Author: Ali Paster, Resource Teacher at Kipling Elementary School
Before I begin, I’d like to take a moment to thank Anthony, and the entire Kipling Krew for once again encouraging me to expand my comfort zone. Never, EVER did I think I would become a blogger. Writing in general, let alone publicly for a community I respect, has never been in my comfort zone. However, I can honestly say that throughout this process, I have enjoyed myself and learned a lot. Now that I have hit, “publish” I am proud to add the title of Guest Blogger to my resume.
*Disclaimer: I am not suggesting this post is magical in any way, shape, or form:)
In this chapter, Sal Khan describes the events that led to the inception of Khan Academy. He introduces us to Nadia, his cousin, a intelligent and serious minded 12 year old at the time. She travels to New Jersey back in 2004 to celebrate Khan’s wedding. She arrives devastated because she had just done poorly on a Math Placement exam given at the end of 6th grade. This struck a chord in Khan. He described on page 16,
“She was a straight-A student, highly motivated, always prepared. Her subpar performance baffled her. It wounded her pride, her confidence, and her self-esteem. By the time we spoke after my wedding, Nadia had actually come to accept the outcome of the test. She believed that she wasn’t good at math.”
This saddens me because it is something I have personally witnessed time and time again. The testing we are required to give our students can have negative effects, it can tear away at students’ self esteem, create anxiety, and bruise their confidence. I especially see this with the students I work with, whom due to various factors, often have difficulty demonstrating their intelligence in this fashion. They come to see themselves as “bad readers” or “not good at math”. I have had many discussions with colleagues about the harm of these tests on our lower achieving students. We realize they serve an important, necessary purpose but we lament over the negative side effects we see in many of our students.
Although the video clip you are about to see is meant as a bit of comic relief, I believe that Nadia and many students in general have felt like Mojo at some time.
Nadia believed that she wasn’t good at Math based on her performance on one exam, on one day. Khan believed that Nadia had real potential and that being on a lower Math track would be detrimental to her math future. He made her an offer, if her school would let her retake the test, he would tutor her remotely. Of course we all know how the story ends, Khan began remotely tutoring Nadia, she passed her exam, the number of Khan’s tutees grew, and then a friend suggested posting his videos on YouTube. The rest is history.
The follow except, on page 20, really resonated with me.
“People learn at different rates. Some people seem to catch on to things in quick bursts of intuition; others grunt and grind their way to comprehension. Quicker isn’t necessarily smarter and slower definitely isn’t dumber. Further, catching on quickly isn’t the same as understanding thoroughly. So the pace of learning is a question of style, not relative intelligence”.
This is something that I also believe and I can think of many example in my personal experience that validate this belief. I wish there was a better way we could convey this idea to those students that do “grunt and grind their way” through school. That it’s the depth of the understanding that is the goal and not the speed of it. Given the constraints of today’s classroom environment, how can we shift the focus from moving on quickly to the process of learning, the effort, and the depth of understanding?
On page 21, Kahn goes on to discuss his beliefs about how people learn.
…two of my first precepts were these: that lessons should be paced to the individual student’s needs, not some arbitrary calendar; and that basic concepts needed to be deeply understood if students were to succeed at mastering more advanced ones”.
This also lines up with my beliefs. In my role as a resource teacher, I have the luxury to pace my lessons to my students’ individual needs. I am able to work with small groups or even one on one with my students focusing on their individual learning goals. I am able to focus on foundation skills and filling in the gaps in my students’ learning, that might be preventing them from picking up new concepts. But in the classroom, there are curriculum maps to follow and many more students with different needs and learning styles. How can we enable our students to move at their own pace and deeply understand concepts?
Lastly, Khan goes on to say that early on in his tutoring journey he became, “hooked on teaching”. He states on page 17 that he believes that teaching, “is an art that is creative, intuitive, and highly personal”. I personally feel so lucky to be working with people who inspire me on a daily basis with their creativity, intuition, and passion. It is so evident in every action I observe throughout Kipling that each and every one of you have a deep calling to teaching and that you truly love what you do. I found this plaque over the summer and I now have it hanging in my classroom. I love it and since I believe it is a sentiment we all share, I thought I’d end with it. Thanks for reading and please share any and all comments below!
