TED Talks

Got the link from a Gary Stager tweet.

8 Responses to “The Importance Of Teachers”

  1. Gary Stager Says:

    Why call an article about children learning on their own, “The Importance of Teachers?”

  2. lowell Says:

    Because this blog supports a class that is examining the relationship between education and learning, between teachers and students. I want my students (who are, for the most part, teachers) to consider the question of the importance of teachers in relation to the content of this particular video.

    I expect it to raise questions.

    That wasn’t one that I expected, but it’s a good one.

  3. Tim Toews Says:

    Students natural curiosity can be satisfied in any way. there need not be an adult and a book there for learning to take place. Montessori advocated learning through play, and a student centered curriculum. The Robinson homeschool curriculum is a multimedia CD based curriculum that is entirely student self-guided. For a mass produced, mass culture, mass education directed toward a particular end is neccessary. To create individual thinkers, give them individual instruction.

  4. Latisha Howard Says:

    That video was very interesting. It shows that students can learn on their own. The key is motivation. Students who want to learn something will learn it regardless if a teacher is present.

  5. lowell Says:

    Yea.. And it goes farther than that.

    Learners who want to learn something will learn it in SPITE of teachers being present.

  6. monica Says:

    The situation described where he left the computer with the community with no knowledge about computers made me think about my classroom. In the traditional school setting we provide students with technology and tell them not to press a button until we tell them what to do. As teachers we become the experts and assign value to what activity is worthy of our computer time. This takes the initiative from the student for his or her learning, AGAIN. In an earlier post, I talked about wanting to give my children a love for learning and the tools to learn with, because I can never teach them all they need to know about any subject. The experiment described in the video gave the learner control of what they were learning, and apparently they learned alot. How do we transfer this philosopy into our classrooms? How do we introduce a topic, provide students tools, and then set them free to learn about that topic? I wonder if teaching kids how to learn isn’t more important than teaching content at times. We do not want to live in a society whose members accept what is presented to them as the final authority on a given subject do we? In other classes, I have read about classroms that promote constructivist learning, and in this class I am learning about the idea of connected learning. The possibilities seem enormous. As a teacher, how do I set these ideas in motion while achieving the mandates set before me from administration? I’ll have to chew on this one …..any ideas?

  7. Shonda Ash Says:

    That video was very interesting. It talks about students being able to learn and wanting to learn. It also tells that as long as the students are motivated they will learn anywhere with or without a teahcer.

  8. Kim Clevinger Says:

    I think that students can learn regardless of teachers being present. Students natural tendency is to learn so they will do so no matter what . Interesting video..

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