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> The mathematics is simple. The rest of it is stuff that is simple to Google. Perhaps I am out of the loop, but are kids allowed to Google stuff during tests

by acka 2y ago

> The mathematics is simple. The rest of it is stuff that is simple to Google. Perhaps I am out of the loop, but are kids allowed to Google stuff during tests nowadays? In my days we were not allowed to bring any books or notes to a test, and up until the last two years of high school no calculators either. All this besides the obvious that Google wasn't available back then. I guess many schools didn't even have a comprehensive library, let alone enough copies of a particular book to have many kids borrow them at the same time.

netsharc 2y ago
I think grandparent is claiming "you can just google it" in the same vein of "Just use a calculator!". Funnily enough we're always carrying a calculator and (access to) Google in our pockets. Not that I share his view, I do think knowing facts and figures is necessary.
- acka 2y ago
  I see. Interestingly, in my country smart devices have been banned from schools for more than a year now. I'm pretty sure that besides keeping students away from distracting social media during class, not being able to just Google stuff will also force them to put more effort in learning about facts and figures.
satisfice 2y ago
That's not the point. My point is that memorization is not education. Calling any mere information retrieval task education cheapens the entire idea of having a mind and doing important things with it. Perhaps ironically, the ability to appreciate this point is not something you can achieve with Google (or by looking it up in a book). You have to think about the meaning of your experience of using your mind as you have gone through your life. At one time I memorized 1132 digits of pi. There was no point to doing this other than to experience the process of memorization and recall, itself, in a relatively pure form. I've lost most of those digits now. But the insight I gained-- which is not about retrieval but about a way of seeing and interpreting the world, stayed with me. THAT is education: the mind I've created and my process of creating it.

by acka 2y ago

netsharc 2y ago

I think grandparent is claiming "you can just google it" in the same vein of "Just use a calculator!". Funnily enough we're always carrying a calculator and (access to) Google in our pockets. Not that I share his view, I do think knowing facts and figures is necessary.

acka 2y ago
I see. Interestingly, in my country smart devices have been banned from schools for more than a year now. I'm pretty sure that besides keeping students away from distracting social media during class, not being able to just Google stuff will also force them to put more effort in learning about facts and figures.

satisfice 2y ago

That's not the point. My point is that memorization is not education. Calling any mere information retrieval task education cheapens the entire idea of having a mind and doing important things with it. Perhaps ironically, the ability to appreciate this point is not something you can achieve with Google (or by looking it up in a book). You have to think about the meaning of your experience of using your mind as you have gone through your life. At one time I memorized 1132 digits of pi. There was no point to doing this other than to experience the process of memorization and recall, itself, in a relatively pure form. I've lost most of those digits now. But the insight I gained-- which is not about retrieval but about a way of seeing and interpreting the world, stayed with me. THAT is education: the mind I've created and my process of creating it.