Saved By the Bell: The College Years?

Zach, Screech, and A.C Slater start off the year at Cal U, looking to build off of the great high school years together at Bayside…wait that’s not right.

Sorry, I got the book and my Netflix confused again. Let me start over.

What College Could Be Like from The One World Schoolhouse…that’s better

In all seriousness…after reading all the great posts before me, I had no idea how to even begin starting this. Luckily this was a topic that not only sparked a great deal of interest but really reminded me of my educational experiences. and lack of choice. This chapter seemed to really fly by, even as I stopped to jot down notes and compare it to my own college experience. From his videos to his writing, Sal Kahn has a way of connecting with any audience. It could be in the way that he does not force you to believe that it is his way or the highway, but gets you to see things from a different perspective that leaves you questioning and wondering what could be.

In this chapter of the book, Sal raised the question and gave us some insight on what college could be like in 2016 and moving forward. He was very adamant that this was not the end all be all, but merely gave suggestions on how colleges/universities could make each student the best that they can be for themselves and society moving forward. Sal also talked about how student’s choice and drive is a key component in reaching these higher goals and achievements. A big drive in this chapter was about internships and how effective they are as compared to how effective they can be. When I think of an internship, I think of running errands (coffee, papers, busywork as Sal says) and paying your dues to hopefully be among the final candidates for a job. Sal believes that those are just projects and does not have impact on REAL people. He believes that students should be out in the field getting their hands dirty and interacting with successful people within the business. They should be generating their own ideas and physically applying what they are learning as opposed doing menial tasks. There is a great quote that he uses that says, “this is how it has always been done, so people have never really questioned it.” Sal thinks that we need to differentiate between the “old school- backward working industry” and the “looking forward” twenty-first century industries.

The University of Waterloo, a top Canadian engineering school, is compared to the MIT, Stanford, and Berkeley, saying that their salaries rival some of our Nation’s best. Now he is quick to say that it is not about the money, it is about the impact that they make. At Waterloo, they spend a combined 24 months at their internship, in the field making a difference or coming up with their idea/invention. Most colleges and universities spend thirty-six months in lecture halls and only three to six months at the actual internship. To me this is experience that you cannot get out of a book or a lecture. Real life, hands-on experience is something that no book can really ever teach you about. When we started teaching and even now, there was/is no book to tell us how each child in our class is going to act from day to day, or what they best way for them to learn is going to be. We as teachers need to build relationships with them and use our skill set to know these students inside and out. Some of these students in these internships are earning money to help pay their way through college and are learning skills that will last them a lifetime. Does a test, or GPA really show a measure of ability in a certain area, maybe? Does it mean that just because someone didn’t score as well that they are not capable of completing the task? Sal proposes that the students can be graded based of the effort and level in success in their internship(s). Why limit the internship to just one, let them discover different locations and projects. Why cap their knowledge with a test instead of building off of it with an experience. Now there are certain aspects as to money, and if these will this work for everyone…probably not. However, why not give the students a choice, keep them motivated, keep them learning and give them a learning space to make it all happen. If we want to succeed and students want to succeed there is a certain level of risk involved and as the saying goes, “it is better to try and fail, then not try at all”. New schools wouldn’t need to be built, existing school could implement changes in a small variety. Sal compares college to the way the Google, Apple, and Microsoft are run. They are successful for a reason. People are not afraid to build or see an idea through, because even if it doesn’t work, someone else can pick up that idea and help improve on it.

I honestly could really talk at length about this with all of the fantastic examples that he provided. There is so much content that the chapter seems to just write itself. I felt like my students marking up the text and asking questions in my head. I personally enjoyed this chapter and whether you agree or disagree is not for me to judge, but I respect the fact that Sal had an idea for change and is positively using his platform to put it out there for anyone to read.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, enjoy the snow! Thank you for taking the time to read or scroll through!

2 thoughts on “Saved By the Bell: The College Years?

  1. I can totally relate to this post. It is like we are standing at the edge of tomorrow. I remember when I was a freshman in college and I knew it was all up to me how far I go. I looked over campus and I never seen such a view before, it was like a new world before my eyes. There was so much for me to explore, it was totally where my future lies! I was my time to break away.

  2. Great job, Mr. V!!!

    I loved the parts about internships! If you think about it, education is one of only college majors where you DO get an internship. So many kids go through college thinking they want to do something but not getting any experience in it until (at best) senior year. Being graded (as better yet, assessed and nurtured) on how you actually do in the field is clearly a better way to go. My son is in his first year of college…no idea what he wants to do, loving classes but needs more hands on in some areas to narrow it down. I wish Sal’s vision was reality….

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