4 ms·

"Battushig, then 15, became one of 340 students out of 150,000 to earn a perfect score in Circuits and Electronics, a sophomore-level class at M.I.T. and the fi

by chnx 13y ago

"Battushig, then 15, became one of 340 students out of 150,000 to earn a perfect score in Circuits and Electronics, a sophomore-level class at M.I.T. and the first Massive Open Online Course, or MOOC" This is a second year MIT course in a language that is not his native language. While I agree with your sentiment about the use of the word genius, I think it is misdirected here.

gexla 13y ago
Give a 15 year old kid an entire summer vacation and some equipment to run wild with a passion of building electronic gadgets and I bet you would be surprised at what that kid could do. I'm not even sure English being a second language would be as big of a barrier with a technical subject as other types of courses would be. What's the word for computer in X language? There's a good chance it's computer. That's a oversimplified silly example, but the point is that some areas of study are more universal than others. I cringe to think about how much time I had when I was that age that I didn't put to good use. An sophomore in MIT might be challenged to find the time to make the bed properly, let alone get lost in the pursuit of the subjects that are covered in Circuits and Electronics. I was a horrible student in college, not because I was dumb (okay, I take back what I said about me being an idiot, I'm about average) but because I didn't manage my time properly. As a kid, I didn't have that problem. ETA: And as for the numbers of people who have taken that test, it's not like it's the SAT or the required placement exam to get into a good college in China. If there were truly big stakes attached to that exam then there would be a lot more than 340 people out of 150,000 getting a perfect score. Again, I'm happy for the kid. But I think the real story here is that kids can accomplish a lot, we just need a way to get them engaged.
- dgacmu 13y ago
  Um, just to be clear, gexla - 6.002 requires diffEq as background, as well as physics E&M. I'd suggest that what he did is an extremely substantial achievement for a 15 year old.
  - gexla 13y ago
    I didn't say this wasn't a substantial achievement. If it weren't a substantial achievement, this article wouldn't have been written, MIT wouldn't have noticed this kid and we wouldn't be having this discussion. My question is, given the drive to do this, is this kid really outstanding or is this something that many more kids are capable of doing? Okay, clearly it's outstanding even if more kids are capable of doing this. It takes a lot of effort to do something like this on your own free will, and that's not something a lot of people are willing to do. Or, they just don't see a reason for doing it. Getting noticed by MIT would be a great reason, but it's difficult to connect the dots when when you are weighing your decision based on rewards rather than passion. Just saying, is it genius or is it working smart and hard for something that you are driven to figure out? Genius is difficult to define. What is genius? Is it something we are born with? Can we go from average to genius? If we have to be born a genius, then case closed, the kid is special and untouchable. If his accomplishment was working smart and hard, then that's more achievable, even if it's something not many people are willing to do. Maybe it's a combination of both, which is problematic because we then get to that vague genius term again. ;) Again, I think the schools need to figure out how to get more kids engaged. Kids spend so much of their time at schools and then more time on homework when they get home. The schools need to be able to make the most of this substantial time they have with our children. Sure, it's not all on the school. It has to be on the parent and the child as well. But the schools are still a huge component.
    - Datsundere 13y ago
      you're basically saying you're lazy but don't want to admit it and possibly jealous of this kid who worked hard. >Again, I think the schools need to figure out how to get more kids engaged. It's upto the kid to be responsible and learn things. If they don't care and just want to fuck bitches, then it's his problem. You seem to have a big resentment against your teachers but it's your problem that you're lazy.
      - deleted 13y ago
        [deleted]
      - 13y ago
- gametheoretic 13y ago
  >If there were truly big stakes attached to that exam then there would be a lot more than 340 people out of 150,000 getting a perfect score. That, and we're all blissfully unaware of what fraction of that 150k participated in the course, and what fraction merely participated in clicking the confirmation email. >As a kid, I didn't have that problem. Word to that. Yours truly, for example, took Multivar and LinAlg at Georgetown while in high school (in summer semester before sr. year - for fun), scored a 35 on the ACT w/o prep, AIME participant, that kind of thing. Later failed out of college. I hope this kid really is a genius because if he's not, well, "Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first call promising."
  - abrichr 13y ago
    Failed, or decided to pursue other interests?
    - gametheoretic 13y ago
      Failed. Well, technically I think they let you return if you demonstrate this and that elsewhere, but the university most certainly dismissed me for academic reasons. So, failed.
- ahnunahki 13y ago
  Haters are going to hate.

