Briggs wasn’t enough…
How Koreans fell in love with an American World War II era personality test
The MBTI approach to dating appeals to the practicality of the “MZ Generation” (a combination of Millennials and Gen Z), according to Lim Myoung-ho, a psychology professor at Dankook University.
“In this society, if you know the type that suits you well in advance, that is considered more efficient,” Lim said.
Okay. If that works for you…
But you can take THIS test to find out your love language
Can a test measure the attainment of critical thinking by college students?
This author says that, “The CLA+ test can be viewed as an attempt to measure these “how to think” skills.”
Well, do students learn critically at university? See here
I get it: TL/DNR. Here is a revealing snippet:
“The analysis cannot positively confirm that the learning gain is caused by the teaching and learning experience within university programmes. It is possible that, for example, selection effects (selective drop-out), general maturing of the student population or effects of learning outside university contribute to the average learning gain. However, the fact that the distribution in achievement remains more or less the same from entering to exiting students shows that the entire student population moves upwards, suggesting that the learning gain is caused by a common, shared learning experience.”
But didn’t analogies measure critical thinking?
Meanwhile my good friend and former colleague isn’t heartbroken that the analogies disappeared from the SAT: “
Amy Schmidt, the College Board’s executive director for educational research, agreed.
“They’re puzzle-like…. They don’t really test anything you learn in school,” she said. “I’m not heartbroken that they are going.”
Full and often funny story here with the usual obligatory lame Fair Test criticism insert
“Nearly Half” of All IT Certification Exams are Cheated
Yes, that’s the gist of this report here
HT Derek Newton
“The short version is that a stunning number of IT certification exams are being cheated – experts in the article say “nearly half” are fraudulent. The headline of the article itself says: pretty much everyone is cheating on the exams
The article starts with someone identified as, “a Midwestern tech worker who had risen to become a vice president of IT at a big bank,” who was set to take a certification exam from Microsoft. This guy, the article says, cheated by reviewing copies of his actual test, including answers, beforehand. From the article:
It wasn’t hard. With a little searching online, Bill — whose real identity Insider is concealing to avoid professional repercussions — was able to find the exact test he was going to take, along with the answers. He set aside a few hours, learned them all by heart, and aced the test. “
More at the link here
Why exams stand the test of time… or don’t
“Succeeding in an exam environment requires a cool head under pressure, determination and persistence. And above all, the acquisition and retention of knowledge is viewed as of paramount importance.“
or so says John Gaston in Unherd
But contra…
If we can do without GCSEs and university exams now, why go back?
The Guardian weighed in here unsurprisingly given their usual attitude
And this…
Need to Take the MCAT? You’ll Still Have to Do It in Person https://nyti.ms/2C6a0oq
While the MCAT has value, medicine is a profession that relies on more than whether someone can take a test and regurgitate knowledge,” said Dr. Iris Gibbs, associate dean for medical admissions at Stanford. “It’s about personal attributes like empathy and caring and being able to problem-solve.”
Polls are Measurement too, right?
In my ETS days, I wondered about the possible ‘synergies’ (Yikes, that word!!!) between some other measurement companies and ETS. The polling industry has had a presence in Princeton for a long time as well. Nothing ever worked out but just as tests are ways of predicting performance so are polls. Unlike testing, pollsters seem to find it more difficult to admit the inexactitude of their claims, the limits of their abilities. Astral Codex put this up on Open Thread this weekend:
That was two weeks ago? It feels like years!
A week before the midterms, I wrote:
Polymarket, Manifold, and PredictIt now have shiny interfaces for predicting the upcoming US midterm elections. In terms of the Republicans taking the Senate, Polymarket is at 65%, Manifold at 58%, PredictIt at 73%, and 538 at 49%.
How did they do? Well, 538 did the best but you would get the same predictability by resorting a coin flip. Anyway…
“Mike Saint Antoine (who wrote the review of Viral in the last Book Review Contest) has put some more work into scoring midterm election forecasts.” If that sort of stuff interests you. I’ve said it previously: everything is test to me in a way.
Education Is What Matters Anyway, Right?
All right, let’s close on a positive note courtesy of my dear friend, Lew Shumaker from a note he sent me a while ago:
On a personal level, education is what enables us to make thoughtful decisions about our own lives, and to maintain an open mind about other cultures, contexts, and ways of thinking. On a societal level, education encourages dialogue and problem-solving by equipping members of a community with the tools and skillset to imagine new possibilities.
Access to education is itself a gift that not everyone is granted; in 2017, a UNESCO report revealed that 264 million children, or about 10% of the world’s children, don’t have ready access to schooling. Considering that disparity, it feels more important than ever to champion the importance of education, whether you are a teacher, a student, or both (as we all are!). Here, we’ve collected 15 quotes that speak to the critical role education plays in our lives, both now and for the future.
And these quotes sent by Lew
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
— Benjamin Franklin
Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.
— Malcolm X
Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.
— Confucius
Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
— Malcolm Forbes
Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.
— John Dewey, philosopher
Education is the key that unlocks the golden door to freedom.
— George Washington Carver
The purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.
— Sydney J. Harris, journalist
The ability to read, write, and analyze; the confidence to stand up and demand justice and equality; the qualifications and connections to get your foot in the door and take your seat at the table — all of that starts with education.
— Michelle Obama
The principal goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done.
— Jean Piaget, psychologist
The content of a book holds the power of education and it is with this power that we can shape our future and change lives.
— Malala Yousafzai
The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth.
— John F. Kennedy
Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.
— Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
— Plutarch
Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.
— Anthony J. D’Angelo, educator
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
— Nelson Mandela
