This
piece first featured on page 31of the Saturday Daily Nation of 26th
October, 2013 entitled “Set Book Guides Mislead”
I want to echo most writers’ and readers’ opinion claims that students, regardless of education level, fare badly with set text questions due to guide book over-dependency. Literary set texts challenge students’ understanding of the book. Teachers provide only about 25% of school feeding; which is insufficient for academic excellence. The rest is the students’ responsibility. Students should take time to read and re-read set books as many times as possible. They should be well-familiar with a set book’s plot, events, and characterization; from which themes are born.
I want to echo most writers’ and readers’ opinion claims that students, regardless of education level, fare badly with set text questions due to guide book over-dependency. Literary set texts challenge students’ understanding of the book. Teachers provide only about 25% of school feeding; which is insufficient for academic excellence. The rest is the students’ responsibility. Students should take time to read and re-read set books as many times as possible. They should be well-familiar with a set book’s plot, events, and characterization; from which themes are born.
Guides
are compiled by scholars, and they are naturally not exhaustive. They may touch
on some aspects but not others. Many students just memorize, or rather cram guides’ only examinable contents,
which is dangerous. The examiner can test anything from the book, or twist it
the other way round. Over-relying on guides leads to literary laziness. Extensive
set book-reading gives students the right mindset in comprehensive terms, as
well as promoting reading culture in learning institutions.
©
Peter Ngila 2013
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