Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

Whos Cheating Whom?

Reprinted and abridged with the kind permission of the author Alfie Kohn
Read the Abstract on page 68 in An Advanced Academic Reader
Book 2

Key words:

accumulate anecdotes condemnation curtailed derive

d
ingenious manifestati pervasive relentless vigilance
on

Guess the meaning of the key words

Highlight the words in the sentences that have a similar meaning to the key
words which are in bold.

1. In the past few years scientists have accumulated more

information on genes. Hopefully the information that was collected
will lead to new medical breakthroughs.
2. He told several funny anecdotes about his experiences when he
was learning to drive. These short personal stories made everyone
nervous that he was driving nowadays.
3. There tends to be universal disapproval of cheating. However, this
general condemnation may be directed at the wrong source.
4. When the army took control of the government, civil liberties were
curtailed. Peoples freedom was limited and there were strict
punishments for anyone breaking the law.
5. This school gets most of its money from the Ministry of Education.
Since it derives its funds from the Ministry, it has to follow their
rules.
6. The headmaster was very ingenious. He found some clever and
creative ways of getting the students to work.
7. Some people say there are no clear signs of global warming. Others
claim that the increase in tsunamis is a manifestation of global
warming.

1
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

8. If cheating is widespread perhaps we ought to look beyond the

students. The fact that the problem is pervasive would appear to
reflect on the system more than the students.
9. Relentless disapproval can be really destructive. Continuous
criticism on the part of parents can do children a lot of harm.
10. The neighbors vigilance prevented the thieves from breaking into
the house. The police praised them for the care and attention they
had taken.

2
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

Skimming
whos cheating whom? (title) skimming questions
Paragraph 1: An article about cheating practically 1. Paragraphs 1-4 discuss
writes itself. It must begin, of course, with a shocking who cheats and why. In
relation to the title is this
statistic or two to demonstrate the pervasiveness of what you can infer the
the problem, perhaps accompanied by a telling article will be about.
anecdote or a quotation from a shrugging student YES / NO
(Well, sure, everyone does it). This would be
2. The answer to this
followed by a review of different variants of ethical
inference is based on:
behavior and a look at who is most likely to cheat. a. tone
Finally, a list of ideas must be provided for how we can b. content
Note: Both paragraphs 6 and 12
deter or catch cheaters, along with a stern call for ask a question. If the first
greater vigilance. 3. Paragraphs 5-8 adiscuss
sentence asks question then
a. who cheats
Paragraph 2: Just about everyone agrees that b. why they cheat
cheating is bad and that we need to take steps to c. how they cheat
prevent it.
4. Highlight TWO
Paragraph 3: Most discussions of the subject focus on
examples to the answer
the cheaters themselves.
above.
Paragraph 4: A fair amount of research has
accumulated since the publication of that report to 5. Paragraphs 9-11
illuminate the situations in which students are most discuss what issue?
likely to cheat and to help us understand the reasons __________________
they do so. _______________________

Paragraph 5: So, too, does a second finding: 6. How does this issue
Cheating is more common when students experience relate to what came
the academic tasks theyve been given as boring, earlier (paragraphs 5-8)?
irrelevant, or overwhelming. a. addition
Paragraph 6: Third, when students perceive that the b. contrast
c. cause
ultimate goal of learning is to get good grades, they
d. effect
are more likely to see cheating as an acceptable,
justifiable behavior.
Paragraph 7: Grades, however, are just the most
common manifestation of a broader tendency on the
7. Complete the
part of schools to value product more than process, sentence.
results more than discovery, achievement more than Paragraphs 12 claims
learning. __________________________

Paragraph 8: One major cause of cheating, then, is __________________________

an academic environment in which students feel
pressured to improve their performance even if doing
so involves methods that they, themselves, regard as
unethical.
Paragraph 9: Competition is perhaps the single most
toxic ingredient to be found in a classroom, and it is

3
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

also a reliable predictor of cheating.

