Educational needs are as diverse as the students who require them—that is, profoundly diverse. Educational systems, on the contrary, are pretty homogeneous. And while the monumental leaps and bounds forward in mass education have made our systems relatively effective with broad strokes, some students will always be left behind.
Left Behind
Because of the tiered grade structure of our education system, each grade is dependent on the last. Students are expected to digest the skills and knowledge from their grade level before moving on to the next one. Consequently, it is assumed that students will be able to recall and make use of the previous grade’s knowledge at will. This assumption, however, is almost never perfectly satisfied.
Traditional education caters to the masses; the pacing and teaching techniques are designed for the average student to successful. Contrast this to apprenticeship system, for instance, where the material is catered to the student. Apprentices typically learn one-on-one or in a small group environment and often learn at their own pace or are taught at their level. With learning relationships that are more mentorship-based, students and teachers have flexibility to adjust the expectations, add additional challenges, or make changes to the time frame.
In traditional education, while there is often additional help available to the willing learner, the pacing is much more competitive. Students move on when their curriculum or grade level moves on, and anything that is missed in the process is either forgotten or left to come back and cause problems later.
The Gaps
In the most extreme cases, knowledge gaps can prevent students from progressing in the educational system further. This seems like an inefficient result, as only a few critical pieces may be missing. The student falls an entire year behind their peers when perhaps a few weeks or a couple of months of intensive study could have gotten back up to speed.
In the next most extreme cases, unchecked knowledge gaps can leave critical holes in the foundation of understanding. This can prevent success and enjoyment in future subjects reliant on that knowledge, undermining future learning before that learning even gets started.
Specifically in mathematics, missing out on when students are missing key skills such as fractions and exponents, learning algebra later becomes much more difficult. The student may struggle through and meet the bare minimum requirements (or they made not), but they will be unlikely to pursue or enjoy mathematics further once they’ve reached the limit of where they can stretch their cursory understanding. They will likely self-identify as being “not good at math” and opt out of discretionary learning.
In more subtle cases, knowledge gaps occur when understanding is fuzzy. This can similarly hinder future understanding; while a student may even be relatively successful in math, they may not develop a deep appreciation and robust, flexible, adaptive thinking, as it takes a very bright pupil to draw these kinds of connections on their own. This familiarity where there could be mastery changes the way a student relates to mathematics, including how they enjoy it or chooses to pursue it further.
Common Knowledge (Gaps)
Knowledge gaps are by no means an anomaly; as we explored earlier, they may even be a “feature” of the educational system we have set up. Structural knowledge gaps emerge when students transition between different grades or school levels (elementary to middle school, for instance), and curriculums do not bridge perfectly from one to the other. This is to be expected; perfect coordination would be impossible, and astronomically expensive even if it were. Teachers will teach things differently, students will learn things differently, and sometimes, there will be gaps instead of overlaps. Some students may find it invigorating to stitch together two different takes on a subject while other students will struggle. Good teachers who are flexible and responsive to their students can help to massage these discrepancies, but this may be the exception that proves the rule.
Circumstantial knowledge gaps are similar but happen as the result of an anomalous circumstance. A student might move in the middle of the year or miss a large portion of a year due to illness or a family situation. More widespread circumstances can affect a larger student body, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, some post-secondary institutions are finding the need to restructure curricula because of the educational handicaps many students were subject to during COVID-19. When circumstantial knowledge gaps arise on an individual level, sometimes these situations are slightly easier to manage. If one new student joins a classroom, most teachers will be cognisant that the student might be behind in knowledge in certain subjects and ahead in others. When it is only one student at a time, and if the teacher has the fortitude, it might be easier to mitigate those gaps.
Individual knowledge gaps arise from characteristics that are inherent to the individual. This might arise because the student has a different learning need (style or pace) than was set by previous classes, causing them to fall behind and be unable to catch up. These can be trickier to manage, because by definition, the student will require a more accommodative style in order to be successful. In a mass education system, this takes time and resources that are otherwise tightly managed.
A Supplemental Solution
This is by no means an indictment on our system; instead, it is a call to address a problem we can offer solutions for. Supplemental education boasts of many pertinent advantages in that it can be adapted in as many diverse ways as required by a student. Supplemental education can be person or online, group-style or one-on-one, and these configurations can be adapted to fit the individual child's needs.
In the case of transition gaps, supplemental education can be a great way to smooth over main topics from a grade level in order to make sure that the understanding is clear, or it can be a way to take a different approach to topics that the student is already somewhat familiar with where they may benefit from a different take. Supplemental education is a fantastic way to address circumstantial gaps because it allows them to utilize the time available to the student in the most efficient way possible to tackle specific topics and subjects. This can make the difference between staying behind a grade or advancing, or going into a grade on shaky foundation versus going in with confidence. And for students who are struggling with knowledge gaps because of the way they learn best, finding a supplemental education resource that works for them can be a lifesaver.
At Mentorhood, we truly believe that every student is capable of success, and throw our heart into finding ways to make each student successful. As a supplemental education organization, we have the flexibility to adapt to the goals and needs of each student and parent. It is an absolute joy to see students move from academic frustration to academic confidence. And we get to do it every day. If you are considering supplemental education that are unsure where to begin, reach out to us. Share with us your needs and goals, and we will help you find the solution that's right for you. We also do offer free trials for online and in person one-on-one coaching so that we can come alongside you to make an educational plan together.
We can help. And we look forward to hearing from you.
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