Sal Khan argues that the traditional school system is broken because it values efficiency, standardization, and testing over real understanding, creativity, and individual student growth.
In Part 2, The Broken Model, of The One World Schoolhouse, Sal Khan explains how the modern education system was designed to handle large numbers of students, not to support how people actually learn. In addition, the Prussian model that school in the US is based off of was created to create a political and employee hive mind, resulting in waves of young people ready to enter the workforce without questioning "the powers that be." At the beginning of this section, Khan describes how schools ended up operating like factories, moving students along at the same pace regardless of whether they are ready. One comment that stood out to me early on was his comparison of students to products on an assembly line, because it made the system feel impersonal and more focused on output than learning.
In the middle of the reading, Khan shifts his focus to grades, testing, and tracking. He explains how students are often grouped or labeled based on early performance, which can limit their opportunities later on. This part made me wonder whether these labels reflect ability or just timing. If a student struggles early, the system tends to treat that struggle as permanent, even though they might thrive with more time or a different approach. This section of the text made me think about the oft debated different learning styles and their effectiveness when it comes to teaching. Sometimes when information is taught one way, it is difficult to grasp for certain students, and a different approach is needed to help the information be understood.
Toward the end of the assigned reading, Khan discusses the “Tracking Creativity” subsection and how the system often measures only what is easy to test. He points out that creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving are pushed aside because they are harder to quantify. This stood out to me because it explains why many students who think differently or creatively feel out of place in school. Ending the section this way reinforces Khan’s idea that the broken model does not just fail academically, but also discourages creativity and independent thinking.
Hi Symone!
ReplyDeleteI loved your choice of image and the use of that meme format to really drive home your point. It's really hard for policymakers and people studying education from the outside to notice exactly what is going wrong with the current system and how to fix it, especially because of the push for testing and 'results' and since these people have also been educated in the current system, it can make it even harder to come up with a creative solution when all the creativity has been squeezed out of you by the system.
I always look forward to seeing what meme you use!
Hi Simone,
ReplyDeleteThe image you chose perfectly illustrates the problem with standardized testing and what it takes to achieve high scores emphasizing how memorization of facts is more valuable than critical thinking. In my last class we learned about differentiated instruction and assessment and I feel it is a better indicator for student learning. I used a choice board in one of my lesson plans, allowing students the opportunity to choose a project that was engaging, appealed to their individual learning styles and interests, and encouraged creativity. My daughter has had teachers that have used this in their classrooms and I do believe it is a valuable strategy for a more accurate assessment of understanding.
Hi Symone, I completely agree with the points that you picked out as Khan's arguments in the beginning, middle, and end of the chapter. One thing that stood out to me was the name of your blog "coloring inside the corporate lines", I feel like not only was this so creative but also is a direct mirror of the way that Khan implies a students role (in the current education system) as someone who should join society. The 'ideal' student in our modern education system is a student who understands their role as a subordinate and maintains their subordination as they maneuver their way into adulthood and into our economy/capitalism. Additionally, just like you said, the 'ideal' student in our education system today is a student who is good at memorization, and that's about it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your reflections, Symone! I appreciate your point about how students who think differently or more creatively may feel out of place in school based on the structure and systems. I too think that there can be more creative ways students can show their thinking and show what they know as opposed to the use of tests and quizzes all the time.
ReplyDeleteThat image of the pool is just haunting. Does this remind you of Victoria's book at all?
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