On Thu, 01 May 2008 14:28:03 -0400, default <default@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
>>Kids learn their times tables by rote. Is that brainwa****ng? When I'm
>>teaching kids science I use mnemonics. Is that brainwa****ng? If you
>>think kids can be made to believe what you want them to believe y such
>>techniques you have a very low opinion of them. I've taught thousands
>>of them - believe me, they think what they want.
You are a teacher? Well then you are probably familiar with
"programmed learning?" That would be brainwa****ng in my opinion - the
aim is to instill the knowledge, and it works quite well.
One of our problems in the US, is we tend to teach, and test
knowledge but not understanding.
I was in a position hiring people for technical jobs - lot of book
learning but not many with the ability to know what it all meant.
Some of the candidates would spout off all these equations like it was
second nature - things I forgot and I'm thinking "here's a keeper,"
then I'll ask a question pertaining to the topic just covered and find
they have no concept of what the equation means. Or one of these
Einstein types will have all the answers then not be able to look at a
drawing with two different pulleys and a belt and be able to tell me
if the driven pulley is turning faster or slower than the drive pulley
or which direction it should turn in.
And that is the problem with "brainwa****ng, programmed learning or
rote learning" rewards the ditto heads.
It was often better to hire some kid with curiosity, analytical
thinking and enthusiasm for tinkering with cars, or bee keeping, or
model planes, than someone with a college degree. - realizing that I'm
generalizing, and there are some schools that do turn out competent
people more often than not.
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