Mal Education /shando/

So, Jim, are you suggesting an addition to the above list such as:

"(4) A way for persons to improve their value over a lifetime."



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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Larry Burford</i>
<br />As to motivation.

<b>Kids are natural learning machines. Public schools are (not seem to be - are) designed to stifle this as soon and as hard as possible.</b>
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<br />I agree that this is what happens but I don't think that it is a design objective - I think it is an unintended consequence of the paradigm.

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but the problem that education was designed to solve has been turned upside down.

The paradigm was developed and refined (ad hoc) over time in an environment of <u> information scarcity</u>. The problem was how to transmit the world heritage of knowledge and skills to the next generation.

Today, the problem is <u>information abundance</u>: This generation will inherit a world with the sum of all human knowledge available on demand, from the comfort of their favourite chair. Knowledge is power no doubt, but only for those with the wisdom to appreciate it.

The challenge for the educational system is to build the skills and instill the wisdom enabling our children to effectively navigate this abundant informational treasure trove and build a better world for us all.



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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Larry Burford</i>
<br />As to motivation.

... most of the kids that really need help will just figure out how to game the system. The money will get spent, but it wll be <u>staggeringly</u> inefficient due to the monopolistic nature of the educational organzations that now exist.
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<br />
Regarding the cost of the educational system:

Beware of educators carrying bigger shovels!

Serious problems were developing in London, 1895. Due to growth and development within the city, manure removal was becoming more difficult. Suitable manpower was in limited supply, wages were increasing and space to dispose of it was disappearing fast. Costs were out of control!
(see for example: www.victorianlondon.org/professions/dustmen.htm )

Meetings were held. Dustmen were consulted. Together, city officials and dustmen agreed that the answer was <b>bigger shovels</b>. This would enable the dustmen to gather more manure, faster. All would be well - no manure, no problem.

Fast forward 10 years what happened? Manure was no longer a problem. Manpower was plentiful and costs had come way down. Seems like there had been a <u>paradigm-shift</u> and most transportation was by motorized vehicles. The horse-and-waggon system had become obsolete.

Today, in North America, serious affordability problems are developing in the school system.

Due to a shrinking population and a decline in birth rates there are fewer students to educate. Citizens think that the costs of education should be decreasing but that isn't happening. Meetings are being held to consider how to address this situation and reduce costs. Everyone involved is loudly protecting their turf. Could it be that the school system isn't just broken that it has become obsolete?

Maybe we need a <b>paradigm-shift</b>. If provided with the technology-empowered means, kids in grades 7 to 12 are quite capable of educating themselves. Why are we not applying information technology to make this possible? Could it be that educators are unable to see outside their paradigm?




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<blockquote id="quote"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Larry Burford</i>
<br />As to motivation.

Just get rid of public schools. Problem solved.

What about the poor? I'd love to sponsor a kid or two if there were reasonable schools at reasonable prices. So would millions of other people.
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Is it time to game the school system?

All the time, we are told, If it ain't broke, don't fix it!. Well, it is broken, and we need to fix it! The school system, that is.

The mass-production based, grade 7 - 12 educational system in Nova Scotia has been broken for some time, turning out (estimated) 20 - 40 % mal-educated graduates poorly equipped to be further educated to compete in the technological world they must venture into. Now, we are discovering that our government thinks we can't afford even that. Maybe now is the time to fix it: we need <b>improved performance <u>and</u> lower costs</b>.

Perhaps the key to better outcomes is FUN - imagine what would happen if school was actually FUN. The kids who enjoy schooling tend do very well - despite our antiquated system of education. Perhaps if we could find a way to make it more FUN for all our students they would all do well.

But that's impossible!, you say.

Really? Maybe not.

Most kids enjoy video games - the industry is thriving. There are many new businesses who have done, and are doing, very well developing entertaining video games. Most kids who have video games, rush home, after school, to play them.

What do you suppose would happen if the whole curriculum for, say Grade 7, was made into a set of entertaining, enlightened video games? Games such that the student would have to <u>master the subject matter to do well playing them</u>.
Do you think that friendly competition might develop among the students to see who could achieve the most?
Do you think that the teachers would not have to work so hard teaching the subject matter - that their jobs might devolve into learning coaches, helping those students with difficulties, overcome the hurdles they face?
How long would it take for most students to master the grade requirements? Maybe three months - to do what now takes about 9 months?

Supposing all the grades 7 through 12, phased in, one year at a time, were done this way. What do you think would happen to the standing of these students in the educational rankings nationally and internationally?

Do you suppose that this kind of educational technology - delivered over the internet - could be sold around the world?

Might the proceeds from such sales help pay the costs to develop the system.

Might this approach be the educational answer for the motivated poor?



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Well, I see a problem already. We have several related topics going at once.

I order to keep us from "crossing our streams" I'm going to have to go ahead and start several child threads even if they do not turn out to be popular.

This forum software is not the best for doing that sort of thing, but I think it will work. In any event, we shall see.

Hold off on additional posts unil I have this sorted out.

Thanks,
LB

That was too easy, so I'm sure I'll be fixing it up for days now.

Anyway, to discuss things that do NOT now have their own sub thread, continue posting here. I'll move things around or make some new threads as needed.

LB