ASSURE MODEL IN THE RON CLARK STORY MOVIE

The Ron Clark Story is a movie about a teacher’s adventure. Ron Clark’s motto is
“Dream Big and Take the Risk”. That is why he decided to settle in New York and help
children who study in troubled schools. It is quite impressive that the movie
demonstrates to us that every child has talents, but they need a talented teacher. In this
essay, I will explain the ASSURE model one by one by giving examples from the movie
and why it can apply to Turkish education system.
Analyzing students’ needs, problems and skills is highly important for teaching methods.
All students might have different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and beliefs. The
instructor’ s role is looking into their students’ characteristics to create a safe classroom
environment. In The Ron Clark Story, the profiles of students are aggressive and
rebellious kids. Even their parents do not believe in their own children. Mr. Clark is in
trouble with these kids, but he accepts them with their imperfection. At first, he
introduces himself to students’ families which is research about his students. The
research helps him to analyze the learners.
Stating standards and objectives is the second step of the model which facilitates
students’ learning process. The learning process should be stated to learners
beforehand so that they can prepare for it. That is why Mr. Clark sets several rules to
guide learners in the classroom. The rules are being a family, respecting each other and
teacher. These rules are not a punishment but a guidance for them to fit and live in a
society. As an example, the scene where Shameika is cutting the line while the class is
going to lunch is a good example of stating and implementing the standards. Mr. Clark
said that “This is a family and families treat each other with respect. They never tell each
other a lie.” And he was proud that they learned a set of rules with experience. Then,
their behaviors become changing in a good way.
Selecting strategies, technology and materials is another step for this model. Technology
is increasingly growing and affecting our lives, especially young generations’ lives. The
instructors should understand new media and catch the current technological practices
so that they can connect with their learners. The implementation of the technology
should be integrated with subjects such as interactive games, Kahoots, and videos. In
the movie, Clark is using many technological materials which makes students more
active in the learning environment. When he is sick, he records a video tape because he
does not want children to miss any lessons. With the aid of technology, education can be
applicable in every situation.
Utilizing technology and materials is a vital aspect after selecting technological
materials. The materials should be well prepared and relevant to the subject. It is
apparently seen that learning styles can be verified by technological advancements. The
children are exposed to media daily but their own technological devices such as mobile
phones are forbidden in school. Therefore, they may easily feel bored and inactive. The
schools should utilize smart boards, presentations, and videos. One of the scenes that
Mr. Clark is rapping about the presidents of the United States is an example of utilizing
technology. He also brings a radio which was a common technological device at that
time. After students listen to his rap song, they join and start to sing with him. This
method gives rise to increasing learners’ memory and audial skills, as well.
Requiring learners participate in the tasks actively, which sometimes is the hardest part
of teaching. In some circumstances, the students may be indifferent to the topics, tasks,
and rules. It is a difficult scenario for a new teacher to handle, but practice and feedback
are the key points like Clark did. The practices should be gradually harder for learners to
reach the final goal. The learners can make mistakes in these practices so that they
need to get feedback to correct the mistakes. In the movie, Mr. Clark is giving individual
feedback to some of his students when he sees the students’ difficulties. He also gives
extra private lessons to the students.
Evaluation and revision are the last steps that the instructor decides whether to keep the
teaching method or not. To decide this, the instructor needs to have feedback from the
audience. The learning environment might be seen differently from the audience’s
perspective. Thus, collecting feedback is highly important. On the other hand, evaluation
of the learner’s performance can give motivation to them. At the end of the movie, Mr.
Clark gives each student an award for their achievement. It is clearly seen that
rewarding boosts motivation.
In my opinion, ASSURE model is partially implemented in Turkey. Turkey’s education
system has been utilizing many technological advancements in these days. It is stated
that 522.691 smart boards are used in the classrooms around Turkey (Ozer, 2022).
However, the implementation of technology is not the same in every class. The reason
why is that some teachers do not know or want to use technology. Traditional education
still exists. On the other hand, some teachers believe that technology facilitates the
learning process. Although they use technological devices, the ASSURE model is not
only utilizing but also requiring participants interaction and feedback. The instructors
should revise their methods by taking into consideration the ASSURE model. I suppose
that it makes a huge difference in Turkey’s education system.

Thanks for choosing this movie as an ASSURE model, it was very meaningful to watch
Matthew Perry’s movie.
References

T.C. Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı. (2022, July 11). OKULLARA KURULAN ETKİLEŞİMLİ TAHTA
SAYISI, 522 BİN 691'E ULAŞTI. https://www.meb.gov.tr/okullara-kurulan-
etkilesimli-tahta-sayisi-522-bin-691e-ulasti/haber/27002/tr#:~:text=Millî%20Eğitim
%20Bakanı%20Mahmut%20Özer,%27e%20ulaştı."%20dedi.