The Tyler Rationale/my experience with schooling.

The Tyler Rationale theory around curriculum was very prominent in my entire time in elementary and high school. Growing up I was never strong in subjects involving math and science. I was taught that math was a class where the teacher would stand at the front of the class and teach us what we needed to know, and then we were sent home with home work to figure out by ourselves, and then tested. I was never a good tester, and I did not understand even very basic math for a lot of my time in elementary school. So I would never get a better grade than a C. As a student this is a very toxic way of learning, because you are taught that testing defines your intelligence. I grew up thinking I was stupid because I did not understand math in the same way that others did. If teachers would have tried to teach me math in a different way I may have had the opportunity to learn it better. When I was in grade 9, I remember a teacher told me he loved the way my brain worked because it was not typical for a student in math. This was a pivotal day for me because it made me realize that I was not dumb, I just was not taught in the way that worked for me. I went on to realize that although I did not understand math in the traditional sense, I was very good at breaking down information to build arguments, and form those into papers. The Tyler Rationale is out dated, and we are luckily moving away from it. The Tyler Rationale teaches students that in order to be considered smart you have to test well, and learn the same as everyone else. As educators we have to ensure that we make every student realize their potential and understand that education is not about testing, and assignments. Education is about attaining information, learning, and building critical thinking. One benefit of the Tyler Rationale is that it ensures that all students within a district have learned the same thing. If all students are taught the same things, using the same strategies, then there will be nothing that can be missed or skipped.