Comments on: How The School System Has Killed Your Ability To Think http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/ Success Secrets They Don't Teach You in School Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:29:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Fernando Moreno http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-122 Fernando Moreno Thu, 06 May 2010 01:55:31 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-122 My friend just told me about this site. But they got alot interesting videos on there. Watch Steve Jobs graduation ceremony speech, its awesome! My friend just told me about this site. But they got alot interesting videos on there. Watch Steve Jobs graduation ceremony speech, its awesome!

]]> By: Nikolai De Leo http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-119 Nikolai De Leo Tue, 04 May 2010 05:26:49 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-119 This video is awesome! It's definitely one of my favorites. Do you watch a lot of TED talks? This video is awesome! It's definitely one of my favorites. Do you watch a lot of TED talks?

]]> By: Fernando Moreno http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-116 Fernando Moreno Mon, 03 May 2010 21:05:19 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-116 Hey Nikolai. I found this video which discusses the same topic on how the education system has hindered our ability to think and be creative. It's from TED, check it out: <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html" target="_blank">http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_school...</a> Hey Nikolai. I found this video which discusses the same topic on how the education system has hindered our ability to think and be creative.

It's from TED, check it out: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_school…

]]> By: Nikolai De Leo http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-114 Nikolai De Leo Sat, 24 Apr 2010 04:51:57 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-114 Thanks for this great note! I had no idea that standardization was taking place to that extent so close to home. I do agree with you that we need to see our school system evolve to include better metrics for evaluating teachers. It cannot be as simple as just a multiple choice test. Roger was also happy the recent Florida Education bill was vetoed (although he was pretty sure it was for political reasons). What are your thoughts on that? Thanks for this great note! I had no idea that standardization was taking place to that extent so close to home. I do agree with you that we need to see our school system evolve to include better metrics for evaluating teachers. It cannot be as simple as just a multiple choice test.

Roger was also happy the recent Florida Education bill was vetoed (although he was pretty sure it was for political reasons). What are your thoughts on that?

]]> By: Brittney Davidson http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-110 Brittney Davidson Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:56:34 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-110 Nickolai-- Recently, in Palm Beach County, the school superintendent hired an administrator to create a plan to further standardize K-12 education. Teachers were ordered to teach the same exact page of the same exact workbook during the same exact time period of the day, every day (I'm not even kidding). The plan allowed for no deviation, no extraneous activities, and most importantly, no room for creativity. It's actually interesting how standardization has been the "answer" to education for so long, that so many politicians, educators, and administrators have come to regard it as THE primary solution. After WWII, James Bryant Conant was the president of Harvard. At the time, Ivy League schools accepted students almost exclusively based on hereditary American aristocracy. Conant turned to Henry Chauncey- who was actually the one responsible for the creation of the SAT- to use standardization, notably testing, as a method to grant opportunity based on aptitude instead of family heritage, an innovative idea at the time. Was it the best solution? Probably not. Like any plan, this one should have evolved, innovated, and become better over time. Instead, it seems like the education system latched onto it and took it far beyond its initial purpose, sacrificing a lot in the process. Teachers spoke out about the curriculum plan and were, for the most part, ignored...until parents took note. The Palm Beach County curriculum plan was eventually abandoned--not due to some realization by upper administration that it was ludicrous, but rather, because students and parents protested against it. Change only seems to happen when people get upset enough to make it happen. As a lot more attention has been given to education recently, it will be interesting to see what changes are made, and if they will truly move us in the right direction. Anyway, fascinating topic...I'm glad you posted on it. Nickolai–
Recently, in Palm Beach County, the school superintendent hired an administrator to create a plan to further standardize K-12 education. Teachers were ordered to teach the same exact page of the same exact workbook during the same exact time period of the day, every day (I'm not even kidding). The plan allowed for no deviation, no extraneous activities, and most importantly, no room for creativity.

It's actually interesting how standardization has been the "answer" to education for so long, that so many politicians, educators, and administrators have come to regard it as THE primary solution. After WWII, James Bryant Conant was the president of Harvard. At the time, Ivy League schools accepted students almost exclusively based on hereditary American aristocracy. Conant turned to Henry Chauncey- who was actually the one responsible for the creation of the SAT- to use standardization, notably testing, as a method to grant opportunity based on aptitude instead of family heritage, an innovative idea at the time.

Was it the best solution? Probably not. Like any plan, this one should have evolved, innovated, and become better over time. Instead, it seems like the education system latched onto it and took it far beyond its initial purpose, sacrificing a lot in the process.

Teachers spoke out about the curriculum plan and were, for the most part, ignored…until parents took note. The Palm Beach County curriculum plan was eventually abandoned–not due to some realization by upper administration that it was ludicrous, but rather, because students and parents protested against it.

Change only seems to happen when people get upset enough to make it happen. As a lot more attention has been given to education recently, it will be interesting to see what changes are made, and if they will truly move us in the right direction. Anyway, fascinating topic…I'm glad you posted on it.

]]> By: Nikolai De Leo http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-109 Nikolai De Leo Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:08:03 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-109 I think this strikes the nail on the head. Ask a person on the street what his interests are and chances are he cannot answer you. Most people tend to think of their interests as "subjects" or "majors". This is complete nonsense and has little practical use. Action is the only measure of intelligence. Students need to take on more projects within their community and focus less on memorizing words out of books. I think this strikes the nail on the head. Ask a person on the street what his interests are and chances are he cannot answer you. Most people tend to think of their interests as "subjects" or "majors". This is complete nonsense and has little practical use.

