As someone who struggled extensively in the traditional school system, this reading brought me back to my experiences in primary and secondary school.
In elementary school, I was diagnosed with a learning disability in reading and writing and placed on an IEP, as my ability to decode, comprehend, and spell words was significantly behind. While my memory of this time is hazy, talking about this experience with my parents provides a very different perspective. Having two older brothers who had gone to the same school, my mom immediately noticed a change in the curriculum when I began school. During this time, they had replaced phonics with a new system that placed a heavier dependence on memorization of the basics, which she believed made learning all the more difficult. As a child, of course, I never considered that the structure of my education could contribute to my struggles; I had just accepted that there was something different about me, which made it harder to learn, so I required extra help. However, as the author discusses, the way in which the curriculum is set up and taught is instrumental to student success.
The overreliance on rote memorization over proper understanding promoted in schools is another aspect of this reading that I connected with. Working in a middle school as a teacher's assistant, I realize now more than ever just how little information I retained during my secondary education. Unfortunately, my difficulties continued throughout middle school into high school, just barely passing in many subjects. More concerned with getting by than actually learning, I depended on memorization to avoid failing, meaning I never unpacked larger ideas that would have deepened my understanding of the topic and likely helped in the retention of these concepts.
Finally, I agree that academics crush creative thinking and independent thought. During these difficult years, art class was my only escape. The one place I felt challenged creatively and encouraged to explore my own ideas. Though I experienced a personal connection that informs the importance I place on art education, the more I learn about it through my classes, the deeper my appreciation goes. Currently, in art education, the popular teaching philosophies are those rooted in choice, encouraging students’ motivation as lifelong learners, facilitating a growth mindset on student abilities, and enabling students to explore personally meaningful avenues of creating. Through proper setup, an art class can be a great place to begin developing students' independence, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
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Learning about how the structure of school came to be, and its intended purpose, was really eye-opening and validating for me. I always felt the education system pushed an overly black-and-white curriculum with teachers telling you how to think, format, and find the answer to the problem according to what they believe is best. As the reading explains, school was intentionally set up to train students to be the perfect workers, stifling independent thought, creative problem solving, and self-motivated learning. This is something I’ve experienced with art. In school, K-12, I was motivated to create and learn about art independently, spending much of my free time on it and enjoying every second. However, in college, as I focused on studio arts in my academics, my motivation to create art became tied to the classroom. Art felt like a chore, following a drill-like routine that left me burnt out and unmotivated to work on projects outside of school. While my technical skills improved, my work lacked creativity and individuality. Now that my focus in school has shifted to education rather than studio arts, I am slowly regaining the joy and motivation to create art. This experience furthers the main argument of the reading, as, with the current structure of education, even a subject dependent on creativity can lose its meaning.
For those interested in how art can be used to teach critical thinking in the classroom:
https://www.rmcad.edu/blog/using-art-to-teach-critical-thinking-skills-in-the-classroom/
Hi Faith!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your blog! I can definitely relate to your experience growing up and struggling in school. Although, I was not diagnosed with a learning disability, I believe I should have been. I was the youngest sibling in my family and was often compared to my older brothers as well who did not struggle like I did. I also agree with you and the author that academics crush creative thinking and independent thought. I think of myself as a creative and visual person but growing up, school did not allow me to utilize these qualities. I too loved art class because I was able to use my creative side and create projects that sparked joy. This was my way of "escaping" like you said, from the standard schooling system and allow me to think more outside of the box. I loved your blog!
Hello Faith
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Its was like you lived my same education....almost. I am a middle child and at one point my twin sister and older brother were all in the same high school. Both of them had IEP and I too felt like I was memorizing everything to get by. Now I'm panicking trying to remember everything to take the praxis exams. I also think that students should be more exposed to the arts. I feel that opens their eyes to more creativity and expression.
Hi! Thank you for sharing your personal experience in relation to Khan's model. Your reflection highlights how the education system can shape a student's confidence and creativity... the education system needs to change so that learners are able to thrive in environments that value creativity and self-efficacy in learning over rote memorization and compliance
ReplyDeleteHi Faith,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience with an IEP. I was placed on a 504 plan myself in elementary school and it made it difficult for me to keep everything memorized. I learned the information just fine, and I could demonstrate it after a brief review, but attempting to memorize a large amount of information was so stressful for me, especially when moving over to memorization from phonics.
Similarly to you, once I started playing trumpet in middle school, it was almost like something clicked for me. It was challenging, but it wasn't stressful. I was actually retaining what I was learning, and I was showing progress in ways that I hadn't before. Creativity and individuality is such an important aspect of life, and it's a shame that a lot of administrators in education tend to gloss over it in favor of the "core" subjects and, of course, strict memorization.
Hi Faith- thank you for sharing the article on the linkage between critical thinking and art. When my students tell me that they do not enjoy ELA, I always try emphasize that reading and critical thinking are skills that you will use in all classes and all aspects of life. When I am teaching, I also try to focus on application of skills rather than on memorization.
ReplyDelete