Learning isn’t really something that the provider can force on the student. Learning is like weight loss-there isn’t a trivial one-size-fits-all solution, and it requires a ton of work that no one else can do for you.
Tests and lectures aren’t outdated, nor even particularly ineffective compared to anything else. I don’t know when it became popular to hate the way school is run, but it usually traces back to the mistaken belief that school should predict professional performance (which is not now—nor ever was—the primary purpose of school).
In both cases, my work with Ed tech has convinced me that the key problems are _social_, not technical.
It's clear that social improvements could help education but I get a sense that there is more to it than that.
In Rhode Island, for instance, about 34% of students meet or exceed the expectations of English language arts and 27% for math. These students have been set up for a very difficult future.
Rhode Island is about as nice, safe, and quiet as a large human settlement has ever been (obviously not without social problems).
Sure, but I'm arguing that the things technology can influence are very limited vs the core social problems that are the primary inhibitors of learning. Making it cheaper to deliver lectures or easier to deliver them is less important than making sure that the people receiving them are well fed, well rested, want to be there, etc.
I wouldn't invest in an ed-tech company whose product depends on learners changing their behavior (e.g., any of the platform companies like Udacity, Coursera, Pluralsight, etc.) unless it was a bet on their enterprise product.
> Focusing on efficient learning means getting away from outdated methodology like tests, long-winded lectures, and more.
I think efficient learning would need to be always in the sweet spot - not too difficult and not too easy. Most courses have accessible first few lessons and then suddenly ramp up the difficulty without proper support.
Imagine you want to climb down a building. If you take the stairs, it might take you a few minutes but you reliably get to the bottom. If you try to escalate the wall, or do it in a few large jumps, you might never make it. The next step should always be the size you can handle.
I agree as well. I think the computer and internet unlock new methods to teach people but these new methods are rarely used effectively. I think codecademy does a good job at at least showing that online learning can be effective.
Online teaching should have more focus on analysis of student data, more direct student interaction, more customized tools to help students learn and so on.
The real problem to be solved is LEARNING. The goals of teaching and learning are not the same.
Focusing on efficient learning means getting away from outdated methodology like tests, long-winded lectures, and more.