First of all, great blog post, Ali! And kudos for being the first blogger after Anthony….he does this a lot! 😉
Teaching Nadia: I think the focus on learning styles and learner perception is important in this chapter. We have seen the assessment trend grow and change a lot over the past several years in public education. We are now at a place where our students “test” and then see their “score” right away on MAP. This can be a curse and/or a positive. While some kids get spurred on, or know immediately they have “scored higher” than last time, others at times burst into tears. One test, one day, one snapshot which CAN have far reaching effects. One test diminished Nadia’s self-esteem and it can do the same for our kids.
While we rely on tests and assessments, we also need to remember that everyone learns differently. Some gains are made quickly, some slowly. Khan’s tenets (as you quoted, Ali!) that, “…that lessons should be paced to the individual student’s needs, not some arbitrary calendar; and that basic concepts needed to be deeply understood if students were to succeed at mastering more advanced ones”, are sound and we know them to be true. I believe them, they make sense. But as teachers of 20+ kids at many levels of understanding, it is not as easy as “tutoring” one child. There is the struggle. Technology helps, the world is at our fingertips. Our 1:1 is a great assist in helping teachers differentiate…it just brings us to the problem of making sure what kids find online is beneficial, trustworthy and enriching.
I also noted Khan’s question on pg. 23 regarding Nadia’s eventual success, “Which came first, the success or the enjoyment?” Love this! I often hear teachers facetiously say these days, “No time for fun anymore!” This could not be further from the truth and I usually use my age 😉 to point out to younger colleagues that if this is true, they are doing something wrong. Learning IS fun and it should be. Success IS fun and it should be. We have fun every day in my room, I am certain of that, and we are also learning. It is in the delivery, the creativity, the support and of course, the pace. Teaching is an art and a science and I love that Khan realized that early on in his quest to think outside of the box.
Right on Amy. Learning is fun. Success is fun. Achieving your goals is fun.
Thanks Amy!
I love your comment about making Learning fun. Your classroom definitely is an engaging and fun environment and I am enjoying spending time in there this year:)
Ali, You bring up many good points in your writing, and it causes me to reflect on the similarities between our roles, though we often serve students at the opposite ends of the testing curve. We both meet with smaller groups of students and are careful to fill in any gaps that exist in their learning. I found it interesting that the quote that resonated with you is the one that stuck out to me in this chapter: “Quicker isn’t necessarily smarter and slower definitely isn’t dumber. Further, catching on quickly isn’t the same as understanding thoroughly.” I often talk to parents who think that because their children were early readers or know their multiplication tables that they belong in an advanced program. But that abstract creativity that Khan talks about and the ability to apply what is learned can be hard to assess. A good teacher does so much more than just present content to students. I wholeheartedly agree that the Kipling staff goes above and beyond to meet each individual child where they are and to help them gain self confidence in their abilities.
Thanks Lynn,
I like how you brought up the similarities of our roles. I agree there are many parallels. I also like how you speak about how learning to read early doesn’t make you gifted. I have helped many “late bloomers” that just developed at a slower rate but eventually got to the same place of their peers, just in a different way on a different path.
Hi Lynn,
I talk to my students about the quote that you mentioned all of the time: “Quicker isn’t necessarily smarter and slower definitely isn’t dumber…” It is so difficult for students and parents to understand that being a fast learner or a slow learner should not define the child. Students should take their own learning path and be encouraged to go deeper into a certain topic or go back and review a few lessons, without feeling any pressure or embarrassment. We all, myself included, need to stop comparing our own learning to others, in order to define how we learn for the rest of our lives. Our learning path is our learning path, and that is all we should focus on. I also agree that the Kipling staff goes above and beyond to meet the needs of our students, and I hope that we are building them up to grow and be successful learners!
