TED Conversations

david pinto

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Combine Khan's content with self-discipline system in schools.

Current pedagogy emphasises "child-centered" learning which rightly puts the learner themselves at the centre of the learning experience. When asked who the second most important person in a class is, most people opt for "teacher". This is a mistake. The second most important factor in a class is the kids around that learner. That is, the social dimension. There are thirty centers of learning in the classroom.

I have been a maths teacher for some ten years, and I developed a self-discipline system in my classes which resulted in the emergence of socially responsible behaviour. I call the system Educare. Techniques to improve listening, collaboration, and creative skills emerge from harmonious learning environment.

I am glad Khan appears to be so sociable. His emphasis on the "flip" where videos are homework leaving school time for peer-to-peer education, is superb. That's the bleeding edge right there.

Related Talks:
Topics: Mathematics education self-organization
+1
Share:
progress indicator

  • Sherree Denby

    • 0
    Mar 25 2011: I'm a teacher and I'd like to learn more about your Educare. Do you base it off of any books I could read, or can you send me some of your own information on it?
  • thumb

    Sally Adams

    • 0
    Mar 17 2011: I love the flip. It makes so much sense. This would certainly encourage students to bring a very different learning model to a classroom where teachers advise, encourage and provide an adult presence. The social aspect is also important. We know learning new material among peers inspires both collaboration and competition. With great supervision the collaboration can be idea-sharing and the competition can be healthy.
  • thumb

    Amy Zimmer

    • +1
    Mar 17 2011: Hi David,

    Coming home from an overseas school into a suburban school where ignorance is bliss, I have had a rough year in my Algebra classes. I love math, the curriculum and teaching how to learn. I have had to be the sage on the stage, and have hardly had any success with group work and projects, as the students I am currently teaching have little regard for each other, me, or anyone that isn't like them.

    I would love to hear more about Educare--and can it work with 14-16 years who are extremely immature and have very few social skills?

    Thanks, Amy in No. California
  • thumb

    Julianne Wurm 500+

    • 0
    TED AttendeeTEDx Organizer
    Mar 16 2011: I agree that the other learners in the room are the key levers to any sort of socially constructed learning. But the next question is how...
    • thumb

      Martin Bailey

      • 0
      Mar 16 2011: The one room country school. There the older students would help the younger students figure things out. In the process the older students knowledge of the subject was being reinforced. The downside of the one room school was that it was hard to teach the more specialized subjects beyond reading and writing there. One of the ways to do get beyond that problem was through correspondence courses using snail mail.

      How to get back to the one room school's strong points? Simple. Encourage kids in the classroom to help each other out. Stop calling it cheating.

      • Martha Djourdjin

        • +1
        Mar 25 2011: I completely agree, Martin!!!

        STOP CALLING IT CHEATING!

        Both at school and at university I have learned more from my peers and by explaining stuff to my peers than from classes and teachers themselves. I don't mean to say that some form of individual testing shouldn't exist, but I think collaboration and spontaneous teamwork have advantages within and much beyond education! And I am not talking traditional "find a team and do a project" teamwork. I am talking of an environment where sharing your knowledge and skills in one subject can win you much needed support in another. When solving a problem together adds up to much more than what individuals could have learned on their own. Where you don't want to be "first in class", but better than you were yesterday, and with more friends.
        But in order for this to exist, cooperation and collaboration have to be seen as legitimate and desirable!
  • thumb

    Tony Kuphaldt 10+

    • 0
    Mar 12 2011: Do you have any resources or web links to share regarding your Educare system?

  • Gunasekar Rajaratnam

    • 0
    Mar 12 2011: David, perhaps your educare needs a live demonstration similar to Khan Academy. From what I have read so far, it makes sense. Perhaps you could point in the direction of more detailed descriptions. We could also discuss ways of trying this out among children in communities who have not yet been corrupted by modern education in my part of the world.
Showing all 8 comments