The current obsession with high-stakes testing has taught students one thing…that “being right” is the only thing that is important. The older they get, the less willing they are to take a chance on being wrong…so they say nothing until they figure out what the “teacher” thinks…which is obviously what is right.

Some years ago, I did a similar activity with high school physics students. I had them read an article on “Static Gravity” from Omni magazine. The author was a well-known science fiction writer, but the students didn’t know that. The article was satire, but was written in the same serious manner as other explanatory science writing. When I asked the students what they thought about it, several quickly volunteered that it seemed logical. Only one student in the class had the guts to say “This is ridiculous.”

Is it possible that policy makers in education don’t want students to learn to think for themselves? After all, “standard” citizens are much easier to govern than independent thinkers who might ask difficult questions.