Ali – great job! Your first post as a Guest Blogger was very thoughtful and meaningful. The whole ‘teaching to the same calendar’ bit resonated with me, and it made me think about my role as a music educator.
Imagine if a student came into your class two grade levels above in math, or any other subject. It would certainly be a difficult task to engage them and the rest of the class throughout the year if you were stuck on a strict curricular schedule. That’s the world of music, where students who’ve been taking lessons since they were five are in the same class as students who only experience music education in school. This type of individualized instruction is something that I need to continue to implement for all of my students so they are each getting something from my class.
Mike,
Powerful understanding. I love this response.
Thanks Mike!!
I like how you showed us the importance of differentiating in music as well, and how difficult it can be at times. It made me think of my daughter who has been taking drums lessons for a couple of years and now plays in her school band. At first she was a little frustrated because she was starting with beginners. Her teacher noticed and challenged her with slightly different parts and now she is much happier in band.
Great job Ali!
To take this full circle I would say that in the general education classroom we are striving to provide instruction in the same ways as both Ali and Lynn. Many classrooms are using guided math groups to target standard specific lessons. The groups are able to move at the student’s pace and they are fluid and ever changing to make sure each student can be taught at whatever level they need. We also have redefined what guided reading looks like in the classroom to be more of a standard based approach instead of teaching the novel students are reading. We have made the novel the vehicle to teach standards. Instead of differentiating the text we differentiate the standards that students are learning while reading the text.
To me reading this book is inspiring in the sense that it validates a lot of the discussions and the instructional decisions that we are making in our school on a daily basis. It just shows that the progress we are making as a school is not a fluke it is because of the forward thinking the Kipling staff continues to have and it makes working in the building a fantastic experience.
Thanks Ben! I agree that reading this book has validated a lot of the amazing things I see and hear about going on at Kipling. It truly is a fantastic place to work:)
Wow. Great job Ali. You have written an awesome post. I give you lots of credit for all of your courage and I am glad it was a good experience for you.
I think the story of Nadia says more about our system as a whole than it does specifically testing. I think it will always be important for teachers and students to know exactly where students are, what the next steps are, and then evaluate if you got there. That is just a natural process of learning. What I would love to see is students get to the point that they see their MAP scores and results as a while, and look at their learning through their goals, then set their own goals for their next steps. I think we are doing good work toward using assessment to drive instruction rather than simply testing to test. There will always be more to do in this area. If students are seeing themselves as “bad at math” or “bad readers” then what is our approach toward assessment and what are our conversations like with students both before and after? I believe what may sometimes be a negative experience for students can become a very positive one of learning, growth, and building confidence. We just can’t skip that step. Do these negative experiences say more about our approach as a system than it does the student or even the assessment.
I loved the idea that students learn at different rates. I think we will see great examples of this further along in the book. Just because a student is struggling with one concept they may never struggle again once they get it. This is personal for me as I was a late reader. Early on in my schooling many people were wanting to sift and sort me based on that impression. But one day it just clicked and I was a great reader from about the end of first grade on. We don’t all develop the same.
Thanks Anthony,
I agree the approach and attitude of the teachers regarding testing is extremely important, as well as having conversations both before and after. These factors can help make testing a more productive, beneficial, and positive experience.
Dear Ali
You did bring magic to life with your awesome guest blog post! Kudos to you for leaping in first – not an easy task!! I’m so thrilled to be on this journey with you – both as a guest blogger and also as the chief educational officer of the school district. I learn from each of you as I visit the schools and your classrooms! I learn from the readings, conferences I attend, and overall studying.
My aim is to create and support teaching and learning environments where we can fulfill our lofty mission of meeting and challenging each and every learner. I do agree that 20+ kids of varying abilities in any one setting pose a challenge, perhaps it’s time for us to rethink and reimagine the one teacher to 20+ kid model … just food for thought that Sal Khan, and our overall change journey puts into my head!
