“Learn the Difference Between Performance and Learning” Comments, Page 1

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3 Comments on “Learn the Difference Between Performance and Learning”

  1. Using an old example of a classroom setting is an extremely poor example. Have you been inside a classroom lately? Have you taught in the last ten years? Come to my classroom. If worksheets are ever handed out (rare), it’s only to reinforce what’s already been taught and modeled. My students would work in leveled pairs on that worksheet to ensure peer tutoring and guidance. The comparison you make is the kind of propaganda that’s reinforcing teacher-blame in this country. Try visiting a real classroom before comparing it to your real swim school. The linear type planning in the swim school is great for small groups of 5 or less. Try a classroom with 38 kids or more. Yes, I can move my faster kids up to the next level and give extra attention to the strugglers. But one on one? Not going to happen. Not with the state our schools are in.

  2. Individual instruction probably means home schooling (or ‘village’ schooling). This would be a vast improvement. Most time in schooling is wasted (and not even entertaining).

    Through experience teachers do get a general sense of the stages of learning (most voluntary learning – hobbies and sport and so on – are organised this way: meaningful tasks that are learnt to improve performance).

  3. I think the author’s point is well stated, particularly from the standpoint of Alice. I think our focus on mastery assumes an unhealthy expectation that works against the concept of learning. And while Alice is clearly underchallenged in that theoretical environment, she is still considered (at least by her peers) to be the “smartest” in the class. I would argue that she is the most able, but if she continues in that environment I think it is likely that she will have little preparation for when she finds herself in a truly challenging environment.

    My question is, where does this expert-focussed approach come from? It is obvious that we want our children to do well, but to what end? The material being learned in school is merely a building block for future knowledge, but clearly we do not expect them to retain every bit they have learned. So, do we want them to be mini-repositories of knowledge, or do we want them to be abled learners?

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