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 around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things they learn to do without being taught--- to walk , run, climb, whistle, 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(更不用说) correct them. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless he was made to. Soon he becomes dependent on the teacher. Let him do it himself. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.
If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine(常规的) work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer. Let’s end all this nonsense of grades, exams and marks. Let us throw them all out, and 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(合情理的) to them, with our help as school teachers if they ask for it. 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(无意义的) in a world as complicated and rapidly changing as ours. Anxious parents and teachers say, “But suppose they fail to learn something essential(基本的), 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 learnt it.
What does the writer think is the best way for children to think?

A．By listening to their parents’ instructions.

B．By asking a great many questions.

C．By making mistakes and having them corrected.

D．By copying what other people do.

What does the writer think teachers should not do?

A．Give children correct answers.

B．Point out children’s mistakes to them.

C．Allow children to mark their own work.

D．Encourage children to copy one another.

According to the passage, learning to speak and learning to ride a bike are _____.

A．the most important skills	B．the basic skills children should master
C．almost the same as learning other skills	D．much different from learning other skills.

The writer thinks that children’s progress should only be estimated(评估) by ______.

A．the children themselves	B．their parents
C．their teachers	D．education authorities(权威)

The writer is afraid that children will grow up into adults who are ______.

A．too selfish	B．too independent
C．dependent and unable to use basic skills	D．able to think for themselves

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