Monday, September 06, 2021

The Most Persistent Myth - Teacher of the Year

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEmuEWjHr5c

"This will revolutionize Education." No prediction has been made, as often and as incorrectly as this.

In 1922 - Thomas Edison said this,  then it was radios, and Television in 1950's and 60's. In the 80's it was computers. In the 1990's it was video disk. Now smart devises and machine tutors.

It's for what Education is?  It doesn't matter what happens across the learner, what limits learning is what can happen inside the learners head. What needs to enhance thought process? 

If teacher's job is to deliver information it is obsolete, but that is not the job of a teacher - it is to excite the students and make every student feel important and accountable. Using computers today is evolution not revolution. Students learn well with other students and a caring teacher. 

Many technologies have promised to revolutionize education, but so far none has. With that in mind, what could revolutionize education?

Speakers PhD in physics education: https://ve42.co/phd

Have also discussed this topic with CGP Grey, whose view of the future of education differs significantly from mine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vsCA...

It is instructive that each new technology has appeared to be so transformative. You can imagine, for example, that motion pictures must have seemed like a revolutionary learning technology. After all they did revolutionize entertainment, yet failed to make significant inroads into the classroom. TV and video seem like a cheaper, scaled back film, but they too failed to live up to expectations. Now there is a glut of information and video on the internet so should we expect it to revolutionize education?

It won't, for two reasons: 

1. Technology is not inherently superior, animations over static graphics, videoed presentations over live lectures etc. and 

2. Learning is inherently a social activity, motivated and encouraged by interactions with others.


Most Resolutions fail. Only 8% people can stick to the resolution. Pick Small targets - Atomic Habits. Two minute rule - pic something that you can do in two minutes and increase. 

Most resolutions are too vague. Write it down. 

Structure their environment. 

An element of truth - videos about science, education, and anything else interesting. Stumbled upon this today: Amazing -  'Veritasium'


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