The problem with education

[Quantum Windbag]

I have been trying to describe why education, as it is set up today, is not the way to teach children for a while. The fundamental problem with it is that it was set over 100 years ago, and was designed to create cogs in a machine, not individuals. the future needs people who can think for themselves, adapt, and teach themselves the skills they need.

I really enjoy listening to Sugatra Mitra when he talks about his hole in the wall experiment where children taught themselves English. They learned, not because they were being taught in an organized way, but because they recognized the need, and developed their own methods of learning.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3jYVe1RGaU]Sugata Mitra: Build a School in the Cloud - YouTube[/ame]

For those of us who have problem with higher learning I found a cartoon that outlines the entire thing.

 

[Mr. H.]

Why bad teachers survive...

How to fire an incompetent teacher

 

[rdean]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers. The want to teach children's fables as science and history.

The want to teach "twinkle down" as economic theory.

They scream for jobs, but can't describe the jobs they aren't qualified for and are trying to keep their children from being qualified for.

The Texas Republican Party Platform is highly representative of the party as a whole.

It supports privatizing Social Security - can you imagine after the stock market was wiped out what that would have meant to Social Security?

It opposes the teaching of “critical thinking” - They want children to believe what they are told and not question it. This must be where all those Republican scientists come from.

It supports corporal punishment in schools - for children to learn properly in school, strangers must beat them.

State of Texas Republican Party Platform Available Here

What a bunch of dicks.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers. The want to teach children's fables as science and history.

The want to teach "twinkle down" as economic theory.

They scream for jobs, but can't describe the jobs they aren't qualified for and are trying to keep their children from being qualified for.

The Texas Republican Party Platform is highly representative of the party as a whole.

It supports privatizing Social Security - can you imagine after the stock market was wiped out what that would have meant to Social Security?

It opposes the teaching of “critical thinking” - They want children to believe what they are told and not question it. This must be where all those Republican scientists come from.

It supports corporal punishment in schools - for children to learn properly in school, strangers must beat them.

State of Texas Republican Party Platform Available Here

What a bunch of dicks.

I has a little bet going with myself that you would reply without reading anything.

Guess which way I bet?

 

[TheOldSchool]

America needs more tradesmen. Ford didn't rebound until they stopped hiring MBA's as the CEO's. Instead they hired someone who actually knows about cars. Holy shit AM I BLOWING YOUR MIND! People need to start making things again.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Check out Voyage from Yesteryear by James P. Hogan

Doug's Book Reviews: Voyage From Yesteryear

Voyage from Yesteryear - James P. Hogan

It presents a thought experiment with a future culture with advanced technology and completely different educational methods and resulting culture.

psik

 

[ericje]

The educational system in America, particularly in public schools, has become obsolete in many ways, as Sugata Mitra put it. I think we need to inspire students t pursue education on their own and make it tailored to individuals, yet there is also a need to give students vocational skills, especially skills in more modern fields.
What do you guys feel is the best route to reinvigorate our schools, and do you think that vocation and technological advancement should be our aim?

 

[Dr.Traveler]

It is true that we are facing an obsolete system.

Part of the problem is that there are very few schools that have truly realized, or have the funds to realize, just how much the computer and smart devices have changed everything. We really and truly need to be integrating computers and interactive smart devices from Pre K3 and up. My son is learning to read using my iPad and interactive apps for math, reading, and physics. And he's 4. Touch screen technology makes it easy for even 2 and 3 year olds to manipulate technology.

I know that before I retire from the life of a University Professor, I expect to see the very methodology and philosophy of teaching radically change. We need to move away from memorization to critical analysis and research based skills. Students are living in a cloud of information now thanks to smart devices. It's time we embraced that.

 

[Againsheila]

It is true that we are facing an obsolete system.

Part of the problem is that there are very few schools that have truly realized, or have the funds to realize, just how much the computer and smart devices have changed everything. We really and truly need to be integrating computers and interactive smart devices from Pre K3 and up. My son is learning to read using my iPad and interactive apps for math, reading, and physics. And he's 4. Touch screen technology makes it easy for even 2 and 3 year olds to manipulate technology.

I know that before I retire from the life of a University Professor, I expect to see the very methodology and philosophy of teaching radically change. We need to move away from memorization to critical analysis and research based skills. Students are living in a cloud of information now thanks to smart devices. It's time we embraced that.

