We all know the feeling. Flip back to the high school days. It is exam time and the hours you have spent flipping through those revision notes and palm cards are paying off. You are flying through the questions and there is only one more circle to colour: A, B, C or D. But then it hits you out of nowhere, Question 19. The question you had not prepared for, the one that slipped from the mind maps, study notes and, highlighted stats. You know you shouldn’t; it is immoral but you have no other option. Your eyes slyly flick to the right and the left and you see that your classmates have picked C. Bingo. Done. They will never know.
From day one we are taught that there is something deeply amoral and awkward with the concept of cheating. From classroom tests to feeling ripped off if someone has taken credit for your brilliant idea, cheating seems a quick and easy way to be branded as ‘lazy’ or a ‘con’.
But perhaps it is time to rethink cheating not as an act that blocks the ability for students to think for themselves, but rather a chance to remix, shake up and build upon existing ideas.
I recently watched an interview with Hal Abelson (Professor at MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Lab Creator of the revolutionary graphics program ‘Turtle’). Reflecting upon the use of the program in the classroom Hal said:
“But it also spoke to the social aspect of learning in this way is that it wasn't just about you or your screen….but more about the whole community. I recently was teaching in my daughter's classroom… and one of the things I said to do was do something, and then when you think you have some interesting, share it with your neighbor. And then you should copy and cheat off of each other there. That whole notion still of cheating…in this community, it's really important to learn in that way."
Hal expressed something that is so essential in a classroom and life context: the impromptu concept of ‘Yes, and’. Embracing and yelling “YES” to an idea and then adding something more.
By redefining cheating as an avenue to build upon and improve existing ideas not only do we nurture an environment of collaboration but also one of continual growth.
Perhaps cheating is a perfect tactic to respond to a rapidly changing world.
