How we learn
born-to-learn.org
born-to-learn.org
The video's claim is that we get bored because we have very specialized work. And it contrasts with the wonderful life we had 300 years ago when we lived in tiny communities doing non-specialized work.
I don't see why I should agree. Firstly, I don't know people were not bored with their work 300 years ago. Secondly, I don't know that most people are bored with their work now.
One difference I do see between now and 300 years ago is that we have it much easier physically. We have lots of machines to do a lot of work for us. Some of us do not have the discipline to utilize such "excess time" for betterment (I'm one of them :( )
It's not got so much to do with "how we learn" but with what motivates us.
If an activity is not vital for my survival I tend not to take it so seriously. That's why I'm bored. My life is not being constantly challenged.
When I was growing up I always had questions about how everything I was learning had any relation with all the amazing things (sending rockets, experiments in science museums etc.) the world was doing. Needless to say I thought I would understand in higher grades and after high school I thought may be I can connect the dots in college.
It did help in college but some of the little things I still connect. I have a degree in CS and I am pursuing my masters now. It's amazing how even now I connect those little dots and get my aha moments. What is surprising is that I’ve come to realize that with a little help I could've made such simple connections even when I was 10 (when I first learnt the concept of Light) or in high school (when Bayes theorem was nothing but a magical formula) rather I was shunned by saying “you have a long way to go”.
I always wished someone saw the passion I had for solving geometric problems (i was helping higher grade students solve cirlces theorems when I was 12) and gave me a direction. Heck I bumped into Euclid’s Elements like a year ago. In fact, I remember people suggesting me to leave geometry coz it’s useless. Everything starting from computational geometry, probability to number theory I do today is aided by those geometrical figures I played with.
I really got carried away there, but coming back to the video, I think the video captures one of the essential elements of education which is to make that connection from time to time with simple examples. It all boils down to people who can do that, who has a liking to the workings of all things around them, who have open and inquisitive mind, who likes to see students realize those aha moments, who are true teachers.
Isn't this Marx's 'alienation' argument pro-Communism? I forget - how did that work out for them?
I also think 300 years ago sounds crap from what I have heard, and my specialised job is kinda fun.
Where I work (medium-sized mail-order clothing company) almost all roles would be better if they were balanced job complexes[1]. People packing orders would benefit from dealing with customers directly, customer services would benefit from actually shipping orders, designers would benefit from seeing feedback from customers directly, etc. Giving people a larger view of the business would benefit the company and those employees (most efficiency/service breakthroughs have come someone changing teams).
If you're claiming that the basic underpinnings of society are at odds with human nature, you need to do better than the old "studies show" handwaving. I can't find anything on born-to-learn.org or 21learn.org that cites anything with even a vague resemblance to data. There are a few citations in the FAQ, but they're mainly to articles in the popular press or PopSci books.
Shame on everyone who upvoted - if the linked site had made an argument that ran counter to our prejudices as hackers, we would have rightly deplored it as pseudo-scientific demagoguery. We should condemn anyone who uses vague references to "science" as an appeal to authority, regardless of whether we agree on their conclusions.
I graduated high school early and worked in the film industry because school was so boring. Over the next year I worked "hands-on-deck" on a schooner, 18 hour days making $250/wk, but loved it. I then spent the next 6 months hitchhiking around NZ and OZ and had the time of my life. This is when I really felt like I was learning about people, how to make friends quickly and read people so I could get safe rides to my daily destinations.
In college I studied and wrote my thesis on offshore wind farms, which was boring, and wanted to get hands on experience to really understand wind energy. Over the next 3 years I traveled the world leading teams using big wall rock climbing techniques to inspect wind turbine blades (aka repelling with ropes). This was an amazing experience because I really learned from many different angles and could tell you more about the realities of wind energy in the real world and energy in general then people who do one specific job.
I now am attacking energy from the consumer side with a company called http://wa.tt, using all of my previous knowledge of the energy industry. I am learning more by doing then I ever did by listening.
I follow the saying, "Don't let school get in the way of your education."
(PS I don't know about the specifics of these videos, but I think the education space is blowing up in a very positive and productive way. I would really love to truly learn how to learn.)
I understand (and even agree!) with some of their points about education - but those videos are just horrifically ignorant in places.
Uncomfortable, I'm not sure. I never cared much for tending to animals myself, but operating equipment is quite enjoyable to me. I look forward to each spring to get back on the land.
I think you'll find most farmers disagree, including myself. Being in control of massive equipment is an exhilarating feeling. You're constantly looking for solutions to run the implement more smoothly and cost effectively. It's actually a pretty challenging job, as easy as it may look to onlookers.
I must say, I have a love hate relationship with the guidance systems coming to agriculture. The geek in me thinks autonomous robotics on such a massive scale is the most amazing thing ever. On the other hand, those robots are taking away all the fun.
I doubt most teachers gain some sort of satisfaction from boring their students and not connecting with them.
But, I think you would be hard pressed as a middle/high school teacher to meaningfully connect each lesson in an engaging way to your students...all 210+. The videos practically screams that we all have different learning styles so it seems futile to promote this idea that teachers fail because they don't know that education should be about motivating and engaging.
Perhaps better funding, availability of apprenticeship/mentorship programs, and a more flexible curriculum (for upper tier students) would help improve the situation.
In job you often do stuff because to have to (earn money) and in your free time you work on things that you are passionate about.
I made the above in a couple of minutes using the Gimp. (1)Create path. (2)Stoke path. (3)Modify path. (4)Create new layer. (5)Stroke path in new layer. (6)Goto (3).
I agree that school is boring and that we don't teach big-picture or connectivity enough. I believe this is because our teachers don't understand the domain they're teaching well enough. I've known a few teachers and their qualification courses to teach a given subject seem to be absolutely minimal. How can you teach how concepts are connected when your command of a subject goes no further than the current textbook?