The Broken Model Chapter 2 by Sal Khan
Overall, I must say that I was shocked at how early the school model originated and how much it has improved since then. I had no idea where the model of schooling had started and think it's funny how the author's attitude is it's how it's always been so that's the way it will be! Personally, within my high school years, I do remember administration changing the schedule of classes every year. They tried every subject with one dropping each day, block schedule, and any other way you can imagine (it was hard to keep track!) I'm not sure what the schedule is now, but I hope they were able to settle on something that benefits both the students and teachers.
Throughout the reading there were a couple quotes that stood out to me. "In other words, if you want students to really learn geometry, you can’t just have them listen, read, and repeat. You have to allow students to explore the subject on their own." This relates to art education directly. I believe that teaching content is important during class time but students (especially in the art room) need to explore with materials or place the topic into a real life example. If I were to explain how textures can change on a canvas when applied solely by pictures on a slideshow...that's great but actually feeling it or applying it themselves will give them a better understanding of the process and the materials in general. Obviously the art room is a very hands on class room in general but I can agree with Sal Khan when referring to other subjects because I believe that everyone learns better by doing. It is important to have background knowledge by lecturing, but it is equally important to let the students have some type of hands on activity, mock trial, or group project relating the subject manner to a real life scenario.
Another quote that I resonated with was "Today’s world needs a workforce of creative, curious, and self directed lifelong learners who are capable of conceiving and implementing novel ideas." This relates to many philosophies of art educators. Critical thinking and creating are two out of the many National Visual Arts Standards we as art educators are required to include in our lessons. I have noticed that throughout my time in a variety of schools recently, many of them are offering CTE programs. Career and Technical Education programs can be a variety of subjects. From culinary arts, to electrical engineering, to veterinarian programs, many schools are finding the funding to create these programs to encourage students to get a heads start in a trade of their choice for their future careers.
This quote and the passage as a whole also reminded me of the struggles I have faced with school departments. I have been helping out all over my local district and I always find myself with an issue. I believe that no one likes change, do something one way even though there's a more effective option, or they change something too much just to save a dollar. In particular, I am one of the directors for the high schools' musical and this is my fourth year there. They have cut our budget every single year. There used to be four music teachers in the building during the day, now there are only two. There used to be a pit band for the musicals every year where students were able to play alongside faculty from surrounding schools and gain experience playing music that is quite challenging, they no longer gave us money for any musicians (who were always their own employees). In addition to the lack of staff hired after those who retired, they no longer offer theater classes during the school day. Public speaking, acting, and a variety of other classes were offered many years ago and aren't anymore. I am unaware if digital audio recording, song writing, and music theory are still offered but I sure hope they are. It is sad that students are unable to get the experience of these classes because they can help with a non-theater degree as well. News broadcasters and radio hosts need to start with some type of public speaking course at some point in their lives!
Those of you working in the field now, are there schedules that you prefer over others?
How much extra are you willing to give knowing your pay doesn't reflect the extra work?
Have you noticed trends within the school district, teaching staff, or administration you don't agree with? How would you improve these issues?
Hi Nicole -- to address your question: there are definitely schedules and routines I find in some schools that are highly preferable to others, as no two institutions seems to do things the same way. Since I'm reaching back in time to catch up on comments, I'll invoke some of the work we touched on more recently with Finn and Anyon: I've seen patterns in the working class school spaces I've been in, which starkly contrast with the affluent professional spaces I've seen, regarding the shape of daily schedules and the amount of prep time a teacher is afforded. In the affluent professional schools there is often a great deal of prep and transitional time, sometimes as much as a 1 to 1 ratio of class time (delivery instruction to students) and other duties. While those other duties can include recess supervision, lunchroom supervision, or similar service tasks: I find the ability to prep for classes (not to mention recharge and regulate after the higher intensity demands of holding a class) is much greater in those schools... which affects the volume of outside prep necessary after school hours. In the working class school spaces, I've experienced more rigid schedules, very little in the way of breaks, and almost zero prep time all things considered. Another element at play is that, perhaps counter-intuitively, I find the affluent professional private schools have tended to pay a little less to their classroom teachers. In a way, as professionals we are forced to balance our quality of work/life balance against the range of pay we will receive, and the concentration of resources in some spaces and lack of resources in others creates imbalances in the demands on teachers (and resulting longevity or burnout, as the case may be). Personally, my ideals and my desire to serve underprivileged school communities has been challenged by the reality of my own ability to maintain positivity and avoid burnout in spaces with higher emotional demands. I don't have answers to how to make this broken system work better for more of us, but I recognize the gaps and think an important step is that we stop pretending that these outcomes are an expression of difference abilities or cultural values and instead, recognize that they're outcomes of inequitable distribution of resources, instructional ability/experience, and social capital.
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