Words & ideas can change the world
Posted on November 22, 2016When I was 14 years old I saw for the first time (of many) the movie Dead Poets Society. I think it was the first time that I seriously understood how a teacher can impact a student and how the education system allows it to happen (or not). Each year gone, I confirmed how lucky I am because of the teachers I had and the opportunity to call them mentors. Which also makes me constantly wonder about all the students that do not have what I did.
I would like to address three insights I find enormously relevant refereeing to education systems and their imaginable restructuring.
1. Finding the right motivation: Is the education system aligned to help students discover their interests, inspirations and passions?
“Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that. Break out!” (Dead Poets Society)
In my opinion, the ideal state of a person in any phase of life, is to strive to be moved, to be transported, to be shaken. Seek to be touched by something greater than ourselves. Find a continuous experience to discover different meanings in life.
I find that this experience should start at young age, embracing creativity and exploration in a long deep immersion of personal discovery, which ultimately can be a key to an important happiness. As Albert Camus once said “Life should be live to the point of tears”.
I believe the current education system is no constructed to easily help young students seek their personal potential, which can obstruct a student’s educational and motivation path. Sal Khan, is an American educator, who has researched in this field and I would like to particularly share his approach on “teaching for mastery — not test scores: key leverage points for learning”.
He offers an example when students feel they have math learning difficulties for instance and explains that the very reason that this occurs is not the student’s fault or lack of abilities, but more a scenario where the students are faced with learning gaps in an educational process. Where at first, in the math class, the students are presented with the first concepts and content that they will have to learn in the following (determined) weeks. So, teachers teach, students do homework, students study and then are faced with an exam. If the students in that evaluation get for example a C, Khan states that this doesn’t mean they are a C-student. He says “realizing that if you got 20% wrong on something, it doesn’t mean that you have a C branding in you DNA somehow. It means that you should just keep working on it, you should have grit, perseverance and take agency over your learning.” But the current state usually does not have space for this approach, and makes the student move on to the next math topic that usually depends on the one taught before.
He explains how gaps occur, while eventually summing all the learning parts up and finding missing parts, that forces the student reach a wall that could let you not be able to perform what you seek, just because you lack the necessary tools. Or makes you believe you are shortage certain abilities, when not necessarily.
The ideal state would be to master something first and then, move forward. Then while constructing your educational background it all fits and you truly learn in a complementary manner. This would mean to have different paces for different students. Absolutely opposite of what happens with the traditional academic model, that groups students by age and they are shepherd together at the same rhythm. He explains that constructing education should not be any different than constructing a building: If you have a deadline for 2 weeks on reaching a certain point in the building construction, what if you got a C for the performance and then continued, needing to move on to the next task?
The process is broken. We should be focused on not only identifying the gaps, but aiming to work on them and afterwards build right on top of them. Take the time, letting students actually learn what they are being taught and master the material. This would not only make them learn better, but they would reinforce the right mindset muscles.
People might question the proposal of mastery base learning, not because it does not make sense, more because it may not seem practical. Since you would have each student on a very personalized trail, it opens questioning if the new model could be scalable. Though maybe in a past context you would probably say it would not, I believe that today with the technology that exists, the tools that exist, there could be a restructure of the system focused on building agency over learning. “Beautiful things would happen in classroom, instead of the tragedy of loss potential” (Sal Khan).
I find this very interesting, though I would like to add a final note to this point, an additional personal opinion: even if over achieving the gaps and finally reaching the expected point, students would face an evaluation outcome with the traditional scale A-B-C-D-F; my concern is what does an A or C really mean? Which leads me to my second part of this blogpost.
2. It’s all about the feedback loops
“The future can’t be predicted, but it can be envisioned and brought lovingly into being. Systems can’t be controlled, but they can be designed and redesigned.” (Donella H. Meadows, Thinking in Systems, pg. 169)
If the evaluation system is not going to change, if A’s and C’s are going to hunt especially young students, and make them feel more or less validated, I call for a more precise feedback loop in how teachers are grading, but also how are they teaching. The only way we can know how we improve or what could have been better is through feedback. To be able to have access to tools of improvement and develop skills.
There are some successful methods that some countries accomplish regarding this notion. For instance, educational models that help reflect upon teaching methods where younger teachers watch master teachers work, so they can improve their tactics; weekly study groups to talk about what’s working in the classroom; and also as teachers allow other colleagues to attend and observe their class for them give them feedback afterwards.
The key in both scenarios is ask challenging questions, multiple ways to explain an idea and the reasons of student’s evaluations, approach students how to correct mistakes and also, make the student an active party with a say in this process. This last note, leads me to my final point.
3. Embrace diversity of student’s backgrounds
“It is never too late to give up your prejudices” (Henry David Thoreau)
All over the world you may find contexts where there is a lack of access to a good education. Sometimes the system does not welcome nor has patience with every person because of where they come from.
Dr. Victor Ríos is an award winning college professor, author, and speaker, which researched on strategies to address the educational system that is unkind with students that come from families with economic struggling backgrounds. I find that he is a good reference, because he explains that he once was that young man he currently fights for today. He proposes to:
- “Let’s get rid of our deficit perspective in education: “these people come from a culture of violence, a culture of poverty, these people are at our risk, these people are empty containers with us to fill with knowledge. Where they have the problems and we (system) have the solutions. We need to change this point of view.”
- “Let’s value the stories that young people bring to the school house. Their stories of overcoming unsurmountable odds are so powerful. These stories and experiences already have grit, character and resilience in them. Let’s help young people refine those stories, lets help them be proud of who they are, because our education system welcomes their families, cultures, communities and the skill set they have learned to survive.”
- “Resources. We have to provide adequate resources to young people. Grit alone isn’t going to cut it. Job training, mentoring, counseling. Teaching young people to learn from their mistakes, instead of criminalizing them and dragging them out of their classroom like animals.”
He ends commenting “when you teach to the heart the mind will follow”. Which is a quote that I enjoy since it relates to my three insights. I find fundamental to find your passion in life; fundamental that mentors are true to their methods and connect with students, challenging themselves and help students find their path. Finally, without educational experiences that trigger deep internal and personal responses, it is easy to lose sight of your potential and search for happiness.
– Javi Arenas