by chnx 13y ago

gexla 13y ago

Give a 15 year old kid an entire summer vacation and some equipment to run wild with a passion of building electronic gadgets and I bet you would be surprised at what that kid could do. I'm not even sure English being a second language would be as big of a barrier with a technical subject as other types of courses would be. What's the word for computer in X language? There's a good chance it's computer. That's a oversimplified silly example, but the point is that some areas of study are more universal than others. I cringe to think about how much time I had when I was that age that I didn't put to good use. An sophomore in MIT might be challenged to find the time to make the bed properly, let alone get lost in the pursuit of the subjects that are covered in Circuits and Electronics. I was a horrible student in college, not because I was dumb (okay, I take back what I said about me being an idiot, I'm about average) but because I didn't manage my time properly. As a kid, I didn't have that problem. ETA: And as for the numbers of people who have taken that test, it's not like it's the SAT or the required placement exam to get into a good college in China. If there were truly big stakes attached to that exam then there would be a lot more than 340 people out of 150,000 getting a perfect score. Again, I'm happy for the kid. But I think the real story here is that kids can accomplish a lot, we just need a way to get them engaged.

dgacmu 13y ago
Um, just to be clear, gexla - 6.002 requires diffEq as background, as well as physics E&M. I'd suggest that what he did is an extremely substantial achievement for a 15 year old.
- gexla 13y ago
  I didn't say this wasn't a substantial achievement. If it weren't a substantial achievement, this article wouldn't have been written, MIT wouldn't have noticed this kid and we wouldn't be having this discussion. My question is, given the drive to do this, is this kid really outstanding or is this something that many more kids are capable of doing? Okay, clearly it's outstanding even if more kids are capable of doing this. It takes a lot of effort to do something like this on your own free will, and that's not something a lot of people are willing to do. Or, they just don't see a reason for doing it. Getting noticed by MIT would be a great reason, but it's difficult to connect the dots when when you are weighing your decision based on rewards rather than passion. Just saying, is it genius or is it working smart and hard for something that you are driven to figure out? Genius is difficult to define. What is genius? Is it something we are born with? Can we go from average to genius? If we have to be born a genius, then case closed, the kid is special and untouchable. If his accomplishment was working smart and hard, then that's more achievable, even if it's something not many people are willing to do. Maybe it's a combination of both, which is problematic because we then get to that vague genius term again. ;) Again, I think the schools need to figure out how to get more kids engaged. Kids spend so much of their time at schools and then more time on homework when they get home. The schools need to be able to make the most of this substantial time they have with our children. Sure, it's not all on the school. It has to be on the parent and the child as well. But the schools are still a huge component.
  - Datsundere 13y ago
    you're basically saying you're lazy but don't want to admit it and possibly jealous of this kid who worked hard. >Again, I think the schools need to figure out how to get more kids engaged. It's upto the kid to be responsible and learn things. If they don't care and just want to fuck bitches, then it's his problem. You seem to have a big resentment against your teachers but it's your problem that you're lazy.
    - deleted 13y ago
      [deleted]
    - 13y ago
gametheoretic 13y ago
>If there were truly big stakes attached to that exam then there would be a lot more than 340 people out of 150,000 getting a perfect score. That, and we're all blissfully unaware of what fraction of that 150k participated in the course, and what fraction merely participated in clicking the confirmation email. >As a kid, I didn't have that problem. Word to that. Yours truly, for example, took Multivar and LinAlg at Georgetown while in high school (in summer semester before sr. year - for fun), scored a 35 on the ACT w/o prep, AIME participant, that kind of thing. Later failed out of college. I hope this kid really is a genius because if he's not, well, "Whom the gods wish to destroy, they first call promising."
- abrichr 13y ago
  Failed, or decided to pursue other interests?
  - gametheoretic 13y ago
    Failed. Well, technically I think they let you return if you demonstrate this and that elsewhere, but the university most certainly dismissed me for academic reasons. So, failed.
ahnunahki 13y ago
Haters are going to hate.