Teaching For Mastery
One recent internet sensation, surprisingly, has nothing to do with show biz, but is about learning and teaching. Sal Khan, once a hedge fund analyst, is now the executive director of Khan Academy, an online educational platform.
In a TED Talk, he addresses the problems with the current model of education and expresses his own frustrations with it. As Khan points out, the system focuses on test scores and pushing students through the grades at the same pace. Many times, "gaps" in their knowledge are overlooked as students move up the grades. Gaps keep on accumulating until, one day, the students hit a brick wall. Their shaky foundation finally catch up with them making it impossible to progress. This academic experience often instill erroneous mindsets in students as "I just don't have the math gene!" What ended up happening is that students simply avoid the subject thinking they do not have the ability to learn it.
What Khan advocates is that we teach for mastery. Instead of insisting that all students to learn the same material within the same amount of time, what we should insist on is mastery. Before a student can master a first concept, he does not get pushed to learn a second concept that is built upon the first. This way, students can progress properly with confidence and no potential will be lost.
Baakari Wilder, my beloved tap dance teacher understands this idea very well. I once talked to him about the same warm up exercises that we have been doing for years. As Mr Baakari points out, these basics moves are the fundamentals that make up a dance. You want to dance well, you need to have strong basics. If you do not train hard on these building blocks at the beginning, it is very hard to go back and fix it.
Basics are like the foundation of a wall. You rush to build without making sure the foundation is sound, many gaps and holes would be left in the base. It maybe able to hold up the first level of a building. Yet, if you keep building the same way with holes and gaps in the walls, the second level may start looking crooked. The third level may not be level and plumb. Before you know it, the fourth floor will come tumbling down!
Many years ago, before I joined the "big practice" outside of our college aikido club, the late Rocky Izumi Sensei said to me, "We have been doing the same things over and over. When you see other people who have practiced about the same amount of time, it may seem like they know many more moves and techniques than you do. Do not be envious. Have faith in your practice. For now, it may feel like you are behind, but you are not. By practicing the few things that I teach you now, once you get them, you will progress much faster than the others later on. Just be patient."
I listened to him and never questioned the wisdom of my teacher. I can never thank him enough for his teaching and what it has meant for me. Having been in Aikido all these years, I witness what Rocky Sensei talked about. Weakness in basics can continue to haunt experienced students, regardless of how many years they have been training. Some people simply plateau out after a certain point. The unfortunate thing is that these habits have become so embedded, both physically and mentally, that it is very hard to change. Some of these gaps are intertwined in such a way that, even if you want to change, you may not know where and how to begin.
I remember a teacher once said, "A black belt does not improve your techniques. Without good techniques, you better not wear a black belt. A pre-mature black belt is the worst poison."
No matter what you do in life -- wearing belts or not, strong basics and clarity in the fundamental concepts is critical. Instant gratification by rushing takes you nowhere. Be patient. Take your time. You will eventually get there in good, solid shape.
In a TED Talk, he addresses the problems with the current model of education and expresses his own frustrations with it. As Khan points out, the system focuses on test scores and pushing students through the grades at the same pace. Many times, "gaps" in their knowledge are overlooked as students move up the grades. Gaps keep on accumulating until, one day, the students hit a brick wall. Their shaky foundation finally catch up with them making it impossible to progress. This academic experience often instill erroneous mindsets in students as "I just don't have the math gene!" What ended up happening is that students simply avoid the subject thinking they do not have the ability to learn it.
What Khan advocates is that we teach for mastery. Instead of insisting that all students to learn the same material within the same amount of time, what we should insist on is mastery. Before a student can master a first concept, he does not get pushed to learn a second concept that is built upon the first. This way, students can progress properly with confidence and no potential will be lost.
Baakari Wilder, my beloved tap dance teacher understands this idea very well. I once talked to him about the same warm up exercises that we have been doing for years. As Mr Baakari points out, these basics moves are the fundamentals that make up a dance. You want to dance well, you need to have strong basics. If you do not train hard on these building blocks at the beginning, it is very hard to go back and fix it.
Basics are like the foundation of a wall. You rush to build without making sure the foundation is sound, many gaps and holes would be left in the base. It maybe able to hold up the first level of a building. Yet, if you keep building the same way with holes and gaps in the walls, the second level may start looking crooked. The third level may not be level and plumb. Before you know it, the fourth floor will come tumbling down!
Many years ago, before I joined the "big practice" outside of our college aikido club, the late Rocky Izumi Sensei said to me, "We have been doing the same things over and over. When you see other people who have practiced about the same amount of time, it may seem like they know many more moves and techniques than you do. Do not be envious. Have faith in your practice. For now, it may feel like you are behind, but you are not. By practicing the few things that I teach you now, once you get them, you will progress much faster than the others later on. Just be patient."
I listened to him and never questioned the wisdom of my teacher. I can never thank him enough for his teaching and what it has meant for me. Having been in Aikido all these years, I witness what Rocky Sensei talked about. Weakness in basics can continue to haunt experienced students, regardless of how many years they have been training. Some people simply plateau out after a certain point. The unfortunate thing is that these habits have become so embedded, both physically and mentally, that it is very hard to change. Some of these gaps are intertwined in such a way that, even if you want to change, you may not know where and how to begin.
I remember a teacher once said, "A black belt does not improve your techniques. Without good techniques, you better not wear a black belt. A pre-mature black belt is the worst poison."
No matter what you do in life -- wearing belts or not, strong basics and clarity in the fundamental concepts is critical. Instant gratification by rushing takes you nowhere. Be patient. Take your time. You will eventually get there in good, solid shape.
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