Yair Gritzman Week 7 - Do we still need a long school day?

 Yair Gritzman Week 9 - Do we still need a long school day?



This past week, I missed school on Friday, as well as Monday and Tuesday of this week.  I spent about 1-2 hours each day doing schoolwork in my hotel room, which mainly involved learning the material on Khan Academy and doing any necessary assignments. While 1-2 hours of school may seem like too little, I think that I was able to learn more than I normally would in an in-person class. This brings me to my question: what is the purpose of having such a long school day if individual learning is often more productive and leads to better learning? Or, are lectures a more efficient way to learn?

I read Sal Khan’s book, The One World Schoolhouse: Education Reimagined, where he argues that the traditional learning model of lectures in the day and homework at night has become outdated. With improvements in technology, a majority of students are able to learn material at their own pace using online resources such as Khan Academy. If anyone has tried Khan Academy, some of the thoughts that may come to mind are: “I finally understand the material”, “it’s so nice to skip the parts I know and jump to the parts I am unfamiliar with”, or “I hate Sal Khan’s voice.” Nowadays, students are capable of learning a far greater amount of material because the Internet allows people to access more information and learning resources. If students are able to master concepts faster and better with online resources, why are we still stuck with the one-size-fits all lecture model?

I believe it is time for schools to adjust to the changing times. If students can learn concepts better online at their own pace, why not shorten the school day and allow students to do the majority of their learning on their own time, with little homework? I believe that this method will allow students to cut to the chase and master the material instead of spending time on busywork assignments and drawn out lectures (which are often more interesting at 2x speed).

Do you think our school day should be shortened? Would you prefer self-paced learning with supplemental class time over our current learning model? Why or why not?


Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 9, 2021 at 8:30 PM

    Hi Yair,
    I am also a fan of Sal Kahn and everything that he talks about in his book. I still believe that school should be a full day. I think it should be able to start later, but a lot of what we learn in school isn't just the material, but it is how to interact with others and socialize and how to be comfortable asking someone for help. There are parts of school that just can't be replicated online, and while working online might work for some, it won't work for everyone. During my free periods, I like to go to the ceramics studio and work on some pieces. The lessons I learn there just pop up when Mrs. Hasson sees something interesting in my work. She comments on it, and it is a more personal experience (not to mention, I don't have a state-of-the-art ceramics studio at my house). So I agree that there are things that can be learnt mostly online, but that class time is where some of the most important learning happens.

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