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three plus hours of self-directed learning time Totally agree, a key here is that student should learn how to learn. There is all the knowledge that you need o

three plus hours of self-directed learning time Totally agree, a key here is that student should learn how to learn. There is all the knowledge that you need online, but the truth is that today there is too much information, something wrong, something not accurate. Students need to be able to find, analyze, sort, learn and apply the information they find. By reading the Internet or speaking with their peers or mentors (teachers). As you said, teachers should be here to guide students, not to bring them a piece of knowledge they need to memorize and then spit out a few days later during the exam.

edblarney 10y ago
"a key here is that student should learn how to learn." Education is 50% daycare. 80% of students are not really motivated at all, they are doing it because they have to. 'Self direction' is exceedingly rare in youngsters. 99% of educational problems would be resolved if students showed up, paid attention and 'wanted to learn'. Motivation, attention and discipline are problematic. Most teachers and courses are pretty good today.
- hkt 10y ago
  If self direction is rare in youngsters that is because it is not fostered by their experiences. That's to say, the system needs to cultivate it. I don't know about America, but in the UK teaching as a career path depends on who is in charge politically. The conservatives like to act as if anyone can teach, and value "life experience" over subject knowledge or the development of teaching as a craft in its own right. Labour tend to lean more towards the latter conception, albeit in a bounded and traditionalist way. As the father of a new baby, I am not looking forward to picking schools in the years to come. The root cause of that is that the criteria for success are so poor: encyclopaedic knowledge of grammar is valued over ability to understand and effect change in the world. Facts mean more than projects, procedures are more valuable than their application. It is nuts.
- BuckRogers 10y ago
  Education is not even close to 50% daycare. That's how most people, including teachers see it though and that's why they fail. My wife is a public pre-K teacher and it's zero daycare in her class. She runs them like soldiers and they love it. They learn a lot and are way ahead, especially considering they're low income which for some reason seems to often correlate with uncaring families that she has to hound to get to work with their kids at home. Every class she's put out misses her class. She's taught kindergarten and 2nd grade the same way. The "education is 50% daycare" idea is, and I hate to say this but it's true, a white person's viewpoint of education.
  - edblarney 10y ago
    "a white person's viewpoint of education." A) This is a little racist :) B) "Education = Daycare" is easily proven, right from the article -> Finnish kids don't start school until they are 7 years old (!) and they are #1 in the world for 'outcomes'! So it would seem that 'doing nothing put let kids play, in a semi-structured way' is equivalent to sending them to school. Ergo, one could argue that 90% of 'early childhood education' is, in fact 'daycare'. That your friend 'runs here kids like soldiers' - simply means she has a lot of control - it does not mean they are necessarily learning. Possibly they are learning more self-discipline? And other behaviours, but I wouldn't take that it means more 'learning'. As long as they are socializing, maybe learning some words, some basic reading - the rest is playtime. As for your 'racist' (I mean, it's kind of racist, certainly near 'dog whistle territory') comment - this is the reason people voted for Trump - when someone makes a comment somewhere about something innocuous - and then someone says 'racist'. It would be funny if it weren't true. Look where we are now.
    - BuckRogers 10y ago
      Yes, they're learning. They walk out the door with tangible skills, like writing their names, counting to 100, the alphabet, how to add and subtract. How would you know if it's just control. You don't but I do. It's not racist, I'm white. It's never racist, if it's reality. Your "education is daycare" perspective is absolute nonsense. A failed education system run by people with low standards, is daycare.

edblarney 10y ago

"a key here is that student should learn how to learn." Education is 50% daycare. 80% of students are not really motivated at all, they are doing it because they have to. 'Self direction' is exceedingly rare in youngsters. 99% of educational problems would be resolved if students showed up, paid attention and 'wanted to learn'. Motivation, attention and discipline are problematic. Most teachers and courses are pretty good today.

hkt 10y ago
If self direction is rare in youngsters that is because it is not fostered by their experiences. That's to say, the system needs to cultivate it. I don't know about America, but in the UK teaching as a career path depends on who is in charge politically. The conservatives like to act as if anyone can teach, and value "life experience" over subject knowledge or the development of teaching as a craft in its own right. Labour tend to lean more towards the latter conception, albeit in a bounded and traditionalist way. As the father of a new baby, I am not looking forward to picking schools in the years to come. The root cause of that is that the criteria for success are so poor: encyclopaedic knowledge of grammar is valued over ability to understand and effect change in the world. Facts mean more than projects, procedures are more valuable than their application. It is nuts.
BuckRogers 10y ago
Education is not even close to 50% daycare. That's how most people, including teachers see it though and that's why they fail. My wife is a public pre-K teacher and it's zero daycare in her class. She runs them like soldiers and they love it. They learn a lot and are way ahead, especially considering they're low income which for some reason seems to often correlate with uncaring families that she has to hound to get to work with their kids at home. Every class she's put out misses her class. She's taught kindergarten and 2nd grade the same way. The "education is 50% daycare" idea is, and I hate to say this but it's true, a white person's viewpoint of education.
- edblarney 10y ago
  "a white person's viewpoint of education." A) This is a little racist :) B) "Education = Daycare" is easily proven, right from the article -> Finnish kids don't start school until they are 7 years old (!) and they are #1 in the world for 'outcomes'! So it would seem that 'doing nothing put let kids play, in a semi-structured way' is equivalent to sending them to school. Ergo, one could argue that 90% of 'early childhood education' is, in fact 'daycare'. That your friend 'runs here kids like soldiers' - simply means she has a lot of control - it does not mean they are necessarily learning. Possibly they are learning more self-discipline? And other behaviours, but I wouldn't take that it means more 'learning'. As long as they are socializing, maybe learning some words, some basic reading - the rest is playtime. As for your 'racist' (I mean, it's kind of racist, certainly near 'dog whistle territory') comment - this is the reason people voted for Trump - when someone makes a comment somewhere about something innocuous - and then someone says 'racist'. It would be funny if it weren't true. Look where we are now.
  - BuckRogers 10y ago
    Yes, they're learning. They walk out the door with tangible skills, like writing their names, counting to 100, the alphabet, how to add and subtract. How would you know if it's just control. You don't but I do. It's not racist, I'm white. It's never racist, if it's reality. Your "education is daycare" perspective is absolute nonsense. A failed education system run by people with low standards, is daycare.