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It's really a shame that almost none of what we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions.

by axiom 15y ago

agilo 15y ago
One of the reasons for having midterm exams followed by finals in certain institutions is to apply the spacing effect described in the article. You study for a midterm, forget some of it before your final, then reinforce it at the end of your term. I found that it worked for me when I was in college.
- elviejo 15y ago
  [citation needed] I don't think midterms exist because of this reason. And even if they were the separation is too much to actually be valid as a Spaced Repetition tool.
Generic_Name 15y ago
Unfortunately that's how our society works; as new methods for optimization are discovered for any field, especially education due to the large amount of change required, it is adopted as the norm over time after it's verified many times over, and more as a trickle down effect. The silver lining is that eventually it will be adopted if it works, it's just a matter of time. So possibly in two or three generations educational methods will be focused towards this type of strategy. edit: poster above me mentions mid term / final exams, this is just an example of the beginning of changes towards methods of learning similar to that in the article.
blahedo 15y ago
This isn't even approximately true. Almost everything we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions. But, not every teacher is as effective at applying them, and furthermore, it takes time to do a full overhaul of all parts of everything. A more effective lament would be, it's too bad these techniques don't yet have universal application. But the above comment is just sniping; it's a claim that educators aren't even trying. Which, aside from being false, is acutely unhelpful.
- axiom 15y ago
  I think what's truly unhelpful if people claiming that everything is fine, while the education system completely fails to meet even the most basic standards of efficacy (while costing a cool trillion dollars a year to run.) At the most basic level Americans have shockingly low levels of scientific, mathematical, literary, or financial literacy. About half don't believe in evolution, about a quarter think the moon landing was a hoax, over two thirds don't know enough math to pass an 8th grade math test. At the college level, students retain about 10% of what they hear in lectures. Forget nearly everything within months of graduation, and generally fail to improve on basic logic and reading comprehension skills compared to when they first entered university. Then after graduation the average college grad reads less than 1 book per year. If you ask a typical college student (and remember I said typical, not those who can afford to pay 50k per year to attend an elite liberal arts college) what their university experience has been like they will tell you that in a solid three quarters of their classes they had a disinterested prof who showed up for 50 minutes to read them the textbook and then asked them to mindlessly regurgitate the content on the exam. So I'll repeat that I think what's truly unhelpful is guys like you claiming that everything is hunky dory.
  - blahedo 15y ago
    > So I'll repeat that I think what's truly unhelpful is guys like you claiming that everything is hunky dory. "Hunky dory"? Not to overly pick on your own logic and reading comprehension skills, but I made no such claim. We have a lot to do, and there's a lot that is known that doesn't have universal application, and some things aren't even widely implemented yet. I was, however, disputing the claim that "almost none" of it is implemented.
    - axiom 15y ago
      Did you even read your own comment? "Almost everything we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions. But, not every teacher is as effective at applying them..." I guess my reading comprehension must be totally shot, because I interpret that as meaning that almost everything we know about techniques for learning is being applied, but the problem is just that some teachers aren't applying these techniques correctly. You know, instead of about 80% of teaching not giving a shit and there being no consequence to that for them.

It's really a shame that almost none of what we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions.

by axiom 15y ago

It's really a shame that almost none of what we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions.

agilo 15y ago

One of the reasons for having midterm exams followed by finals in certain institutions is to apply the spacing effect described in the article. You study for a midterm, forget some of it before your final, then reinforce it at the end of your term. I found that it worked for me when I was in college.

elviejo 15y ago
[citation needed] I don't think midterms exist because of this reason. And even if they were the separation is too much to actually be valid as a Spaced Repetition tool.

Generic_Name 15y ago

Unfortunately that's how our society works; as new methods for optimization are discovered for any field, especially education due to the large amount of change required, it is adopted as the norm over time after it's verified many times over, and more as a trickle down effect. The silver lining is that eventually it will be adopted if it works, it's just a matter of time. So possibly in two or three generations educational methods will be focused towards this type of strategy. edit: poster above me mentions mid term / final exams, this is just an example of the beginning of changes towards methods of learning similar to that in the article.

blahedo 15y ago

This isn't even approximately true. Almost everything we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions. But, not every teacher is as effective at applying them, and furthermore, it takes time to do a full overhaul of all parts of everything. A more effective lament would be, it's too bad these techniques don't yet have universal application. But the above comment is just sniping; it's a claim that educators aren't even trying. Which, aside from being false, is acutely unhelpful.

axiom 15y ago
I think what's truly unhelpful if people claiming that everything is fine, while the education system completely fails to meet even the most basic standards of efficacy (while costing a cool trillion dollars a year to run.) At the most basic level Americans have shockingly low levels of scientific, mathematical, literary, or financial literacy. About half don't believe in evolution, about a quarter think the moon landing was a hoax, over two thirds don't know enough math to pass an 8th grade math test. At the college level, students retain about 10% of what they hear in lectures. Forget nearly everything within months of graduation, and generally fail to improve on basic logic and reading comprehension skills compared to when they first entered university. Then after graduation the average college grad reads less than 1 book per year. If you ask a typical college student (and remember I said typical, not those who can afford to pay 50k per year to attend an elite liberal arts college) what their university experience has been like they will tell you that in a solid three quarters of their classes they had a disinterested prof who showed up for 50 minutes to read them the textbook and then asked them to mindlessly regurgitate the content on the exam. So I'll repeat that I think what's truly unhelpful is guys like you claiming that everything is hunky dory.
- blahedo 15y ago
  > So I'll repeat that I think what's truly unhelpful is guys like you claiming that everything is hunky dory. "Hunky dory"? Not to overly pick on your own logic and reading comprehension skills, but I made no such claim. We have a lot to do, and there's a lot that is known that doesn't have universal application, and some things aren't even widely implemented yet. I was, however, disputing the claim that "almost none" of it is implemented.
  - axiom 15y ago
    Did you even read your own comment? "Almost everything we know about optimal techniques for learning is being applied in real educational institutions. But, not every teacher is as effective at applying them..." I guess my reading comprehension must be totally shot, because I interpret that as meaning that almost everything we know about techniques for learning is being applied, but the problem is just that some teachers aren't applying these techniques correctly. You know, instead of about 80% of teaching not giving a shit and there being no consequence to that for them.