In the chapter, The Broken Model, Khan argues that the education system in the United States is flawed and in need of reform. However, he does not suggest dismantling the system entirely. Instead, he believes the solution lies in changing how we view the education system so that we can identify and address its weaknesses.
He begins the chapter by discussing habits, explaining that long-standing systems develop a “stubborn staying power,” even after it becomes clear that they are no longer working effectively. I completely agree with this point. Many people do not question the education system because it has existed in the same general form for so long, and because education is often seen as an authority above us, people tend to accept it rather than challenge it or push for meaningful change.
The section that stood out the most to me was his discussion of the Prussian model. He explains that the system was built on the idea that isolating students from first-hand information and fragmenting knowledge presented by teachers would produce obedient and subordinate graduates. This model discourages students from questioning what they are taught. Reading this brought back memories of my own experience. I attended a Catholic school in Madrid, which was the same school my aunts attended decades earlier when it was an all-girls school. In past classes, when learning about traditional education vs. non-traditional education, I would always use my old school as a traditional school. There was a strong emphasis on discipline, assessments, and teacher-centered instruction. As students, we were not encouraged or even allowed to question the teacher. Whatever we were taught was the truth.
However, just as an add-on yesterday, I had a very nice conversation with a taxi driver regarding the differences between when he was growing up and now. He grew up in the 70s and never questioned his teachers about anything he learned. But according to him, this was because he wasn’t always able to fact-check his teachers. There was no internet for him to access. According to him, more and more people now question what they learn because it is easier for us to access information. So I guess my question is: how has technology impacted the model of traditional schools?
I do believe that education today is beginning to move away from that model. Although some traditional elements, such as discipline and structured routines, still exist in my school, there are also many more student-centered practices. For example, my students are encouraged to ask questions. As a science teacher, I know that inquiry is essential for understanding concepts, especially during experiments when students naturally develop curiosity and need clarification. Another example is in math. When I learned multiplication, I was taught only the standard algorithm. Now, students learn multiple strategies, such as the area model, and they use manipulatives to build conceptual understanding. Today, the focus is on helping students understand the reasoning behind mathematical operations. In contrast, when I was in school, I memorized procedures without truly understanding what I was doing.
Times are changing, and this is what Khan meant when he said the system was created in the 1800s, when most of our technology hadn't been invested in yet. This system is outdated and old.
Looking at the education system more broadly, it does not operate independently. It reflects and reinforces the inequalities and power structures present in society. Here is how:
- Political system
- The government determines curriculum standards, assessments, funding priorities, and educational laws.
- Economic system
- School funding often depends on local property taxes, which creates disparities between communities.
- The quality of education students receive significantly affects their future economic opportunities.
- Social and cultural systems
- Schools reflect societal norms and cultural expectations.
- Schools can either challenge social inequalities or reproduce them.
In my opinion, meaningful change in education requires structural reform. Small adjustments here and there would only act as a bandage rather than addressing the root problems. Reforming the educational system would shift patterns of inequality across society, this is because all systems influence one another, so lasting and meaningful reform must occur across multiple areas, not just within schools alone.
Hi Susana, I really like your insights, including your story with the taxi driver who attended school in the 1970's. Since students can fact check information on their devices, whether it be a computer or phone, times really have changed.
ReplyDeleteI also teach math, and also was taught the standard algorithm, first learning long multiplication around 4th grade, which for me was in 1979. I didn't learn other methods until I starting teaching Middle School math. I can relate to your comments to how you were taught math. It is also interesting to me that you weren't allowed to question the teacher. Today, the push is towards "Student Centered" teaching, so I agree with you that the education model is changing.
Hi Susana,
ReplyDeleteI really appreciated how you connected Khan’s argument to your own schooling experience in Madrid. Your description of not being allowed to question teachers helped make the Prussian model feel very real instead of just theoretical. It shows how the goal wasn’t just learning content but maintaining authority and order. I also thought the conversation with the taxi driver was interesting because it highlights how access to information changes the relationship between teacher and student.
To your question about technology, I think it weakens the traditional model because knowledge is no longer controlled by the school. In the past, the teacher and textbook were the primary sources of truth, so memorization made sense. Now students can instantly verify, challenge, or expand on information. Because of that, the role of school shifts from delivering facts to helping students evaluate and apply information. When schools continue to operate as if they are the only source of knowledge, students disengage because the structure no longer matches reality.
I also agree with your point that schools reflect broader systems. The sorting Khan describes does not just stay in classrooms. It connects to economic opportunity, expectations, and access. That is why reform is difficult. Changing instruction alone does not fully work if funding structures and social inequalities remain the same. Your idea that reform has to happen across systems really captures the complexity of the problem.
Overall your post shows how the model persists but is slowly being challenged by both pedagogy and technology.
I also wonder if the difficulty in reforming schools comes from the fact that the structure is still serving a purpose beyond education. If the system historically sorted people into roles, then many current reforms focus on improving outcomes inside the same structure rather than questioning the structure itself. Technology may change access to information, but it does not automatically change how institutions decide who succeeds within them. That might explain why change feels slow even when teaching practices improve.
ReplyDeleteHi Susana,
ReplyDeleteInteresting conversation with the taxi driver and how insightful he was about the the inability to fact check. It actually made me recall a professor that I had in nursing school. We students would get frustrated with her because we could never ask a question and get an answer for further clarification. She always directed us to "refer to the text". We were all pretty convinced that she didn't know the subject matter herself and was just rattling off what she had memorized!
Hi Susana, I love the Political/Economic/Social/Cultural breakdown you provide at the end of your blog, and how you differentiate between the changes you see happening because of broad cultural and social shifts (role of technology, questioning, fact-checking your teachers) and the continuing systems that still confine our education system in this older model. You note at the end about broader structural shifts that need to occur, and I was so curious what you think those structural changes should be?
ReplyDeleteHi Susana,
ReplyDeleteI loved your connection to yourself throughout this post. I think it shined a light on the education that many of us received growing up. I was taught standard algorithm just like yourself and to this day I still see students using it to solve multiplication. I think that there is still a place for it in education, but I agree with your point that it is not the single and only method. The same is true when we look at what is called the FOIL method when multiplying two sets of parentheses. I just had a workshop the other week where we learned how to use the area model instead of FOIL to have students beginning multiplying between parentheses.
I think that the added touch of the political and socioeconomic impacts really helped bring your point together. Like Khan said, there are driving factors of life that are centered around education. The same can be true on the flip side, there are driving factors of other professions on education as you pointed out. I especially connected with your piece about politics. Linda McMahon the Secretary of the United States Education System had visited my school. She visited on behalf of the America 250 year anniversary tour. A person looking to reshape the education system in a very negative way, flaunts herself around a building as if what she is trying to do good for education. It is almost comical and yet we as teachers have to stand and put on a smile like everything is perfect.
I am so interested in the issue you raise about technology changing the PURPOSE of our whole education system. If stems can get "information" with the touch of a button, then what really IS the purpose of education? Michael Wesch (from KSU) write about this. I think you would be interested in it: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-JcBFAuLc-0dUVXRjQzRDVPRFE/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-B0LnRevh1Z7geVNyFdgigA
ReplyDelete