A Proposal: Replace Some Exams With Presentations

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1. 01Replace Some Exams With Presentations

   Good afternoon, teachers and classmates. I'm the student council representative for our grade. Today, I'd like to propose that we replace one written exam per subject each year with a short presentation.

   各位老师、各位同学，下午好。我是我们年级的学生会代表。今天，我想提议每年把每门课的一次笔试换成一次简短的演讲。

2. 02The Problem With Only Exams

   Here's the problem as I see it. Most of our grades come from written exams. Many of us memorize information the night before and forget it soon after. And we rarely practice explaining our ideas out loud.

   在我看来，问题是这样的。我们的成绩大部分来自笔试。很多人前一天晚上死记硬背，没多久就忘了。而且我们很少练习把自己的想法大声说出来。

3. 03Why Presentations?

   Presentations would help in three ways. To explain a topic clearly, you have to really understand it. We'd build speaking skills, and those skills are useful in university and almost every job.

   演讲能在三个方面带来帮助。要把一个主题讲清楚，你必须真正理解它。我们能锻炼口头表达能力，而这种能力在大学和几乎所有工作中都很有用。

4. 04How It Would Work

   The format would be simple. Each student gives a five-minute presentation, then answers two questions from the teacher. Everyone would be graded with the same clear rubric, shared in advance.

   形式很简单。每个学生做五分钟的演讲，然后回答老师的两个问题。所有人都按照同一套清晰的评分标准打分，并且提前公布。

5. 05"Isn't It Unfair to Shy Students?"

   Some of you may worry that this is unfair to shy students. That's a fair concern. So we could practice in small groups first, and students who are very anxious could present only to the teacher.

   有些人可能会担心，这对内向的同学不公平。这个担心很合理。所以，我们可以先在小组里练习，而非常紧张的同学可以只在老师面前演讲。

6. 06"Won't It Take Too Much Class Time?"

   Teachers may also worry about time. But this would replace an exam, not add one. With five minutes per student, a class of thirty could finish in about two or three periods.

   老师们可能也会担心时间问题。但这是替换一次考试，而不是增加一次。每个学生五分钟，一个三十人的班级大约两三节课就能完成。

7. 07A First Step

   I'm not asking for every subject to change at once. As a first step, could we try it in one subject this year, and then ask students and teachers what they think?

   我并不是要求所有科目一下子都改变。作为第一步，我们能不能今年先在一门课上试一试，然后再听听同学和老师们的想法呢？

8. 08Conclusion

   To conclude, exams test what we remember, but presentations show what we understand. Let's give both a place in our school. Thank you, and I'm happy to take questions.

   最后，考试考的是我们记住了什么，而演讲展示的是我们理解了什么。让我们在学校里给两者都留出一席之地吧。谢谢大家，我很乐意回答问题。