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Standard teaching methods for science and math don't work by many measures. That's not the fault of poor teachers; even well-rated teachers do poorly at improvi

Standard teaching methods for science and math don't work by many measures. That's not the fault of poor teachers; even well-rated teachers do poorly at improving student understanding. This is largely the fault of our notion that teachers are explanation delivery devices and students explanation receptacles, where the only improvements can be found in better explanations and better student engagement. The notion is wrong. Students need to actively test their understanding by making predictions and failing, and no courses I've ever experienced attempt to do this. If you're interested in the mounds of research: http://www.refsmmat.com/articles/shutup.html http://www.refsmmat.com/articles/shutup.html

jimbokun 14y ago
"Students need to actively test their understanding by making predictions and failing, and no courses I've ever experienced attempt to do this." Shouldn't a good teacher prod students in this direction?
- capnrefsmmat 14y ago
  Yes, but they often don't. We usually think of good teachers as people who give clear explanations and keep the students interested. Attacking student misconceptions tends to confuse them, even if it improves their understanding in the end, so people are reluctant to do it.
  - icelancer 14y ago
    Funny. We call that process the "scientific method," yet it is hardly applied when it comes to actually learning anything. It should be a student's goal to strike out and fail, to discover that he does not know things about the world. But this isn't the environment that is fostered in classrooms - it is compliance and memorization that is taught.
- wpietri 14y ago
  I've visited Montessori classrooms that did some of that. But I think that kind of engagement is contingent on good student/teacher ratios and a fair bit of unstructured time. Standardized testing pushes in the opposite direction, alas. It encourages teachers to push for the sort of rote learning that is instantly forgotten when the test is past.

jimbokun 14y ago

"Students need to actively test their understanding by making predictions and failing, and no courses I've ever experienced attempt to do this." Shouldn't a good teacher prod students in this direction?

capnrefsmmat 14y ago
Yes, but they often don't. We usually think of good teachers as people who give clear explanations and keep the students interested. Attacking student misconceptions tends to confuse them, even if it improves their understanding in the end, so people are reluctant to do it.
- icelancer 14y ago
  Funny. We call that process the "scientific method," yet it is hardly applied when it comes to actually learning anything. It should be a student's goal to strike out and fail, to discover that he does not know things about the world. But this isn't the environment that is fostered in classrooms - it is compliance and memorization that is taught.
wpietri 14y ago
I've visited Montessori classrooms that did some of that. But I think that kind of engagement is contingent on good student/teacher ratios and a fair bit of unstructured time. Standardized testing pushes in the opposite direction, alas. It encourages teachers to push for the sort of rote learning that is instantly forgotten when the test is past.