The following is an excerpt from a published article in 1999 entitled "Generation X Wants to Teach." It is presented here because it has implications for the future of education, the quality of our teachers, and ultimately, our culture and way of life.
6. Masters of the Universe
Dr. Bob Kizlik
Florida Atlantic UniversityYears ago, before the Internet, before personal computers, before nearly instantaneous access to just about whatever information exists anywhere, when educational technology was pretty much limited to slide projectors, film strip projectors, overhead projectors, and motion pictures, I was a graduate student working on my doctorate. As part of the curriculum, we studied a wide range of concepts and ideas that related to our field of study. I remember, in particular, an article by Benjamin Bloom entitled "Learning for Mastery." As I read it, it made sense to me. After all, what is the point of learning, if not for mastery? Bloom carefully described the prerequisites and conditions necessary to learn for mastery. What Bloom was getting at was the factor of time, and that mastery of a subject was directly related to the amount of time available for learning. I've always liked what Bloom had to say back then, and have tried to incorporate his ideas into my own college-level teaching.
Today, there is little, if any, discussion of "learning for mastery" in teacher education programs. It is a seldom discussed topic in most public schools. What happened to the idea? Well, if as I suspect, it is not expected that students at the elementary level learn a subject or area of content at a mastery level, could it be because so many elementary school teachers themselves do not have mastery of content they are teaching? Most assuredly, the majority of students who make it through the courses I teach, as well as many of the courses taught by my colleagues, do not have mastery of the very content they are expected to deliver as teachers. It is reasonable to believe that elementary school teachers must have knowledge of subject-matter content somewhere above the 6th grade level, but I would estimate that 75 % of my students have a knowledge of social studies content at the sixth grade level or lower. In mathematics and science, the percent is probably about the same. Somehow, these young men and women made it through an educational system and into college without mastering very much content. Even now, changes have been made in the teacher education curriculum that de-emphasize subject-matter content in favor of yet more pedagogy. So much has been infused into the curriculum that something must be deleted. That "something" is usually subject-matter content.
The fundamental bone and sinew of education is not likely to change unless somehow the culture itself changes in ways that seem unlikely. Face it; we live at a time in which many values and what is considered knowledge are derived from the entertainment medium. In many conversations with students, both inside and outside the classroom, it becomes apparent that much of what they think is personal knowledge is largely derived from movies and television. They mistakenly assume that vicarious experiences are the same as actually knowing something. For example, seeing the movie "Rain Man" does not make one knowledgeable about autism or the various kinds of savants, nor does seeing "Evita" make one knowledgeable about the Peron regime in Argentina, but many of my students believe it to be so.
In areas such as social studies, the actual content to be learned has become diffused. No longer is it necessary for students to actually know something about historical facts, or to have some concept of chronology, but rather (in the current popular jargon) be able to integrate content into such ideas as globalism and planet awareness. The who, what, when and where, and why questions of social studies have been replaced with broad themes which themselves lack any clear definition. In essence, we say, "Here are some broad ideas and themes, such as change, movement, and diversity. Here are some things that demonstrate change, movement, and diversity. How do you feel about this? Can you find other examples?"
[The above excerpt is not meant as an indictment of all teacher education programs; there are plenty of good ones. It also should not be construed to mean that all my students are as described above. Many of them have a good grasp of the subject-matter content they will someday teach. But, on the whole, most do not.]
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"Anything not understood in more than one way is not understood at all."
Okay, now for something to read that might give you a chill or two....click here for my novel, What Waits Within
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Bob Kizlik