5 ms·

Forget the hardware. What we really need is a way to get Anki (spaced repetition learning software) hooked up with enough logic (AI like?) to allow individuali

by tom_b 15y ago

Forget the hardware. What we really need is a way to get Anki (spaced repetition learning software) hooked up with enough logic (AI like?) to allow individualized learning with different instruction methods that tailor themselves to each student based on subject. Of course, what I am really saying is that Neal Stephenson showed us the way with "The Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" in The Diamond Age. Now all we have to do is make it.

Symmetry 15y ago
Isn't that basically what Khan academy is trying to do?
- tom_b 15y ago
  Maybe. They are certainly aware of spaced repetition. I am not sure what form any adaptive response the exercises take. Any fellow HN'ers with insight?
  - robbinspaul 15y ago
    Can't speak to Khan, but this is what we are doing at Knewton.
simonsarris 15y ago
This is precisely what Kumon learning centers already do. I worked at one for a few years as a tutor. Annoyingly, the biggest complaint from new parents was "My kid already did this worksheet! Why are you giving it to him again?" I had to explain that repetition was the most important part. You could explain the science but the parents don't seem to care about that part. The parents often thought that it was de-motivational and belittling to have to do the same work over again, so we often mentioned that revisiting something you've done before and acing it the second time around can actually boost confidence quite a bit (we would sometimes make a point of showing a kid that he might not have done so well with something a few months ago, and now he did it perfectly or nearly perfectly). PS: 99.9999% of tutoring success depended on motivation. I could teach any kid in the world anything if he was motivated, regardless of his or her knowledge when they came to us. There were only two things I figured out about how to get kids motivated that weren't: 1. Enthusiasm is contagious. The tutor damn well better be excited about the subject. The environment better be positive, and sometimes that meant telling the parents to back off. Most parents I worked with were Indian/Chinese/strict. Most were extremely good and supportive, but some were really harsh. 2. Provable, tangible progress that you can show the kid. This is another reason repetition is so important, it's half of the motivation, even if the kid doesn't outwardly admit it.
- freehunter 15y ago
  I'm taking a class through my university right now that uses LearnSmart from McGraw-Hill. I was pretty irritated having to buy a subscription to a website in order to do my homework ($50 plus the $230 book, seriously?), but they have a study guide that you have to go through to get to the homework that is actually quite helpful. Right up front, it presents you with the question then asks how sure you are that you know it. If you don't know it very well (even if you get it right) it keeps asking the question until its sure you know it. You're supposed to go through this every day (or so), and it will ask different questions mixed in with the older questions. Worth the $50? That's debatable. Helpful? You bet your sweet ass. When I miss a question then get it right the next time it comes around, it's difficult to describe how I feel.

by tom_b 15y ago

Symmetry 15y ago

Isn't that basically what Khan academy is trying to do?

tom_b 15y ago
Maybe. They are certainly aware of spaced repetition. I am not sure what form any adaptive response the exercises take. Any fellow HN'ers with insight?
- robbinspaul 15y ago
  Can't speak to Khan, but this is what we are doing at Knewton.

simonsarris 15y ago

This is precisely what Kumon learning centers already do. I worked at one for a few years as a tutor. Annoyingly, the biggest complaint from new parents was "My kid already did this worksheet! Why are you giving it to him again?" I had to explain that repetition was the most important part. You could explain the science but the parents don't seem to care about that part. The parents often thought that it was de-motivational and belittling to have to do the same work over again, so we often mentioned that revisiting something you've done before and acing it the second time around can actually boost confidence quite a bit (we would sometimes make a point of showing a kid that he might not have done so well with something a few months ago, and now he did it perfectly or nearly perfectly). PS: 99.9999% of tutoring success depended on motivation. I could teach any kid in the world anything if he was motivated, regardless of his or her knowledge when they came to us. There were only two things I figured out about how to get kids motivated that weren't: 1. Enthusiasm is contagious. The tutor damn well better be excited about the subject. The environment better be positive, and sometimes that meant telling the parents to back off. Most parents I worked with were Indian/Chinese/strict. Most were extremely good and supportive, but some were really harsh. 2. Provable, tangible progress that you can show the kid. This is another reason repetition is so important, it's half of the motivation, even if the kid doesn't outwardly admit it.

freehunter 15y ago
I'm taking a class through my university right now that uses LearnSmart from McGraw-Hill. I was pretty irritated having to buy a subscription to a website in order to do my homework ($50 plus the $230 book, seriously?), but they have a study guide that you have to go through to get to the homework that is actually quite helpful. Right up front, it presents you with the question then asks how sure you are that you know it. If you don't know it very well (even if you get it right) it keeps asking the question until its sure you know it. You're supposed to go through this every day (or so), and it will ask different questions mixed in with the older questions. Worth the $50? That's debatable. Helpful? You bet your sweet ass. When I miss a question then get it right the next time it comes around, it's difficult to describe how I feel.