Since the first "teaching machines" were marketed in the 1960s, educators and publishers have tried to serve the individual needs of students by applying technology. None was especially successful, but a new program, currently being piloted in several New York City middle schools, is winning an enthusiastic response from both educators and the news media.
Clearly, nobody still believes that the 19th century industrial model of schooling – one teacher standing in front of twenty-five or thirty kids – meets current needs. It may have been more effective half a century ago, when children were strictly tracked according to ability, and when there were plenty of industrial and clerical jobs for those less academically inclined. Today, though, every child's potential must be maximized in order to meet global competition.
How School of One Works
Central to the School of One approach is a "learning algorithm" that seeks to match individual student strengths, weaknesses, and learning styles to specific, targeted lessons from a computerized "lesson bank." Frequent measurement of student achievement is designed to pinpoint individual student needs and measure progress, and also to assess the relative effectiveness of different lessons from the "bank." Lessons include large-group instruction, small-group instruction, small-group collaborative learning activities, computer mediated instruction, independent learning, and one-on-one interaction with both virtual and live tutors.
In the School of One model, students are grouped in much larger cohorts than the traditional class of 25 to 30, and served by teams of professionals, including teachers, assistants, and tutors – not to mention administrators and technical support staff. The "learning algorithm" must match the needs of particular students to the availability and qualifications of staff. Schedules, called "playlists," are displayed for both students and staff.
At this time, School of One is in its very early stages. It includes only students who voluntarily participate, and only math skills have been targeted because of a greater availability of programmed materials in math.
Potential Benefits of School of One
Children with disabilities each have an Individualized Education Program (IEP), and School of One seeks to extend that benefit to all children. If the difficult and time consuming process of creating an IEP can be accomplished by a computer, it seems inevitable that children's needs could be better met – even if School of One went no further than tracking individual strengths and weaknesses.
Many teachers will enjoy the opportunity to work with other adults during the school day; to specialize in their areas of greatest competence; and to hone their skills by teaching the same lessons to various groups of students. Expanded opportunities for small-group instruction and one-on-one tutoring can create more positive connections between students and staff. Children will not be able to "hide out" in the back row.
Most important, of course, is that children would not be left behind when a class advances, or left to sit in boredom as a class catches up with them. Individualized instruction has always been the educational ideal.
Potential Problems with School of One
The School of One program has not been measured against other summer or after-school programs meant to help students with math skills. It has not been tried to help students with known deficiencies. It's participants do better than students who get no extra help, but that does not make it a success, and its staff to student ratio is much higher than the typical ratios of public schools.
How good is the algorithm, and how much can it be improved? It is fairly simple to divide math skills into defined behavioral objectives which can be measured and tracked, but not nearly so easy for subjects like English literature or history. Will School of One be applicable across subject areas? It is impossible to say.
Will publishers be willing to develop materials to be used with School of One? Based on the materials currently available, the answer is likely to be "no." Unless School of One, or something comparable, becomes immensely popular, publishers will continue to produce the same readily sold books and materials they have produced for decades.
Every educational innovation looks like a success until the time comes to replicate it. School of One has the potential to be the paradigm for the twenty-first century, but it has not yet shown itself to be workable. Only time will tell.
Victor A. Gallis - Vic Gallis has written for a variety of literary journals, educational publications, and websites. Thirty years spent in public education, ...
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