Response to Episode 2 of Video

            The progression of the school system presented in episode two of  “The Story of Schools” is an interesting process to experience. It was surprising to see some aspects presented are still being, used such as standardized tests. With all the information and opinions of past students about the standardized testing system, one would think they would have claimed they are not accurate at judging a student’s ability. This idea of tracking based on testing seems flawed; however, it is still done even with the facts being presented by those who were tracked in the 1920’s up until the 1950’s.  Many of the differences presented through the years seemed similar to what is being done today, which is not what one would picture since the world is progressing and information on how students learn is changing so one would assume that education should be evolving as well. Though some elements of education are moving forward with the new discoveries, other methods used have not changed much since the 1920’s such as tracking and testing.

            The Gary school seemed fascinating in the way it worked. The students seemed to be enjoying it and it was much more interactive in comparison to the other schools of the time. It seemed to be catering to the children’s needs and learning styles. I found this school enthralling and I wondered why it was only seen as a school training kids for the factories because it seemed much more than that to me. I feel as though some aspects of this Gary Plan are still seen today. I wish more of it were presented in the schools. It worked toward trying to get the students to retain the most information in a classroom, which suited their needs. This is what should be seen in schools more frequently a program that focuses on helping each individual student learn in the best environment for the learning ability.

            I am interested to see how much more the schools progress and what kind of changes will be made and what elements will continue to be in existence. I find it alluring to watch the progression of schools. It is also a bit frustrating to hear how certain methods hindered children’s performance, instead of helping them learn all they possibly can.