Where is balance Academic priorities 260

But he also said that he taught them, using this method, how to learn what they needed when they needed it.

That would fall under "learn what they need, when the needed it." If the knew how to do this well, it would work. The "when," by this definition, would be to look over the pre-requisites for the courses they wanted to take, then study those subjects in preparation for doing so. It would NOT be sitting in clbutt and discovering they didn't know how to use a cosine.

I particpated in it. I'm not not understanding you, I'm disagreeing with you.

You (seem) to be saying that knowing these bits of information is of paramount importance. I'm saying that knowing how to manipulate the bits is paramount. A person who knows how to think, how to learn, how to "find out," can do so in any situation. A person who only knows the bits can't get anywhere if the situation doesn't fit what they know.

But my kids forgot that stuff as soon as they handed in the paper. And their ability to learn what they need to know when they discover they need something isn't very good. I'd have far preferred them to have learned HOW to learn than to have learned to just get a series of check marks on a paper next to problems which were meaningless to them.

What's "education"? I'd want kids to learn to BE problem solvers rather than just solve a predefined set of problems. Note that the former is what is SUPPOSED to happen from those lessons in school. The later is what actually DOES happen far too often. buttuming that his representation that they can learn what the need quickly and efficiently is accurate, I think they probably got a pretty good "education."

On that point we agree. This can be countered (thought, I think, in a limited way) by involving the kids in other activities which encourage this sort of interaction. On the other hand, just because he didn't mention taking steps to deal with this, doesn't mean he didn't do it.

- Bill