With Anthony and now Ali, I have a bit of pressure to keep up the great writing – I hope I don’t let you down.
ML
Thank you for your kind words! Laughing about your “bringing magic to life” comment though:) Looking forward to your blog post.
Ali,
Great post!! Major kudos. I was also saddened by Nadia’s perception of herself and couldn’t help but think of the student body as a whole. Your first image you posted in the blog is one I tweet often! It’s such an important lesson, especially in art. There are a lot of students who come into the art room and have this mentality of “I’m not good at art” or “I can’t do that” and it is difficult to change that attitude. My theme for Kipling artists this year is, “Creativity takes courage” – a quote by Henri Matisse and one I feel resonates with this whole idea that Khan is getting at. I want our students to be encouraged by their peers, inspired by the art around them, and most of all, feel confident to try new things and take risks while creating art. Each child is unique and learns at their own pace, no matter what the subject, and it’s our job to create the environment in which they can best flourish and take pride in what they do! If our students are engaged and learning in an effective way for each of them, then success is bound to happen!
Elizabeth
Thanks Elizabeth! The quote you shared , “Creativity takes courage” is so true! It certainly is the case as an adult as well:)
Elizabeth, I love the culture you are creating in your room! I agree – I see Nadia in students often, and I think your goals of peers encouraging one another, feeling inspired by art around them, and having students feel confident to take risks are goals we all need to have in our classrooms! I have loved seeing more of our students feel comfortable with taking risks as we encourage growth mindset self-talk and begin to change our language with LIM, helping students to feel more empowered in their own learning and in the collaboration with their peers.
I agree that your post was fabulous Ali! This chapter inspired me to rewrite Nadia’s story in a fourth grade friendly version to explain how Kahn Academy began to introduce it to my students. I want them to see how both Mr. Kahn and Nadia persevered to help her find success in her journey as a learner.
Jeanne-that is a GREAT idea!! Do I get to “steal”….or, um borrow that from you for my class??
Amy- Of course you can!
I think we call this collaboration 🙂
I want to steal this idea as well! I think that it would make those students who are hesitant and maybe have some low confidence in their own learning abilities see how Khan Academy can help them to reach their goals.
Great post Ali! This is a great idea and it has really stuck with me. So often people get stuck with one idea of school and a picture of what “good at school” is. Sharing Nadia and Mr. Khan’s journey with the class helps to normalize the fact that we all learn at different paces and in different ways.
First of all, Ali great post! You did an amazing job. 🙂
The story about Nadia really touched me, because I also felt upset about how this one test score “wounded her pride, her confidence, and her self-esteem.” This also made me think about how many discussions that I have had with parents about this same concern, and how just like Nadia, they felt that a “bad” test score could be a kiss of death for [their child’s] future. It is a difficult thing to talk to a student and a parent about, because test scores are important to help guide teachers on what learning path their students are at and to show growth, but tests aren’t the only thing that helps teachers to know what to instruct on next or how their students are doing. As a teacher, I know how important using formative and summative assessments are, but I would hate to make any of my students feel like Nadia felt. I think it is so important to encourage students to keep learning and fixing their mistakes, like Khan did with Nadia, because she continued to learn what she didn’t know, instead of just moving on to the next skill or unit. I think a lot of times, that is what students do. They score badly on an assessment, and then never return to it to figure out what they did incorrectly or how to learn from their mistakes. I truly think that teachers and students need to encourage this kind of learning, because it provides students to grow from their misunderstandings and extend their knowledge.
What I love about using Khan Academy with my students is that it provides students hints and a chance to rewatch the video and review the skills again at their own pace. This learning tool encompasses what Khan was talking about in this chapter. A chance to improve learning and not feel embarrassed about things that they do not understand.
I love that they can learn at their own pace too Amanda and that there are hints and videos they can view as well. It really motivated them last year to push themselves voluntarily to go beyond the boundaries of the curriculum.