Takeaways From: "The Broken Model": Chapter 2 & A Short History of Public Schooling: Class Dismissed

While reading chapter 2 from The Broken Model and watching A Short History of Public Schooling from Class Dismissed, I made some talking points, observations, highlighted quotes and questions, while making some connections to previous readings. 

❗Talking Points:

1. Why do we operate the educational system with only order and limited curiosity? I understand the idea of a typical classroom model and the importance of having structure to limit student distractions and increase engagement, however, we are limiting students' curiosities and ideas. On page 77 of Chapter 2, Khan discusses how "order trumped curiosity; regimentation took precedence over personal intuition." My wonder is: what if it didn't? I know this is hypothetical, but how as educators can we encourage deeper inquiry and overall questioning?

2. "Geometry cannot be mastered by reading the demonstrations of a text-book, and while there is no branch of elementary mathematics in which purely receptive work, if continued too long, may lose its interest more completely." (p. 79) Students cannot learn math concepts by just simply listening, reading, and repeating. It is crucial to let students explore the material through inquiry and problem-solving.

3. In the History of School video, Laurie A. Couture discusses how school teaches children to be subordinate so they can go into the workforce as obedient workers. This connects directly to how students' imagination and creativity were limited with the Prussian model. While the original model of schooling has evolved in some ways, much has remained the same in regards to curriculum design - we're still prioritizing obedience and memorization over curiosity and critical thinking. For example, current math curriculums typically tell students rules rather than having them discover why rules exist or how they truly work. This limits children's critical thinking skills and trains them to just follow the rules and be subordinate, rather than be curious and innovative - skills that are actually useful in the real world.

⭐Argument Statement: 

Khan argues that the traditional classroom model prioritizes order and regimentation over student curiosity and creativity, which limits learning and fails to prepare students for a world that needs innovative thinkers.

🌎Connections:

This reading about student curiosity and creativity relates to other discussions I have had in classes about student discoveries. Allowing students to explore and make connections on their own is crucial for critical thinking and learning. In most cases, and in my own experience, students are typically nervous or scared to ask questions in schools, which ultimately limits their curiosity and understanding. The chapter states, "Today's world needs a workforce of creative, curious, and self-directed lifelong learners who are capable of conceiving and implementing novel ideas." (p. 80) This made me think of how important it is to allow students to be curious and creative in the classroom. In my class last semester, we learned about how important it is to model questioning. There are so many articles, videos, and research about questions in the classroom. Children need to be immersed in a culture that celebrates and provides multiple opportunities for asking big questions. Responding with questions to students gives them the idea that it is okay to be curious and creative. Read the document below to consider how to make asking questions in school okay. I also attached a link to a TED Talk if you want to watch how to ask purposeful questions.

** I found images from Instagram, on passive learning vs active learning.

https://youtu.be/AmAbX3PxhGs?si=6BWXxBSnpdbI3zr6

https://pz.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Asking-Big-Questions.pdf