Think back to your educational history. Many people can relate to the feeling of being taught a lesson in school, attempt to memorize it, and then move onto the next topic without ever looking back. The key word in that sentence was memorize.  

In his TED Talk “Let’s Teach for Mastery—Not Test Scores,” Sal Khan talks about how memorization should be replaced with mastery. Schools and parents hyper-fixate on test scores with a one-size-fits-all approach. Khan proposes a mastery-based model where students do not progress until they have fully grasped the material. He puts a major emphasis on personalized learning to help students unlock their truest academic and personal potential. Sal Khan is the founder of Khan Academy which is a tool that students and teachers can use to learn through repetitive practice opposed to strict memory. Khan argues that a grade, such as a “B” or a “C” does not reflect on a person’s potential, just reveals they have not yet mastered that material, and they should not be shamed for it. 

Interested in watching this TED Talk? Click here!! 

  

Rachel Silverman 

UConn KIDS, Research Assistant

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