By RG
The way the US school system educates our kids is basically flawed. We spend more per child ($9000) than nearly every other country, but our results are comparatively poor. How can this be? An article by Clayton Christensen (he wrote The Innovator’s Dilemma), Michael Horn, and Curtis Johnson last week that suggests that individualized teaching, supported by computer-based learning, might be an answer.
But who makes sure kids really get it? Testing well isn’t everything. We need to be sure that students grasp concepts and principles and can make decisions based on them in the future. Students – whether kids or adults – need a mentor to validate that they are understanding concepts and principles. This is where conventional teaching and training falls down.
True understanding comes from:
- focusing on great content
- validation from a mentor that they really “get it”
- appliying new learning to real situations
- practicing the new thing until neuro pathways are set.
There needs to be both high tech and high touch for really effective learning.
