We all remember with fondness (or lack of) elementary school. I'm sure we remember that there were, and still are, subjects that we seem to understand better that others. Because of our background; that is our childhood, our education, our environment, and our own innate capabilities we have a slightly nuanced approach to life.
Back to grade-school: I am a teacher with a class of twenty students (all you teachers out there, stop rolling your eyes, I know it should really be about 35 students but only 28 desks and 25 books) and I am teaching them basic algebra. First, it must be assumed that if I am teaching algebra I know algebra (again, teacher stop laughing) and I'm not just making it up as I go. Again, not only must I know algebra but know it well enough to spot mistakes and teach it. But here's the problem: as stated above, everyone of those twenty students is different. I can teach algebra to the class. The entire class got the same lecture, same examples, same worksheets, same everything. So why do some excel, some fail, and some inhabit that squishy middle section we call "average"?
There will be a certain percentage that will immediately grasp the concepts, will excel, and will move on to higher math with little interference. Albeit this is a very small percentage. Then there is the opposite end of the spectrum that is also a small percentage of those who will fail. There are many questions that arise when you have some excelling and others failing. Finally, there is that large middle-range of those who are not excelling or failing but muddling through. Let's take each in turn:
Those who excel: Are they born smarter than the others? Probably not. I'm not aware of any scientific test that can be performed to distinguishes two normal human brains and determine one is smart and the other dumb. Is it environment? Did the parents or previous teachers provide an environment that nurtured the development of engagement with regards to academic study? Is it possible that they have a personality that inclines them to pay attention better? It's not that they are any smarter, they just listen. Instead of playing with their shoes or drawing on their worksheet they are actively engaged in the lesson. However the understanding occurs; it does, in a tangible and demonstrable way.
Those who fail: Again, are they born dumber than the others? And again, probably not. However, study after study has shown that if parents do not value education and create and environment that encourages exploration and the desire to learn, the children have a high risk of academic failure, or struggle at the very least. This is not to say that a kid raised by parents who have no education and don't care about education and even ridicule a child attempting an education won't excel, just that the odds are not in his favor. There is another factor here. The kid could come from a very different background than one that is anti-intellectual, in fact the opposite. The background could be one of entitlement and expectation (on the kid's part). If the child is raised in such a way that they are given all they desire without any expectation on their part, what are they learning? Why should I bother to learn, I get whatever I want whether I know this or not, whether I get good grades or not. It's not that the child has the cards stacked against him or that he is antithetical to learning, he just doesn't care, because he doesn't have to. These are the kids who are playing with their shoe-strings and drawing on their worksheets. And, again, this is shown in a very tangible way: lack of understanding.
Then there is the middle: these are the kids that represent most of us. They somewhat get get. They try. They get get some right, some wrong, but ultimately it prove that they have a working understanding but not a spectacular showing. In other words; they are average.
In end, however, what cannot be said is that it's the teacher's fault. All the students were presented with the same material that of an appropriate level as their grade suggests. All were given the same opportunity to see examples, to ask questions, etc. The difference is the student. Some will hang on the teacher's every word, internalizing the lesson so that it becomes ingrained in them and algebra becomes second-nature. Others will listen as best they can, and will for the most part get it. They will make many, many mistakes, but they genuinely want to learn. If the don't succeed by natural ability they will succeed by perseverence. Then there are the those who don't listen, don't care, and will not learn. They will not learn, not because they can't but becasue they won't. They would rather sleep, pass notes, whatever. And in the end, they will fail.
We are all given the same lecture. Granted, we all come with different burderns. It will be easy for some and incredibly difficult for others. However, ultimately, it is our choice. It is each of us that excel or fail or waver in mediocrity. It's not our parents, our environment, or anything but us. So what are we doing. Are we listening intently or playing with our shoes-string?
Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe great paradox of education in modernity is that the more money that educators want to pure into education (ask them how much they need, the answer is always "more", which means infinity); the more technology that is applied; the more psych/ educational theories that teachers are bombarded with and by mandatory fiat made to sit at their boring seminars, all results in more failure? Why is that? In all of this more, there seems to be a fundamental rejection of the classical understanding of the nature of the human soul comprised of intellect, will and heart. And, the modern educational dogma asserted as an absolute truth is that if a student fails, it cannot be their fault, it must always be someone else’s...teachers, parents, social-environment, bad genetics, or society. The student quickly picks up on this sentiment, with a sense of entitlement, chanted in the mantra of "its not my fault, its not my fault, its not my fault".
Funny thing is, that the great thinkers of history never said that. Instead people with dyslexia like Einstein discovered E=Mc2, and individuals with schizophrenia like Nash develop the economic game theory, which wins the Nobel Prize. Could it be that its simply a problem of the will?