learningfromeachother June 13, 2011

Hi Ed

Once again it looks like we are thinking on similar lines, so I'll take your post as an excuse to add my opinions on the topic of motivation and learning and our destructive out-moded educational systems.

Some references to "the problem ref out-moded educational systems":

• Fwd - youtube - Education system needs rethinking: Sam Pitroda        http://dadamac.posterous.com/fwd-youtube-education-system-needs-rethinking
• Fwd - The Changing Role of the Teacher in the 21st Century        http://dadamac.posterous.com/fwd-the-changing-role-of-the-teacher-in-the-2
  

Young children are compulsive learners and explorers of their environment. We also find some adults who are learners and explorers of their environment and/or explorers of ideas. Now more of us are able to be like that (following our learning interests) through the Internet, which is great. As I see it one of the great challenges is to change the education system so that it helps children to all continue as genuine learners throughout their lives (inside and outside the education system) including their use of the Internet, as it becomes accessible to them.

BTW The value of learning through first hand exploration and investigation is also very important, which is why I don't like to see very young children "exploring" too much through the mediation of a keypad and screen, I'd rather they had plenty of first hand experience  - but that is a separate issue.

I think there are various ideas which are important and which are in opposition to standard educational systems inherited from the 19th and 20th centuries. These have to do with questioning the validity of a culture of "right answers" and include:

• Learn to tolerate uncertainty
• Learn to ask your own questions
• Be suspicious of questions where you are expected to give "the right answer"
  
• Be suspicious of environments where you are expected to give "the right answer"
• Be suspicious of situations where you benefit from other people having "not the right answer"
• Look for situations where everyone benefits from finding good answers together
  

BTW - regarding onscreen learning I know your enthusiasm for OLPC and the ideas behind that. You know I have reservations regarding OLPC so probably I should touch on my reasons for reservations.

I'm in favour of much of the pedagogy of OLPC - if it is carried through in practice. I do like Papert's ideas. Back when Mindstorms was due for publication over here I was in the queue to get a copy  - I was  an infant teacher experimenting with computers in my classroom and I was a great fan of Seymour Papert. http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seymour_Papert. However theory and classroom practice are not always the same  - and I'm cynical about the possible gaps between OLPC theory and practice having observed the initial enthusiasts' use of  LOGO and turtle graphics and also observed general classroom practice later.

The main complaint I have about OLPC is not pedagogy, it is simply related to the "per child" part of the name, and the fact that (in my opinion) this gives the impression these computers are "for all children" rather than "one each" for those children who do get them.  They have never come anywhere near the children and teachers in the kind of schools I connect with in NIgeria, and are unlikely to do so. (As evidence I hoped to refer you to Negroponte's answer at a recent London event 21st Century Challenges: Digital technology in Africa when asked by a Nigerian about Nigeria getting involved in OLPC - but the question hasn't been included in the videos.) NB Before anyone contradicts that statement I should probably say that I am aware of the highly publicised single school in Nigeria that did have OLPCs in the very early days of the project.

Like you I am in favour of children who are "agents of their own learning" having access to computers, and (whether or not it is the ideal system) OLPC has made that possible for some.

Thanks for sharing the book details. They are new to me. The titles look great .

Pamela