8. Highlight the TWO
Paragraph 10: Competitive schools are those where, issues Paragraph 14
by design, all students cannot succeed. discusses
Paragraph 11: In short, a competitive school is to
cheating as a warm, moist environment is to mold. 9. Which of these two
issues was discussed
Paragraph 12: Because competition, a relentless previously?
focus on achievement, and bad pedagogy arent new,
__________________________
it stands to reason that cheating isnt exactly a recent
development either. 10. Paragraph 16 asks a
Paragraph 13: But lets assume for a moment that question. Highlight where
the alarmists are right. this issue was raised
earlier.
Paragraph 14: A deep analysis of cheating may lead
us to investigate not only the situations that give rise 11. Complete the
to it but the process by which we come to decide what sentence in no more than
will be classified as cheating in the first place. 5 words.
Paragraph 15: Some kinds of cheating involve actions Paragraphs 17-18 show
that are indisputably objectionable. that students are likely to
be punished if they
Paragraph 16: On what, then, does the concept of _______________________
cheating depend for its existence? One answer was _______________________.
supplied by a scandal at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology in the early 1990s. 12. Highlight TWO
examples of such
Paragraph 17: The problem, however, is that, aside
injunctions (commands).
from the occasional sanctioned group project, the
default condition in most American classrooms
particularly where homework and testing are Note: Paragraphs 16 & 20
concerned is reflected in that familiar injunction ask a question. If the first
sentence asks a question
(command) heard from elementary school teachers: then read the next
I want to see what you can do, not what your sentence.
neighbor can do.
Paragraph 18: By the same token, students may be 13. The answer to the
disciplined if they consult reference sources during any question asked in
sort of assessment in which the teacher has forbidden paragraph 20 (would the
this. result be worth it?) is
YES / NO
Paragraph 19: In 2006, a front-page story in the New
York Times described how instructors and Highlight the
administrators are struggling to catch college students justification. (10 words
who use ingenious high-tech methods of cheating. maximum).
Paragraph 20: Thus, suppose that cheating could be
14. Highlight what this
at least partly curtailed, would the result be worth
assertion (para 21) refers
it? Rebecca Moore Howard, who teaches writing at
to.
Syracuse University, put it this way: In our stampede
to fight what some call a plague of plagiarism, we risk 15. Does the author
becoming the enemies rather than the mentors of our agree with this assertion?
students; we are replacing the student-teacher YES / NO

4
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

relationship with the criminal-police relationship. Justify: ___________________

Paragraph 21: It is sometimes said that students who

16. such instances
take forbidden shortcuts with their homework will just (para 21) refers to?
end up cheating themselves because they will not
a. condemnation of
derive any intellectual benefits from doing the cheating
assignment. This assertion, too, is often accepted on b. widely held beliefs
faith rather than prompting us to ask just how likely it c. non-beneficial
is that the assignment really would prove valuable if it assignments
had been completed in accordance with instructions. A
review of the available evidence on the effects of
homework fails to support widely held beliefs about its
17. Highlight what the
benefits. To that extent, were forced to confront the author believes are the
possibility that students violations of the instructors real reasons people
rules not only may fail to constitute a moral infraction condemn cheating. (4
but also may not lead to any decrease of learning. words maximum)
Outraged condemnations of cheating, at least in such
instances, may turn out to have more to do with power
than with either ethics or pedagogy. Perhaps what
actually elicits that outrage is not a lack of integrity on
the part of students so much as a lack of conformity.

biographical information: Alfie Kohn has written many

fascinating articles on education, parenting and human
behavior. He was described by Time magazine as
"perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of
education's fixation on grades [and] test scores." This
article, which originally appeared in Phi Delta Kappa
(October 2007) has been reprinted in an abridged form
with the author's permission. For more information,
please visit www.alfiekohn.org."
Gather & Synthesize
Look carefully at the answers you have given and write the main idea of
the text in one sentence.
__________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Read the complete text (Whos Cheating Whom?) on pages 71-76 in

An Advanced Academic Reader Book 2 before you answer the

5
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

Close Reading Questions.

1. The review on unethical behavior demonstrates that
a. the overwhelming consensus on cheating worries the author.
b. an article on cheating has to contain certain elements.
c. there is a need for a list of ideas on how to prevent cheating.
d. the majority of people see cheating as ethically wrong.

2. What does the term ( what the term actually signifies para
2, line 5) refer to?
_______________________________________________________________________
3. What 3 issues does the author, Alfie Kohn, want to investigate?
a. _____________________________________________________________________
b. _____________________________________________________________________
c. _____________________________________________________________________

4. Paragraph 3 mentions two studies that

a. have come up with two totally contradictory conclusions.
b. show the importance of factors other than personality.
c. claim the individual is responsible for undesirable behavior.
d. present the dominant perspective on student cheating.

