> why deal with a mediocre local math teacher if you can get taught by the best?
Because…you actually can’t. Static media (like books and non-interactive lectures) scales easily, but that’s not teaching (even if, especially in large lower-division courses, that’s what university faculty essentially does.)
Human interactivity, which is what teaching fundamentally is, doesn’t scale, which is why those large lecture classes typically also have smaller TA-led “discussion sections” or sonething similar. And, in many cases, as well as not scaling, it works a lot better in person than remotely.
I don't think you can usefully define what teaching fundamentally is.
Learning is the anchor, not teaching. Teaching is defined relative to learning. Anything that enables, delivers, structures or otherwise makes learning happen.
For me, classroom teaching was never helpful. I zoned out in classes from first class to university (where I just didn't attend lectures). I had a little private tutoring in 12th class that was very helpful. In college, small group tutorials where we reviewed homework problems also worked for me. The majority of "teaching" hours were entirely irrelevant.
Past very early grades, I would estimate the useless/useful ratio of teaching hours at <10%... maybe <5%. I don't think my experience is unique.
Anyway, I did benefit from educational structure. Essays, exams, teachers nagging. I don't think online-only would have worked for me. I needed eyes on me, and parents wouldn't have been sufficient.
If I were to design an educational system for child me it would have: (1) 0 hours of large class time. (2) 1-2 hours per day of intense small group learning. (3) 1-2 hours per day of private or semi private tuition. (4) self paced learning with a coach encouraging progress.
>I had a little private tutoring in 12th class that was very helpful. In college, small group tutorials where we reviewed homework problems also worked for me.
That's what we need. The best resources online from truly great teachers, then a discussion session locally with a local teacher. Just look below any comment section of a great science lecture or course on youtube. Tons of people grateful that finally someone explained it in an understandable and non-dry way, including the "why" questions, the context, the intuition etc. instead of how they were taught by their own teacher.
To be fair, there are "interactive" teaching methods that scale very well. In old-time schools, it was common for a single teacher to teach a large number of students, who would rote learn a teacher-prepared "lesson" and chant it back word-for-word when prompted. Students would similarly be introduced to practice in e.g. grammar or math, simply by hearing problem questions from the teacher and shouting back the right answers. Thus they were prepared for anything that might turn up on a later test. This education system could be carried forward to quite advanced levels, equivalent to a modern high school education or even to some parts of community college. Abraham Lincoln was taught in this way, and like many other students he had a habit of rehearsing his material out loud while going to school and back. It was not ineffective, though individual tutoring would've been the gold standard even back then.
> To be fair, there are "interactive" teaching methods that scale very well. In old-time schools, it was common for a single teacher to teach a large number of students, who would rote learn a teacher-prepared "lesson" and chant it back word-for-word when prompted.
> […]
> It was not ineffective, though individual tutoring would've been the gold standard even back then.
Because…you actually can’t. Static media (like books and non-interactive lectures) scales easily, but that’s not teaching (even if, especially in large lower-division courses, that’s what university faculty essentially does.)
Human interactivity, which is what teaching fundamentally is, doesn’t scale, which is why those large lecture classes typically also have smaller TA-led “discussion sections” or sonething similar. And, in many cases, as well as not scaling, it works a lot better in person than remotely.