We already have students who can't add a column of numbers without a calculator and you want to make the problem worse?

First they should be required to do it the old fashioned way and then they can learn the new fangled way. We have students who actually think Wikipedia is an Encyclopedia and an acceptable form of research all by itself. Students who've never really read a real book in their lives. I have no problems with parents having ipads, etc to teach their kids things at home, but the schools need to actually teach them how to use real books, how to use a library, how to actually count without using a calculator. How to spell without using a spell check. Real grammar. So many things our schools are failing to teach our kids and your suggestion is just going to make our schools that much more of a failure.

 

[psikeyhackr]

We already have students who can't add a column of numbers without a calculator and you want to make the problem worse?

First they should be required to do it the old fashioned way and then they can learn the new fangled way. We have students who actually think Wikipedia is an Encyclopedia and an acceptable form of research all by itself.

The old fashioned way is with an abacus.

I think that would be a good idea. Kids could see and feel the numbers rather than believe abstract symbols ARE numbers.

But yeah, the technology can be used well or badly.

psik

 

[ericje]

I see both your points.
Can't we remedy this educational issue by teaching students the basics, like how to perform algebraic tasks without calculators, and still allow students to become adept with cutting-edge technology? I really wouldn't know how to do that without overhauling the entire system, but couldn't we do both?
What do you all think?

 

[Dr.Traveler]

I see both your points.
Can't we remedy this educational issue by teaching students the basics, like how to perform algebraic tasks without calculators, and still allow students to become adept with cutting-edge technology? I really wouldn't know how to do that without overhauling the entire system, but couldn't we do both?
What do you all think?

Yes, this is possible. The sky is literally the limit with the things you can do with the touch screen technology. Imagine learning to do algebra by simply touching the symbols and dragging them into position. Building a sentence diagram via actually deconstructing the sentence.

I agree, we need to teach the kids the basics if for no other reason than the fact you can't find or critically think about information without some base of knowledge built in. But we do need to embrace the idea that there is so much available knowledge at our fingertips that the truly critical thing won't be what you've memorized but the ability to know where to look and how to critically analyze data.

 

[ericje]

I agree that memorization is certainly losing its importance as we broaden information access daily. So I guess the best way to rejuvenate our schools is to utilize technology as the medium for educating, thereby giving students practice with technological matters while building knowledge of more traditional subjects.
This seems like a very good idea. I know it would certainly help students gather more information for subjects like English, History, and other Liberal Arts type classes with speed and accuracy, as well as the sciences and mathematics courses.
But do you feel that we should change the actual content matter of classes to focus on the sciences, maths, and technology courses in order to prepare students for jobs in a modern society?

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

The idea either political "side" has a dog in this hunt is brutally incompetent.

Education is first about critical thinking, second about knowledge and third about values.

Today's public education ridicules the first, doesn't accept the second, and puts the wrong values first. Teaching "diversity" for example is ludicrous. Ignoring the need for a practiced memory (the real reason for knowing 1066, 1492 and who Polk was) has destroyed many ordinary minds and damaged some exceptional minds.

But the signal failure of public education since the 1970s is the failure to teach critical thinking. One thanks GOD one graduated in the 1960s when judgment was acknowledged as a survival mechanism and worthy skill instead of condemned as a vestige of evil cultures.

Today's public education in the US is a disgrace. This week I asked an engineer who Theordore Roosevelt was. They thought TR "might have been a famous person." I cannot promote someone that ignorant of US culture.

 

[Polk]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers. The want to teach children's fables as science and history.

The want to teach "twinkle down" as economic theory.

They scream for jobs, but can't describe the jobs they aren't qualified for and are trying to keep their children from being qualified for.

The Texas Republican Party Platform is highly representative of the party as a whole.

It supports privatizing Social Security - can you imagine after the stock market was wiped out what that would have meant to Social Security?

It opposes the teaching of “critical thinking” - They want children to believe what they are told and not question it. This must be where all those Republican scientists come from.

It supports corporal punishment in schools - for children to learn properly in school, strangers must beat them.

State of Texas Republican Party Platform Available Here

What a bunch of dicks.