Action is the only measure of intelligence. Students need to take on more projects within their community and focus less on memorizing words out of books.

]]> By: Nikolai De Leo http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-108 Nikolai De Leo Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:05:19 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-108 Joey - I think you're starting to hit on some good points with the rigid education system. As I will outline in my next post, Roger goes beyond even what you are recommending. Brown may have more freedom in courses but what if the courses are the problem? The lecture format is an outdated and ineffective format. You can offer a lot of different courses but what value do they really provide if you learn very little from them? Joey – I think you're starting to hit on some good points with the rigid education system. As I will outline in my next post, Roger goes beyond even what you are recommending. Brown may have more freedom in courses but what if the courses are the problem? The lecture format is an outdated and ineffective format. You can offer a lot of different courses but what value do they really provide if you learn very little from them?

]]> By: Nikolai De Leo http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-107 Nikolai De Leo Mon, 19 Apr 2010 22:03:12 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-107 Great quote. The sad thing is that most teachers are scared to be corrected. To foster an environment such as this would require extensive preparation and would probably take up more time than they would like to use on teaching. Great quote. The sad thing is that most teachers are scared to be corrected. To foster an environment such as this would require extensive preparation and would probably take up more time than they would like to use on teaching.

]]> By: Matthew Groff http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-106 Matthew Groff Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:17:32 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-106 * To be a teacher does not mean simply to affirm that such a thing is so, or to deliver a lecture, etc. No, to be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and the way he understands it. o The Point of View for My Work as an Author (1848)- Soren Kierkegaard * To be a teacher does not mean simply to affirm that such a thing is so, or to deliver a lecture, etc. No, to be a teacher in the right sense is to be a learner. Instruction begins when you, the teacher, learn from the learner, put yourself in his place so that you may understand what he understands and the way he understands it.
o The Point of View for My Work as an Author (1848)- Soren Kierkegaard

]]> By: Joey Insua http://www.thirdminds.com/how-the-school-system-has-killed-your-ability-to-think/comment-page-1/#comment-105 Joey Insua Mon, 19 Apr 2010 06:15:36 +0000 http://www.thirdminds.com/?p=1214#comment-105 To start off I'm not quite sure we'll ever know what the "right" kind of education is. To build upon Darshan's argument, I completely agree that the first few years of college, and to an extent all of your undergraduate studies focus primarily and developing your skill to "learn." I have spoken to several human resource associates in different areas of business and they seem to agree on the notion that most of what your career entails is learned on the job, and that your G.P.A. is more of a measure of not only your ability, but willingness to learn as well. I think that it's needless to say that at Third Minds one of our greatest goals is to bridge the gap between education and the professional world. I have a deep faith in the belief that developing soft skills (like negotiating, interpersonal communication, etc.) is just as if not more important than the actual course material learned in college (though critical thinking is VERY IMPORTANT). I do believe that education needs to be catered more towards preparing students to succeed in their field of choice through experience both inside and outside the classroom. That leads to my second thought. Nicole makes an excellent point by stating that so many students have no idea what it is they want to accomplish after college. I think it boils down to the fact that the college curriculum is too rigid. For example, as an accounting student at my college (which is an amazing program), I'm not allowed to seek a double major, or any minors within the College of Business. This greatly limits my yearning for creativity and exploration. Luckily, I took the initiative of searching for those things outside of the classroom, but it would have been so much easier if I had been able to explore my first two years in college. I think that a Liberal Arts education modeled after Brown University is a great example of progress. Brown truly offers its students a liberal education, allowing them to take courses in all areas of study no matter the concentration (with some limitations of course). I believe that if colleges allowed their students more flexibility in choosing courses, it would breed a happier, more productive, and better prepared graduate. I guess that we can only hope that the education system gets reformed. Until then, as the great Mark Twain put it, "Don't let school get in the way of your education." To start off I'm not quite sure we'll ever know what the "right" kind of education is. To build upon Darshan's argument, I completely agree that the first few years of college, and to an extent all of your undergraduate studies focus primarily and developing your skill to "learn." I have spoken to several human resource associates in different areas of business and they seem to agree on the notion that most of what your career entails is learned on the job, and that your G.P.A. is more of a measure of not only your ability, but willingness to learn as well. I think that it's needless to say that at Third Minds one of our greatest goals is to bridge the gap between education and the professional world. I have a deep faith in the belief that developing soft skills (like negotiating, interpersonal communication, etc.) is just as if not more important than the actual course material learned in college (though critical thinking is VERY IMPORTANT). I do believe that education needs to be catered more towards preparing students to succeed in their field of choice through experience both inside and outside the classroom.

That leads to my second thought. Nicole makes an excellent point by stating that so many students have no idea what it is they want to accomplish after college. I think it boils down to the fact that the college curriculum is too rigid. For example, as an accounting student at my college (which is an amazing program), I'm not allowed to seek a double major, or any minors within the College of Business. This greatly limits my yearning for creativity and exploration. Luckily, I took the initiative of searching for those things outside of the classroom, but it would have been so much easier if I had been able to explore my first two years in college. I think that a Liberal Arts education modeled after Brown University is a great example of progress. Brown truly offers its students a liberal education, allowing them to take courses in all areas of study no matter the concentration (with some limitations of course). I believe that if colleges allowed their students more flexibility in choosing courses, it would breed a happier, more productive, and better prepared graduate.

I guess that we can only hope that the education system gets reformed. Until then, as the great Mark Twain put it, "Don't let school get in the way of your education."

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