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For instance, even though his schools never really took off, prominent American educator John Dewey worked hard to create learning settings that were designed around students' natural interests. Within the same tradition, the more well-known Montessori schools have recently had more success. A young kid playing freely with colorful sticks or blocks is the traditional representation of a Montessori student; in this image, learning and play are seamlessly merged, much like on that beach. There are several experimental teaching methods, or "discovery education," including Montessori. The concept that personal motivations and creativity can and should drive the educational process unites them. The well-known psychologist Jean Piaget made the bold claim at the beginning of the 20th century that knowledge is not something we passively consume, as in those tedious lectures in the classroom, but rather something individuals actively produce. There is proof that methods based on theories like Piaget's are effective. For instance, in several studies, Montessori alumni outscored their colleagues from traditional institutions. However, they are not without their flaws and restrictions. They are difficult to scale up and duplicate, in part because they need a lot of resources and qualified teachers. Education must be affordable for the majority of people, not just the fortunate few, for it to be effective. Perhaps even more crucially, the motivating power of discovery and curiosity is limited in its ability to inspire action without at least some guidance. Thus, we return to the classroom. Chapter 5 - Effective learning at scale requires structure and formal teaching. Unfortunately, it's time to say goodbye to the beach forever. However, you gained a lot of knowledge that you will now carry with you about the world. similar to how damp sand collects into clumps. You still don't understand the origins of sand or why it behaves in that manner. Perhaps you make up a narrative about how little gnomes created it. You return to the classroom later on. Sand is the subject of the science lesson, as you would have guessed. The instructor goes into great detail regarding molecular structures, erosion, and friction. Your time spent at the beach now makes sense. Then then, it wasn't gnomes. Of course, the idea here is that while curiosity and creativity are strong motivators, there are occasions when simple, conventional instruction is necessary to connect your knowledge. When done properly, organized teaching may enrich your understanding of the universe by providing life to inert knowledge rather than suffocating it. As you can see, a lot of our present educational institutions are still woefully inadequate in that regard. Too many schools have a bias in favor of things that can be counted, measured, and scaled. However, there are indications that more adaptable teaching methods can make use of cognitive science's findings while still maintaining the strength and scalability of organized learning. A fascinating instance is "42," a private, nonprofit coding school with locations in California and Paris. Students advance only after completing projects of increasing complexity, a process known as mastery learning, rather than passing through classes and obtaining marks. Another irony is that there aren't many teachers at the school, thus pupils frequently tutor one another. Similar advancements have been made by MIT's TEAL system, which stands for technology-enabled active learning. Here, collaborative projects, simulations, lectures, and experiments are all combined into one seamless experience. It has been demonstrated that TEAL enhances academic performance and aids students in overcoming detrimental elements like the stereotype threat, where disadvantaged groups continue to perform poorly because they are preoccupied with pessimistic beliefs about their capabilities. It appears that there is no real difference between conventional, organized learning and exploration learning. You can choose both options. How? by releasing the mind's capacity for motivation. through fostering gaps in knowledge. by using technology to mold unstructured knowledge. And by applying that concept at a bigger scale to more established educational systems. Chapter 6 - There are no easy cures, but the time is right for a new approach to education. Both the classroom and the beach are now fond memories from my youth. Time to take things seriously now. You are now enrolled at MIT, which is a college. The robots on show in Course 2.007 after the semester are of astounding caliber. You find it hard to believe that a handful of pathetic first-year students could conjure them into existence as you see them destroy boundaries, clear hurdles, and soar into the skies. The hardest difficulty for the course to tackle was encouraging students to put the ideas they had learned into practice rather than merely remember them. And it did so by allowing pupils the freedom to explore and put their new knowledge into practice as well as by imparting difficult material through teaching. This type of education must incorporate both halves of the Latin phrase "mens et manus," which means "mind and hand." Although it's a delicate balance, Course 2.007 demonstrates that it is feasible. Naturally, it would be fantastic if we could just export MIT classes around the globe. Even if modern technology has greatly increased the possibility of putting the school's best practices into effect, that is regretfully still not attainable. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't make an effort to improve. We reside in a turbulent world. Why do we take this opportunity to consider the history of our educational systems and replace antiquated, unquestionable procedures with more modern, scientific ones? It's important to keep in mind that technology is not a magic fix as we proceed. A technology's social and economic setting cannot be isolated. For example, e-learning has been employed in certain impoverished schools to replace actual instructors who were lost as a result of budget cuts. That serves no useful purpose. There are further pitfalls. While technology gives educators the potential to reach more kids, it can also be used to record and monitor their every move, classify them based on their facial expressions, and keep a permanent record of every pen stroke they make. Do we want this? Nevertheless, there is no denying the necessity of change. We must all question the elements of our educational system that have kept us back. It's time to expand access, stop emphasizing fundamental disparities, and create teaching strategies that equip students with both knowledge and practical skills. Although there is still a long way to go, the technology is available and the time is right. A lot better than losing another generation of Einsteins to the winnower is taking the chance. Grasp: The Science Transforming How We Learn by Sanjay Sarma, Luke Yoquinto Book Review Not always do our educational institutions take into account how our brains work. By using current science, we may harness the inherent abilities of our minds as well as new technology to create significant advancements. For instance, interleaving and spacing out study sessions can both significantly increase retention. Additionally, innovative schools are developing new strategies for utilizing our inherent curiosity and passion for learning. Try forgetting it first the next time you're attempting to recall anything. The next time you want to be sure you remember anything crucial, repeat it to yourself first before letting yourself go on to other things. Recheck it after some time has passed. You will be significantly strengthening the memory encoding of that knowledge if you recollect it after some time has passed.