The Broken Model

 

The Broken Model

This week’s reading, “The Broken Model,” was another interesting and thought-provoking topic. Sal Khan argues that today’s education system is outdated and ineffective, explaining that the model worked better long ago but no longer meets the needs of students today. One major issue he highlights is that “in our current education system, students are grouped by age, not by what they actually know.” Khan believes schools should move toward a mastery-based model, where students advance only after they demonstrate true understanding of the material and the ability to apply the necessary skills—not simply because their birthday falls at a certain time of year.

Another quote that stood out to me was, “The classroom lecture is delivered at a single pace, even though students learn at very different speeds.” This hit close to home. My daughter is an excellent reader with a very strong vocabulary for her age. Her best friend, who has been in her life since they were six months old, is also very smart but struggles with reading when the teacher moves too quickly. This shows how one pace does not work for all learners. I believe teachers should be supported in addressing the needs of every student so they can fully understand and master skills before moving on, rather than advancing simply because the school year has ended.

Khan also discusses how learning gaps develop over time when students are pushed forward without being truly ready. He points out that we accept this as “normal” because it’s what we are used to. That idea is honestly scary—because it’s true. When gaps are ignored, they only grow larger, making learning more difficult and frustrating for students in the long run.

Something to discuss as a class: Khan suggests that “normal” can hide problems in education. Can you think of a classroom practice that feels normal but may actually disadvantage some students?

For me I think standardized testing is one. I remember stressing over these test and they cause so much anxiety in students. We are used to the weekly test but the thought of a once or twice a year one was a lot.

Horace Mann Hall at Rhode Island College (RIC) is named after Horace Mann (1796–1859), an educational reformer widely known as the "father of the public school system". 

Reflection of PRIVILEGE POWER AND DIFFERENCE 1-3

 

I have to start off and say for my first reading since starting up school again, this had me thinking a lot. Diving into Privilege, Power and Difference by Allan G. Johnson covered a lot informative ground. Here are a couple of points that I took from the reading. In my opinion, the author is arguing that privilege is what makes us believe difference is the problem. When i think about it, difference isn’t the problem the fear and assumptions are. For example, someone with a disability is less capable and needs help all the time. In my current job as a retail manager, I see people with disabilities excel in roles that some would assume they could not do. Another assumption you could say is woman in leadership roles. Three quarters of my markets managers are women. The assumption of women shouldn’t be in roles over men is very off.

Another interesting point Johnson illustrated was the diversity wheel. The diversity wheel was very easy to navigate with the middle having the social characteristics such as age, race, gender, sexual orientation and physical abilities. The outside of it lays out identity factors such as religion, marital status, parenthood, occupation and income.

Everyone has their own unique positions on the diversity wheel. The real point is there is no “normal” and Johnson wants readers to really see how they fall on it and better understand others. Below is a different wheel I found that opened up more sub categories.

 

Something we could discuss more in class is if privilege is built into social systems rather that individual intentions, how responsible are individuals for challenging it?

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/why-its-important-to-think-about-privilege-and-why/

My First Blog

 

 Hey everyone, my name is Corey, and this is my first step toward my new career. I’ve spent nearly the last 20 years working as a manager at Walmart. Watching my now seven-year-old grow up inspired me to make the change to pursue a career in teaching. I’m excited for the journey ahead and look forward to a great class together.

Also, I HATE SNAKES!

“Individuals don’t win, teams do”
― Sam Walton