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Could also mean that some teachers don't want the headache of dealing with a class with even greater disparities in skill and knowledge. It's hard enough dealin

Could also mean that some teachers don't want the headache of dealing with a class with even greater disparities in skill and knowledge. It's hard enough dealing with a couple students bored in class cause they already know it. It's even harder to deal with half the class bored cause they already know it. Or it could really mean anything. Removed from context and the teacher's deeper reasoning, these quotes are largely useless. Maybe it was just the really lazy teachers who didn't want to deal with kids asking more advance questions who talked to them. Could be -anything-. Trying to squeeze more analysis out of this will just result in all sorts of confirmation biases regarding teachers and the education system.

deleted 15y ago
[deleted]
intended 15y ago
This. He took an out of context quote, and almost immediately appended his ideology to the end of it. Honestly I think this should be marked as flamebait and ignored.
roc 15y ago
Indeed. All I see here, is an aptitude-driven advancement system (Kahn) coming into conflict with an age-based advancement system (public schools). Clearly, if we're to reap the benefits of an aptitude-driven advancement system, we need to erase the core assumptions of the public school curriculum. (age-based peer groups, pass/fail an entire grade at a time, etc) When students are permitted to progress in different subjects at different speeds, the desire to see "brakes" put on tools like Kahn's will evaporate.
- maxharris 15y ago
  we need to erase the core assumptions of the public school curriculum Great, I agree. Why do you think these assumptions are so hard to change? Who are the people holding the assumptions? Why haven't they changed their minds already?
  - ZachPruckowski 15y ago
    We run into problems not only with the established educators, but I think also from parents. A lot of people tend to get really edgy when you're discussing changing things like curriculum or pedagogy, because they're very risk averse when it comes to their children. Not all parents are like this, but a lot of them are. They're also generally bad at properly evaluating their kids' strengths and weaknesses since they tend to have a positive bias.
    - derleth 15y ago
      That, and there's the 'education as hazing' notion: "If I had to suffer through four years of high school bored out of my mind, so should the next crop of kids! It's good for the little buggers! Builds character!" Frankly, the best way to deal with that mindset is to invent some crap for the people who have it to go through so they leave the rest of us alone. Maybe call it a team-building exercise.
nkassis 15y ago
Also I don't think we can assume that teachers are able to give tutoring in all the levels the children might get too using the khan videos. You might say "how hard could it be for a 5th grade teacher to tutor trig?" but they like anyone else (including khan) probably would have to review some concepts (most teachers don't remember heron's formula by heart). This means they have to prepare multiple tutoring subjects at the same time. In one on one tutoring sessions that's easy but with a class of 25 children it can get quite hard. It requires a rethinking of the way schools are designed I believe. Maybe have multiple teachers per class with each one specializing in a level to tutor. Classes would be bigger but you'd still have a similar teacher to student ratio.
- chopsueyar 15y ago
  Why can't the more advanced children tutor the less advanced children?
  - civilian 15y ago
    Sounds great-- are you going to reimburse the advanced children for doing the teacher's job? I also think that, unfortunately, America kids have an anti-geek attitude that could make tutoring difficult. The statement that "this kid is better than you, and now you have to listen to him/her" might not be taken well by some of the poorer performers.
    - derleth 15y ago
      I don't think the anti-geek attitude is as universal as you think. All through high school, I was the stuttering genius (I am pretty convinced that's how everyone saw me) who was terrible in gym and everyone loved me. I helped bring home academic challenge (quiz bowl) trophies and nobody ever picked on me. (I was class of 2002. Maybe it's generational?) (I also had a younger brother who'd beat on people who might otherwise have picked on me. Nobody told me at the time, though. Whole situation was kinda weird.)
    - chopsueyar 15y ago
      Good attitude. Why should anyone impart knowledge without monetarily profiting? Let them all water their crops with Brawndo.

deleted 15y ago

[deleted]

intended 15y ago

This. He took an out of context quote, and almost immediately appended his ideology to the end of it. Honestly I think this should be marked as flamebait and ignored.

roc 15y ago

Indeed. All I see here, is an aptitude-driven advancement system (Kahn) coming into conflict with an age-based advancement system (public schools). Clearly, if we're to reap the benefits of an aptitude-driven advancement system, we need to erase the core assumptions of the public school curriculum. (age-based peer groups, pass/fail an entire grade at a time, etc) When students are permitted to progress in different subjects at different speeds, the desire to see "brakes" put on tools like Kahn's will evaporate.

maxharris 15y ago
we need to erase the core assumptions of the public school curriculum Great, I agree. Why do you think these assumptions are so hard to change? Who are the people holding the assumptions? Why haven't they changed their minds already?
- ZachPruckowski 15y ago
  We run into problems not only with the established educators, but I think also from parents. A lot of people tend to get really edgy when you're discussing changing things like curriculum or pedagogy, because they're very risk averse when it comes to their children. Not all parents are like this, but a lot of them are. They're also generally bad at properly evaluating their kids' strengths and weaknesses since they tend to have a positive bias.
  - derleth 15y ago
    That, and there's the 'education as hazing' notion: "If I had to suffer through four years of high school bored out of my mind, so should the next crop of kids! It's good for the little buggers! Builds character!" Frankly, the best way to deal with that mindset is to invent some crap for the people who have it to go through so they leave the rest of us alone. Maybe call it a team-building exercise.

nkassis 15y ago

Also I don't think we can assume that teachers are able to give tutoring in all the levels the children might get too using the khan videos. You might say "how hard could it be for a 5th grade teacher to tutor trig?" but they like anyone else (including khan) probably would have to review some concepts (most teachers don't remember heron's formula by heart). This means they have to prepare multiple tutoring subjects at the same time. In one on one tutoring sessions that's easy but with a class of 25 children it can get quite hard. It requires a rethinking of the way schools are designed I believe. Maybe have multiple teachers per class with each one specializing in a level to tutor. Classes would be bigger but you'd still have a similar teacher to student ratio.

chopsueyar 15y ago
Why can't the more advanced children tutor the less advanced children?
- civilian 15y ago
  Sounds great-- are you going to reimburse the advanced children for doing the teacher's job? I also think that, unfortunately, America kids have an anti-geek attitude that could make tutoring difficult. The statement that "this kid is better than you, and now you have to listen to him/her" might not be taken well by some of the poorer performers.
  - derleth 15y ago
    I don't think the anti-geek attitude is as universal as you think. All through high school, I was the stuttering genius (I am pretty convinced that's how everyone saw me) who was terrible in gym and everyone loved me. I helped bring home academic challenge (quiz bowl) trophies and nobody ever picked on me. (I was class of 2002. Maybe it's generational?) (I also had a younger brother who'd beat on people who might otherwise have picked on me. Nobody told me at the time, though. Whole situation was kinda weird.)
  - chopsueyar 15y ago
    Good attitude. Why should anyone impart knowledge without monetarily profiting? Let them all water their crops with Brawndo.