Is it considered cheating if..?

Question

I let a student eat something to 'retain memory' on a test. I have a student that claims she eats/ drinks a certain food (like a specific candy that has a outstanding flavor) while studying and can recall the facts better if those flavors also come back.. weird I know. And I know she is not putting test information on the wrapper or anything because I inspect it before she uses it. Should this be allowed?

Answer 1

No, that is not cheating!  

I learned that technique in college.  It deals with all the senses.  So, if a student studies with a particular smell in the room, or music playing it helps focus and put the mind back to that same point in time.  

In fact, I think you should teach this to the whole class, have them do it, and bring what they need for the test and see if the grades tend to increase. It would be a neat experiment.

Thanks for reading!

Answer 2

Sure it should be allowed. It doesn't sound like anything is wrong with that. Different people have different techniques and that sounds like a really neat one! Teaching yourself to match a flavor to an answer is a very unique and quite brilliant way of learning.

I wonder how this type of programming might affect her later in life lol.

She eats a strawberry and she gets a flash of very complicated physics  lol.

Answer 3

I don't see why not. As long as your other students are allowed to do the same things it presents no problem.

Answer 4

I have an apptitude for teaching..though I have yet to pursue the Education for it... but I often ponder questions like this... how should I structure rules for my students... should I lay down the law early then start to let up after a time... or vice-versa... supposedly the 'Vice-Versa' has caused entire civilizations to fall out of inconsistency and lack of leadership..

1) To me it comes down to what is best for the class as a whole: the spirit or intent of the law "No food/drink/candy" or the letter of that law.

2) Obviously the intent or spirit is to make it easier for the Janitor to clean the carpets/floors, but also that students won't make a mess of their homework and others in the process let alone the textbooks that may have to last several more years..

3) But then their is the meta-spirit reason to teach student about rules/laws/etc. in general and to enforce that Society-at-large are prone to make sure those students as adults suffer any consequences they have coming... and the classroom seems a good 'control' to teach this....

4) All these factors may apply to any one student, but possibly not to all students.

5) As you can see, I'm arguing myself to try to get a point, as well as try to answer at the same time..any way I would do the following as my answer and suggestion:

A) Assess the general maturity level of your students... are most self-reliant, well-manored enough, that giving them the luxury of candy(for educational or sweet-tooth motives) would enhance the learning environment or turn it into wanton-chaos?

B) In A.P. classes it would tend to be the former... where regular classes would tend to average in the latter...

C) If discipline isn't a factor, and you genuinely think it would be a great reward to the students... by all means let them have the candy/drink etc.. but you may or may not want to qualify it to the situation.... wether that be for 'memory-retention' purposes or not..

D) If you do grant privelages to the student in question, I would challenge her to bring in a report with Scientific or Psychological case-studies that make her case.... then if you so choose allow another student to debate the opposite or Antithesis of her case...offer a reward of some kind to the winner... and let the rest of the class decide.. a good teaching mechanism on the processes of democracy as well...

E) Anyway sky is the limit.... I would be curious how you decide..the methods... and the ultimate outcome.. email me if you'd like..after your implementation..

F) Best of Luck..

Answer 5

that's not cheating  

Answer 6

someone else answered something along the lines of , "... as long as the other students are allowed to ..."

and, for teachers, therein likes the problems.

Opening up eating and drinking to all students during a test is asking for people to cheat.

As a college instructor, I've found it better to eliminate food/drinks from all tests.

My thoughts.