New Educational Approach
Saved this article quite some time ago to "read later"--"Toward a New Education: Low Cost, Scalable, Distributed & Above All: Personalized", by Russ Maschmeyer.
Well, here it is "later" and I am inpsired--do I have enough time this summer?
The basic premise is the platform with which we present education is antiquated and wouldn't it be better if more students had access to the best teachers? While I am not sure if I can change the world this summer, I think that maybe I can contribute by trying something different.
In the GT Independent Study class I teach, we often talk about the rabbit trails we take online as something peaks our interest while we are looking for information on some required assignment. One of the platforms of information that Mr. Maschmeyer likes is Wikipedia simply because it encourages us to do this--essentially it encourage us to learn more, and dig deeper. Yes, I know--as educators we have been programmed to think of Wikipedia as that "lesser source" and that doesn't mean you shouldn't still verify everything, but I think there is something to this.
What if our lessons were online. Present the basics with myriads of hyperlinks to allow, and yes encourage students to "dig deeper". The basic would need to be presented in such a way that students interests are peaked and they want to go deeper. Hmmm...I am thinking...
It seems that the success of such an educational mode will hinge on the students natural curiosity. Do our high school students still have this curiosity?
