Let children learn to judge their own work.A child learning to talk does not learn by
being corrected all the time: if corrected too much, he will stop talking.He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those who are around him use.Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people's.In the same way, children learning to do all the other things without being taught-to walk, run, climb, ride a bicycle-compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes.But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes for himself, let alone correct them.We do it all for him.We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to.Soon he becomes dependent on the teacher.Let him do it himself or with the help of other children if he wants it.
Let him correct his own papers.Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? Our job should be to help the child when he can't find the way to right answer.Let's end all this nonsense of grades, exams, marks.Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.
Let them get on with this job in the way that seems most sensible to them.The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at school and used for the rest of one's life is nonsense in a world as complicated and rapidly changing as ours.Anxious parents and teachers say, “But suppose they fail to learn something essential, something they will need to get on in the world?” Don't worry! If it is essential, they will go out into the world and learn it.
31.What does the author think is the best way for children to learn things______?
A.By copying what other people do
B.By finding mistakes and correcting them
C.By listening to explanations from skilled people
D.By asking a great many questions
32.What does the author think teachers do which they should not do______?
A.They give children correct answers
B.They point out children's mistakes to them
C.They allow children to make their own work
D.They encourage children to copy from one another
33.The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are______.
A.not really important skills
B.more important than other skills
C.basically different from learning adult skills
D.basically the same as learning other skills
34.Exams, grades and marks should be abolished(废除) because children's progress should only be judged by______.
A.educated persons
B.the children themselves
C.teachers
D.parents
35.the author fears that children will grow up into adults who are______.
A.too independent of others
B.too critical of themselves
C.unable to think for themselves
D.unable to use basic skills