Shiv on Learning

Video from Edutopia

Key points:

• Education systems that reward people that can learn facts but not solve problems are on their last legs.
• Next: Education systems that teach people to solve problems, do it collaboratively, work in a group where the group is smarter than its smartest member, innovate with the tools you’ve learned and not just look for standard solutions to problems.
• Computer games put you in a world where you have to solve problems as described above.
• A computer game is a series of problems to solve; you are constantly being assessed on your ability.
• Assessment is the most painful area of schooling but in a game it is a lot of fun.
• Games combine learning and assessment.
• Knowledge is not just facts but something you produce.
• Computer games manuals are just as technical as a textbook
• Game manuals are used as a reference rather than a guide – this is how textbooks should be used.
• Kids want to produce not just consume.
• Kids want to participate in communities.
• In online communities anyone can teach and learn, unlike school.
• Games are engaging kids in reading and writing more than ever. #
• Students are learning English though online fan fiction communities.
• Online passion communities hold members to very high standards.
• Teachers should be rewarded for teaching.
• Teachers have been deprofessionalised  - text books, tests, politician and schools, supervise teachers in a way that takes away their professional responsibility to build their own curriculum and think strategically about how learning works in a classroom.
• We cannot use digital tools with teachers who are not professionals.
• Having teachers who are not tech savvy can be an advantage because they are learning with their kids.
• Teaching should be a sexy job. It is not because schools are not very cool.
• Schools have a new competition that they have never had at any point in history.