5. What is the common factor in the first finding (para 4) and the second
finding (para 5)
a. indifference b. boredom c. democratic classes d.
teachers

6. Give 2 reasons for cheating based on the information given in

paragraphs 4-5
a.
_________________________________________________________________________
b.
_________________________________________________________________________

7. Complete the cause and effect chart below according to paragraph

6.

causes effect
1.
6
2.
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

8. The 1998 study by Anderman (para 7) confirms the third reason

for cheating.
True / False
Justify (max. 9 words):
_________________________________________________________

9. The most damaging element in school culture is

a. pressure b. competition c. incentives d.
teachers

Justify:
_____________________________________________________________________

10. It makes perfect sense (para 8, line 1) refers to the fact that
a. schools see results as the crucial factor.
b. students do not acknowledge cheating.
c. ambitious students may choose to cheat.
d. data has exposed it is pointless to cheat.

11. Competitive schools are those where (paragraph 10) is an ellipsis.

Give the missing word(s)
____________________________________________________________________

12. The result of competition is (a) a loss of intrinsic motivation / (b)

extrinsic incentives stop working and one reason for this is that
there is (a) an adverse impact upon relationships / (b) no
development of higher order thinking.

13. What does this connection ( echoes of this connection paragraph

11, line 4) refer to?
___________________________________________________________________________

14. Students fear of being yelled at for low grades exemplifies the idea
that
a. many students fear the consequences of failure.
b. adults believe competition is excellent.
c. cheating is part of a warm, moist environment.
d. many adults loudly condemn cheating.

15. Color the correct answer.

The authors ironic tone in paragraph 12 infers that present times are ____
the past.
7
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

a. worse than b. better than c. different from d. similar to

16. Color the correct answers to complete the sentence below.

Cheating is (i) ____ when society regards education as a/an (ii) ____ .
(i) a. at an all time high (ii) a. stronger incentive to
cheat
b. a real incentive b. relative achievement
c. a reason to cut corners c. credentialing ritual
d. a rational choice d. inducement to cutting
corners

17. What is being contrasted in paragraph 14?

vers
us

18. Its not just that questionable educational practices may cause
students to cheat, in other words; its that such practices are
responsible for defining certain behaviors as cheating. In the absence
of those practices and the ideology supporting them, such behaviors
would not be regarded as illegitimate. (para 15)
The above quote means:
a. The educational practices are to blame for the problem of cheating.
b. The ideology of the educational system supports cheating.
c. The education system questions what cheating behavior consists of.
d. Without illegitimate practices the students would not cheat.

19. From the analogy in paragraph 15 we can infer that the author
believes
a. cheating is the same as stealing.
b. fair restrictions should not be broken.
c. illogical rules should be defended.
d. we should not create false restrictions.

20. The answer to the question posed in paragraph 16 is: Cheating is a

result of
a. exchanging information and dividing up class tasks.
b. a workload that is impossible and overwhelming.

8
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

c. the need for cooperative learning for assignments.

d. the inability to solve the complex problems assigned.

21. The problem (para 17., line 1) refers to the fact that
a. students who work together cannot exchange information.
b. group projects do not help students to learn.
c. students often have overwhelming workloads to deal with.
d. cooperative learning is permitted very rarely.

22. We can infer that when the author, Alfie Kohn, declares: End of
discussion (paragraph 17) he means:
a. The teachers are inclined to discuss the issue.
b. The teachers dont have to discuss their rules.
c. There never was any discussion on the subject.
d. Collaboration is not a suitable subject to discuss.

23. Color the correct answer.

By the same token (paragraph 18). The same token as:
a. group project b. cheating c. collaboration d. homework and testing

24. The Alabamas students comment (paragraph 19) exemplifies what

idea?
_______________________________________________________________________

25. Color the correct word in capitals.

The author AGREES / DISAGREES with popular opinion, rather he believes
that if students cheat on assignments, it shows the ASSIGNMENTS /
STUDENTS need to reassessed along with the methods employed by the
STUDENTS / TEACHERS.

The main idea of the article is:

a. Parents should be asking why cheating happens.
b. The problem of cheating lies with the educational system.
c. Cheating is not as harmful as many people believe.
d. A heavy workload will inevitably cause students to cheat.

Summary Completion
Complete the passage below according to the text.
You may use as many words as are necessary.