A teacher's politics doesn't weigh on his/her ability in the classroom. Teaching students that humans rode a dinosaur is what's bad, not that the teacher voted for Romney. One of my favorite teachers was my high school civics teacher. He was a rapid Republican, but he also encouraged his students to think about matter seriously and really examine the details.

 

[ericje]

My two favorite high school history teachers, one a staunch conservative and the other a very vocal liberal, both taught me valuable lessons that transcended the classroom, as well as historical knowledge. The political agendas of teachers only goes so far as to sway education.
I do not think one's political preference will do much damage in a chemistry or calculus class. Leaving politics out of it, I think the real matter lies in teaching students what is necessary to be successful, active citizens who can contribute to our modern society.

 

[rdean]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers. The want to teach children's fables as science and history.

The want to teach "twinkle down" as economic theory.

They scream for jobs, but can't describe the jobs they aren't qualified for and are trying to keep their children from being qualified for.

The Texas Republican Party Platform is highly representative of the party as a whole.

It supports privatizing Social Security - can you imagine after the stock market was wiped out what that would have meant to Social Security?

It opposes the teaching of “critical thinking” - They want children to believe what they are told and not question it. This must be where all those Republican scientists come from.

It supports corporal punishment in schools - for children to learn properly in school, strangers must beat them.

State of Texas Republican Party Platform Available Here

What a bunch of dicks.

I has a little bet going with myself that you would reply without reading anything.

Guess which way I bet?

I watched more than half of your video that so stupid it bordered on "offensive". Children in foreign ghettos "taught" themselves English? Suggesting such a thing is stupid beyond belief. Who could possibly believe such nonsense? Somehow, using a computer is "teaching yourself"?

Republicans use any excuse to stay away from education. And because of that, there are millions of jobs that can't be filled. Republicans are too stupid to learn. They just don't want to.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/jolts.pdf

The number of jobs available have swelled to 3.7 million from 3.1 million, the last time I posted that statistic.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers. The want to teach children's fables as science and history.

The want to teach "twinkle down" as economic theory.

They scream for jobs, but can't describe the jobs they aren't qualified for and are trying to keep their children from being qualified for.

The Texas Republican Party Platform is highly representative of the party as a whole.

It supports privatizing Social Security - can you imagine after the stock market was wiped out what that would have meant to Social Security?

It opposes the teaching of “critical thinking” - They want children to believe what they are told and not question it. This must be where all those Republican scientists come from.

It supports corporal punishment in schools - for children to learn properly in school, strangers must beat them.

State of Texas Republican Party Platform Available Here

What a bunch of dicks.

I has a little bet going with myself that you would reply without reading anything.

Guess which way I bet?

I watched more than half of your video that so stupid it bordered on "offensive". Children in foreign ghettos "taught" themselves English? Suggesting such a thing is stupid beyond belief. Who could possibly believe such nonsense? Somehow, using a computer is "teaching yourself"?

Republicans use any excuse to stay away from education. And because of that, there are millions of jobs that can't be filled. Republicans are too stupid to learn. They just don't want to.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/jolts.pdf

The number of jobs available have swelled to 3.7 million from 3.1 million, the last time I posted that statistic.

I hate to break your heart, but TED Talks is famous among progressives and intellectuals for presenting forward thinking ideas. If you weren't so anti education and knowledge you would pay a lot more attention to them. For instance, the speaker you so causally dismiss simply because I posted the video has a PhD in physics, has 25 inventions in the field of cognitive science and education technology, and actually developed hyperlinking long before the internet existed.

feel free to hate on him though, it shows how close minded you are, and actually makes my point.

 

[wjmacguffin]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers.

No they aren't, not anymore than liberal teachers. Both should keep their politics to themselves. Besides, the problem isn't the political views of teachers--it's people who try to attack established facts because they don't believe in them.

True, these are likely conservatives and the Texas state curriculum is an example of this. But just because these asshats are conservative doesn't mean that all conservatives are asshats.

 

[rdean]

Conservative teachers are bad teachers.

No they aren't, not anymore than liberal teachers. Both should keep their politics to themselves. Besides, the problem isn't the political views of teachers--it's people who try to attack established facts because they don't believe in them.

True, these are likely conservatives and the Texas state curriculum is an example of this. But just because these asshats are conservative doesn't mean that all conservatives are asshats.

No one said all were. But most are certainly. People that vote for these right wing retards in congress must agree with them.