Blog #2: The Broken Model - Khan

Quotes

    “What's needed, in my view, is a perspective that allows us a fresh look at our most basic assumptions about teaching and learning, a perspective that takes nothing for granted and focuses on the simple but crucial questions of what works, what doesn’t work, and why”. This quote truly explains the focus of this reading. By calling for a “fresh look”, Khan is calling for examining the system we use in education, and what we can change or fix. It identifies the main issue that the current education system as a whole needs to be looked at, and we need to examine where this Western classroom model originated. Khan goes on to argue, what doesn’t work is the stubbornness and uniformness of the standard education system, the fixed-time and tracking, which stems from an 18th-century Prussian model designed to produce compliance rather than creativity.

    When we look at the Prussian model and the original reasons for the structure of modern schools, it becomes clear that although widely practiced, the model no longer serves the needs of the contemporary world. “The idea was not to produce independent thinkers, but to churn out loyal and tractable citizens who would learn the value of submitting to the authority of parents, teachers, church, and, ultimately, king.” This prussian model – characterized by age-based tracking, bells, and fragmented subjects may have been in some parts innovative for the time, much of it is rooted in political indoctrination, and no longer align with a world that requires independent thinkers and creativity. The quote is relevant because it shows that we continue to follow these educational systems simply because they are what we are used to.

   If we were to translate standardized testing and assessment methods in schools to other situations, it is clear that the methods of tracking used on students fails to measure deep understanding, long-term retention, creative potential, and types of unconventional/intuitive intelligence. Khan states, “Imagine if we assessed student dancers purely by their flexibility or their strength. If we judged student painters purely by their ability to mix colors perfectly or draw exactly what they see. If we appraised aspiring writers purely by their mastery of grammar or vocabulary. What would we actually be measuring?” The core argument here is that modern education has become "reductionist." Khan argues that the current system of testing and grading filters out the creative and different thinking people, "squelching" creativity. When we focus on quantifiable metrics—like memorizing a formula or right answers on a multiple-choice test—we are just taking a snapshot of the student in that exact moment, and only measuring the tools of a discipline, not the application of it. If instead, we praise students on the learning process and independent thinking  instead of solely performance, it can foster a mindset of growth and long-term mastery instead of short-term performance.

Reflection

Based on my experiences with learning at this age, I think it is an unnatural expectation that all students will learn the same way and at the same pace. I struggled with ADHD, and often felt inadequate and “dumb”, and it left a permanent impact on my confidence and self-identity. This was only changed when my creativity was valued and my needs were acknowledged, and I valued and capable rather than inadequate.