9
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

The author, Alfie Kohn, explains that because everyone uncritically

accepts that cheating is bad, it is time to
(1)____________________________________ ____________ the subject. He starts
with the causes of cheating and discovers that a change in
circumstances can affect the childs tendency to cheat as much as
(2)_______________________________________________ does. Moreover, it has
been revealed that certain educational factors, such as teachers who have
no connection to their students, or when there is a greater focus on
grades, or (3)_________________ ____________________________________________
, are all crucial factors. But an even more damaging dynamic, and one of
the most reliable predictors of cheating is
(4)______________________________________. The author explains how this
phenomenon interferes with
(5)____________________________________________ and erodes self-confidence
at the same time. Most interestingly, the students themselves recognize
cheating is unacceptable, but very often feel they have no choice. They do
it because otherwise, they are (6)_________________________________
________________________ by their parents.
The author goes on to point out that the problem is more complex
when (7)________________________________________________________ is
defined as cheating. Moreover, teachers frequently do not allow students
to (8)________________________________________________. What is worse is
that no one questions the legitimacy of these two rules.
Rebecca Moore Howard points out that the present system turns
teachers into (9)_________________________________________ which is not a
healthy approach to education. Ultimately, the author, Alfie Kohn, believes
that people who vociferously oppose cheating are really against
(10)__________________________________________ and are worried about
losing their power.

10
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

Summing-up Vocabulary
The most important words you need to learn are in the core list.
core vocabulary expanded enrichment
vocabulary
Access adverse (adj) abide (v)
Appreciate models (n) mold (n)
Attributed obligated (adj) objectionable (adj)
avoidance obstacles (n) premium (adj)
confront overwhelming rampant (adj)
(adj)
accumulate (v) pervasive (adj) relentless (adj)
deficiency (n) predictor (n) shortcuts (n)
deplore (v) refrain (from) (v) stern (adj)
derive (from) (v) ritual (n) virulent (adj)
discipline (n) sanction (n) vociferously (adv)
erode (v) straightforward
(adj)
exclude (v) anecdote (n) devise (v)
exploration (n) transition (n)
facilitate (v) workload (n)
flourish (v) vigilance (n)
function (n) violation (n)
assertion (n) yell (v)
incentive (n) attitude
inclined (adj) Consistent
integrity (n) crucial
intrinsic (adj) demonstrated
memorizing (v)
perceived (v) arbitrary (adj) elicit (v)
perverse (adj)
plague (n) collaboration extrinsic (adj)
(n)
prompting (v) condemnation geared (v)
(n)
restrictions (n) consensus (n) inducement (n)
beaten (adj) deter (v) injunction (n)
uniformly (adv) ingenious (adj) manifestation (n)

11
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

(by) design (n) legacy (n) mentor (n)

conceived (v)
challenge (v)
compromise (v)
consult (v)
curtail (v)

Check yourself
Do not use a dictionary.
Complete the sentences below with the correct word from the box.
There are more words than sentences.
NOTE! Each word can only be used once.
hint: the part of speech that is missing noun, verb, adjective, adverb can help you find the
right word.

arbitrary assertion challenge compromise consult

deter eroded flourished function inclined
memorizing perceived perverse plague sanctioned

1. The company were not prepared to _____________________________ on

safety in order to save money, hence they spent more than one
million dollars on safety equipment.
2. The teachers comments ________________________________ what little
self-confidence he had.
3. In a democracy the ruler does not have
________________________________ power but is controlled by the laws
of the land and the elected government.
4. Tom was uncertain what his __________________________________ was
within the company. He was unsure if he should report to the
finance department or manpower.
5. In 2009 there was a global fear that swine flu would develop into
a/an ____________________ but it turned out to be a false alarm.
6. For many years _______________________________ material was
considered an important part of learning, but nowadays, with all the
facts at ones fingertips through the Internet it is much more
controversial.

12
 Online Course: Unit 4Whos Cheating Whom?

7. Many countries made the paradoxical claim that they were building
nuclear weapons in order to ____________________________________
war.
8. This medication is not yet on the market because it has not been
________________________ by the Food and Drug Administration.
9. The company ________________________________ and within ten years
it had gone from having merely seven employees in a small office,
to employing 120 people in a large building.
10. The teacher was _____________________________________ to treat
anyone and everyone, who disregarded the rules she had been
enforcing the past thirty years, very harshly.

13