Blog #2- The Broken Model by Sal Khan and A Short History of Public Schooling

The Broken Model by Sal Khan and A Short History of Public Schooling 

Argument:

After reading chapter 2 of Sal Khan's of Questioning Customs and watching A Short History of Public Schooling, I realize I have little knowledge about the history of our current education system and why we use it today. In chapter 2, The Broken Model, Kahn argues that our customs for the education system are skewed and outdated. Throughout the chapter, he discusses the Prussian system for students' standardized learning was a construct of the 1800s meant for students to do the exact same routine, in the exact same way, creating a model for the next generations to follow. During the first half of the 1800s, the Prussian system was being used in the United States. Khan discusses Horace Mann, the Secretary of Education for the state of Massachusetts, with progressive insight into what else this system can offer students and what they can benefit from it. Mann became a member of the Committee of Ten, the men responsible for initiating the subjects, math, English, and reading to be taught each year, and more distinguished subjects like chemistry and physics to be taught in later grades. On page 80, Khan states, "Today's world needs a workforce of creative, curious, and self-directed lifelong learners who are capable of conceiving and implementing novel ideas. Unfortunately, this is the type of student that the Prussian model actively suppresses." (p. 80) I agree with Khan that the current education system tends to suppress students who are naturally spontaneous and diverse. The Prussian model was designed to produce uniformity, treating students as if they all learn the same way. It creates categories of people who are expected to think and act alike, rather than encouraging individuality. While students who are clearly ahead of their peers might get more advanced work, the system as a whole still rewards conformity more than creativity or independent thinking. This topic of school systems made me think of this TedTalk I watched in another class. Ken Robinson argues that modern education systems stifle creativity rather than nurture it. He believes schools are too focused on standardized testing, conformity, and academic subjects like math and science, while undervaluing the arts, imagination, and diverse ways of thinking. I like the part where he discusses how children have extraordinary capacities for innovation, but the system systematically "educates them out of it."

Reflection/Questions/Comments to Share:

I'd like to reflect on how the Prussian system created a solid foundation for what a basic education system looks like and functions. But is this construct of this idea, formed over 20 decades ago, supposed to be what the education system still looks like and functions as today? Or are we meant to evolve and create better solutions to help students strive to find individuality?

The different types of learners: Mastery Learners, the Understanding Learners, the Self-Expressive Learners, and the Interpersonal Learners.